Joe and I recently received an invitation to brunch at the home of our friend Karen, a.k.a. Bing. (Her name is Karen. Her name is Bing. She has other names too, but I won’t get into that.)
This was no ordinary brunch invitation. Bing writes a very popular blog, the Story of Bing, and devotes an entire section of her blog to cooking. I’ve been drooling over her food photography for months. This was my chance to experience the real thing.
Bing, a fellow expat, is Singaporean of Chinese descent. She described our brunch as “a really really traditional lunch. It’s what my Mom would prepare every weekend for us.” This was my first time eating home-cooked Chinese food. And it happened in South Africa. Who would’ve guessed?
We dined on onion omelettes, minced chicken with French beans in a basil duck soy sauce, stir-fried cabbage with bacon, Chinese pickled lettuce, and pork floss, all eaten over traditional Teochew porridge meal.
We had an amazing time – not only eating, but chatting away about Singapore, China, South Africa, photography, food, blogging, and life as an expat.
One of the things I like most about being a Jozi expat is the people I get to meet. Jozi is filled with seriously fascinating people, locals and foreigners alike. Bing is one of them.
Thanks for brunch, Bing!
Joe and I are heading off into the wild blue yonder this weekend, on a road trip that will hopefully include blog-able adventures. I’ll post when I can. Don’t go away.
How have I never blogged about 44 Stanley Avenue, the coolest shopping and dining complex in Joburg, which is only five minutes from my house?
I guess it’s wrong to say I’ve never blogged about 44 Stanley; I’ve mentioned it countless times over the years (see here and here) when writing about specific restaurants or shops that are there. But I’ve never written a dedicated post about 44 Stanley as a destination and it’s about time I did – especially now, with the holidays upon us.
I’ve been dreadfully uninspired lately, struggling to think of anything I want to blog about despite having a long list of great ideas (many of which you, my readers, provided in September). I’m finding it hard to feel positive about life at the moment. But on Saturday Thorsten and I got the chance to visit Indwe Park, an indigenous garden and sculpture park in Braamfontein, and I knew I had my topic for today.
Given this week’s political nuclear bomb blast, it feels like a weird time to publish a light-hearted post about my recent (pre-election) jaunt through the United States. But I’m hoping you’ve have had enough of the U.S. election horror show – I know I have – and are ready (at least temporarily) for some wholesome American travel adventures. If so, please read on about my four-day visit to Maine, the northeastern-most state in the lower 48, with my sister, Susanna.
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It makes me smile, when I see it.