Ristorante La Felicità, Milan

La Felicità

Since we've gone to an Indian restaurant the night before, we decided to try a Chinese restaurant La Felicità mentioned in the Michelin guide for lunch the next day. Polenta and other Milanese delights would have to wait for another occasion.

Chinese restaurants do not usually make it to the Michelin guide in France and I could name quite a few that are way better than the one we've tried in Milan. But I guess Chinese food in general is so bad in Italy that when one's halfway decent, it gets a mention in the red book.

Won Ton Soup

It's a small restaurant near the Castello Sforzesco. Simply decorated and very popular on this Sunday afternoon. We did well to have reserved a table that morning.

Hot and Soup Soup

The soups (e.g. Hot and Sour Soup, Won Ton Soup, Tom Yam Soup) were quite good. But avoid the Tim Sums, they were quite horrible, the prawn filling tasted like rubber as did the thick yellowy skins.

Phoenix Prawns

We ordered Fried Phoenix Prawns which were quite good, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. They provided Hoi Sin sauce for dipping. There was also Fried Sea Bass with Sweet and Sour Sauce that had the value of being prepared for easy consumption. The Thai Fried Noodles had nothing remotely Thai about it, the Hot Plate Sichuan Beef is not even half as tasty as the one from Les Jardins de Mandchourie in Paris, the meat was dry and flat, and the Cantonese Roast Duck was limp.

Hot Plate Sichuan Beef and Cantonese Roast Duck

Ristorante La Felicità

Via Rovello, 3

Milano

Tel : 02 865235

Milan

Milan's Duomo by night

I probably did visit Milan during my whirlwind 36-day student tour of 9 European countries more than a decade ago, though as I couldn't make out where I was between Liechenstein, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Germany at some point, I couldn't remember either if I've touched Milan on that trip. Probably did on our way to France or to Switzerland. I couldn't be on a tour that covered Florence, Venise, Pisa, Naples, Capri and even Pompeii and not have visited Milan, right?

Anyway, at 10:30 am Saturday morning, Hub suggested that we visit Milan. At the speed of light, I found us a hotel room, though it took us much longer to get the kids ready, pack a bag and actually leave the house. And to make things worse, the man actually had the other bright idea to have lunch in Modena before we leave. Bref, we didn't arrive in Milan till after dark.

I've gotten quite a phobia of driving into the heart of Italian cities because of the video cameras. But the cool thing about Milan on weekends is that you could actually park quite close to the duomo etc - that is if you managed to find parking space. And as non-residents we're supposed to park on the blue lines which were rarer than Bengal Tigers on a holiday weekend.

The façade of the Duomo - wow!

Still, Milan's so worth the visit. It's actually a city! It has beautiful free stone-buildings, museums, posters of musicals and concerts, lots of shops and restaurants!!! And its 600-year old late-Gothic Cathedral is a beauty! 3rd largest Catholic church in the world after St. Pierre de Rome and la Cathedrale de Seville (I've visited both - in fact there are not many churches in major cities that I've not visited. Most churches except the one in London are free and you can't miss them when you arrive in a city.) Extravagant marble exterior and cold marble interior. My pictures of its interior were all taken without flash. Though you always see morons clicking around with their flash even when they have been told that they shouldn't use it inside the church.

Inside the duomo

I wish of course that Hub is worth a million bucks though of course figuratively-speaking he is (ahem). Boy, are there beautiful boutiques in the square near the duomo. But since times are hard and the wallet quite empty, I contented myself with a bag of hot chestnuts and a giant candy floss. We'll have to save a little if I were to get my diamond upgrade in a year or 2. I never stayed awake enough to learn much during Economics at school. But if there's anything I've learnt it's this bit about resources being scarce and one having to prioritise and make choices.

The roof of the shopping gallery

Napoleon had been to this part of the world. Which probably explained why you have signs of folie de grandeur almost everywhere in the city. I find the city really beautiful, reminded me quite of Paris, though people who have been there in the week insisted that the pollution, traffic etc are really bad and that nobody in their right mind would want to live there. But I probably wouldn't be so fat if I could live, walk and shop in a city like that.

Courtyard of the Castello Sforzesco

I look forward to visiting Milan again. There are lots of fusion restaurants in the city centre. Would also love to visit the modern art museums and the modern shopping galleries. Go hand in hand, shopping's an art after all. This place has therapy potential. I love Milan.

Ristorante Tandur, Milan

Cheese Naan

We finally visited Milan. And what did we have for dinner on our one night there? No prizes for guessing - we ate Indian.

Chicken Korma and Aloo Gobi

Hub brought along the red Michelin restaurant guide. We started out wanting to try a good Italian restaurant serving Milanese cuisine for a change and then saw an Indian restaurant mentioned in the guide and that was it. I'm not eating pasta if I can have cheese naan.

Lamb Vindaloo and Prawn Madras

The restaurant's a few hundred metres by foot from the beautiful duomo and is situated in a little street. Simple restaurant with just a few tables, but nicely decorated with warm colours.

Mango Lassi

We have eaten better Indian food elsewhere and the Lamb Vindaloo for instance was absolutely not hot and not tender enough which was a disappointment. But the service was good and attentive and everything was done nicely and seemed homemade from the chutneys to the lassis. I would return if we were in Milan again.

Ristorante Tandur

Via Maddalena 3/5

Milano.

Tel : +39 028056192

http://www.ristorantetandur.com

Snow Tyres

Snow Tyre

After my near accident in the snow, I nagged the Hub to death about having snow tyres on the car and he in turn nagged his PA and the result = one email from the lady asking me to turn up at this garage in Maranello to have the mechanic measure my tyres etc.

Was told that it would only take a minute (with no need for an appointment?) which was why I turned up when I did hoping to move on to other things quickly since I'm very busy these days with Baby Girl's Birthday, the school's Winter Fair, Christmas etc all happening in the same month.

There were lots of cars around that morning as I announced myself (e.g. I am my Hub's wife - why not just myself?) to one of the mechanics. He talked to his boss and told me that I'd have my car in 30 minutes. Huh? Wasn't he supposed to just measure my tyres?

So I walked (in the cold) to the nearest supermarket and bought things I didn't really need (e.g. Moscato d'Asti that I drink like lemonade) just to kill time. Came back 35 minutes later and he still hadn't started on my car. Boy was I cold waiting around yet I didn't dare leave in case you know, out of sight out of mind. He proposed to have me wait in my own car. But I saw how they lifted the car one side at a time to change the tyres and didn't quite fancy being stuck in there. Plus I'm of course conscious of my weight.

Finally I spent nearly 2 hours there. Should have brought a book to read, 2 hours wasted in the intellectual vacuum, counting tyres and looking at other cars. And I still couldn't figure out what's so different about snow tyres. They looked the same to me and he gave me Pirelli not Michelin ones.

6th Birthday of the Little Grenouille

The Birthday Girl

She is our only little girl. Born under the same Chinese Horoscope sign as her papa. The apple of his eye. And she knows it.

When she was born, Hub came back home early almost every evening so that he could bathe her himself. When we went out, he would carry her in the baby carrier chest to chest. He often dozed off with her in his arms. He thinks that she is the prettiest, most intelligent little girl around and is always showering her with kisses. He chose her name himself. And we nicknamed her La Grenouille when she was in the womb as she was moving quite a bit (even then).

And she turned 6 yesterday. Weighs 27kg (overweight!) and measures 122cm. Hard to believe that she used to fit into the washbasin for her bath (yes, I was that much of a cheapskate, my children never had any of the fancy baby stuff when they were babies, we've always made do).

The Coffee Cake

This year we celebrated her birthday at the Japanese restaurant in Maranello. Sushi, makis, teppanyakis, udon soup, tempuras...and a beautiful coffee cake from the best pastry shop in Formigine that nobody ate because it contained too much alcohol.

Opla!

The next day, she had her party at Opla. Invited the whole class (the largest in the school) plus JM and JX who due to an accident had not left Italy then. I know that I've sworn last year never to do a party at Opla again. Head's still ringing after celebrating Eldest Son's 11th Birthday there. But it was difficult saying no to the little one. Added to the fact that if I were to hold the party at home, it would probably be destroyed before the end of the afternoon.

With JM and Baby Boy

Opla's actually not so bad on a weekday. For some reason they left out the horrible music so it was quieter than usual. And it was nice seeing now familar faces among the mothers who stayed on and we had a good chat. The ice cream cake was good (it was from Slurp! - supposedly the best gelateria in Modena) and the kids wiped out the cheese puffs, popcorn, soft buns stuffed with nutella. I had ordered too much pizza though.

The Birthday Cake

Baby Girl received lots of nice presents. Though she is already a very lucky girl who has more than what she needs, she was genuinely happy to be given new toys etc and took her time to open and enjoy every one of them the way I had advised her to. At some point during the party I asked myself if she wasn't old enough to learn to share what she had e.g. give away her presents to some charity - but I didn't have the heart to do so knowing how much she truly appreciates her gifts. Besides, we do not know what the future holds, times are hard and will become harder. I should just let her enjoy herself while she could.

Fried Udon

Fried Udon

Pre-cooked Udon is not Mee Tai Mak but comes close to it in look which may explain why I'm quite fond of it. When I need a quick udon fix I usually do a simple Fried Udon.

Fried Udon :

Pre-cooked Udon (cooked in boiling water, drained and set aside)

Chinese Sausages (finely sliced)

Raw Prawns

Garlic

Chinese rice wine and Sugar/Mirin

Light Soy Sauce

Sesame Oil

Vegetarian Oyster Sauce

Water or stock

Egg

Carrots (shredded)

Cucumber

Bean Sprouts

Fried Bean Curd

Salt and Pepper

30 minutes before cooking, salt the prawns still in their shells.

Heat up the wok and add in the chinese sausages. When the oil starts to come out and the sausages are fragrant, remove the sausages and set aside. Add in sugar and rice wine. When the sugar starts to caramelise, add in the prawns and then the minced garlic.

When the prawns are almost cooked and the garlic fragrant, add in the udon noodles and the sauces. Stir-fry and mix everything well. Push the noodles and prawns aside, add more oil and crack an egg into the wok. Scramble it and then mix it with the udon.

Add in the carrots, the fried bean curd, cucumber, return the chinese sausages and last of all add in the bean sprouts. Toss well and serve hot.

I've been Tagged! - Twice

I got tagged twice (thanks to Daphne and Muriel) with the same Meme (i.e. 6 random things about myself) in the same week, which makes me wonder if I should be writing down 12 random things about myself. Haha.

So here goes :

1. I hate not answering phone calls, emails, letters, any messages. You can imagine that I wouldn't refuse to do a Meme when asked to. Besides the fact that I'm a curious cat, I also think it impolite not to answer anybody (except my own children) when they talk to you. My dad closes doors on salepeople's noses, Hub bangs the phone down on unwanted calls - but even if they were Jehovah's Witnesses I would try to listen them out (and I did) and then bid farewell gently. I believe in one's right to express oneself (except when they're my children). Otherwise, I'd probably feel uneasy for the rest of the day. And I like to have the last word - because I have to reply.


2. I hate losing. It's not exactly the same as only liking to win - for I am not unhappy when I do not win. But defeat tires me and will set me on a long process of analysing why I lost and how I should do better the next time. Failure as they say is the mother of success. When I do something, I usually give it my best shot. Or I wouldn't even do it in the first place. Though with age, I'm starting to be very forgiving with myself.
   


3. I had some sort of Hong Kong Foot when I was a kid. Dry scaly skin on both feet, blisters etc. I had it for years and no matter what I did (e.g. doctor's medicine, cotton socks, creams...), it refused to go away. It gave me a complex, I refused to do sports, I was fat and quite miserable. Then in adolescence, when puppy fat melted away in other girls turning them into swans (with acne?), I kept mine, remained a pork, but the skin problem disappeared. I had baby soft/smooth skin all over and still do.


4. I love food (yes, we all know that). But just because I love to eat doesn't mean that I'd eat anything. I'm very very fussy about what I eat e.g. I don't eat mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, yoghurt, jams, preserved/pickled food, dried fruit, most fruits and vegetables, most industrially-made sauces, most cheeses, game, rabbit, horsemeat...I'm fat because whatever little I like I eat loads of it. When I was a kid, I only ate plain muah chee, plain Kueh Tutu (still do), plain almost everything. So one reason I cook alot is so that I can control what goes into my food. I will probably eat mayonnaise or jam if I made it myself.



5. I have low attention span. When I was at school, I was an independent student and had to study alot on my own because I would normally fall asleep/daydream within minutes of the teacher talking. But I catch the gist of things rather quickly and realised early on that one doesn't need to be brilliant to do well. Just have to understand and if possible also enjoy what one has to study. I could read, synthesize, analyse better than most kids my age. I left Primary School with full Distinctions and an average higher than my cousin who went on to gifted stream; from Secondary School 1st in class and 8th in standard; finished Junior College among the top 1000 students in Singapore (out of 16000 who sat for the "A" Levels). But having low attention span is a handicap and an embarassment.



6. Like my mom, I go for the fait divers (e.g. other news). This freaks out Hub and the in-laws. I need to know who died from what, who raped who, who murdered who, who got bombed, how people suffer etc etc. I love documentaries and usually read the newspaper from cover to cover (obituaries, births, marriages and advertisements included) and may even go online to check out other versions in same or different languages. Hub said he couldn't understand why I do that as I often get so affected by what I've read that I would lose sleep or be miserable and angry for days. I am not fond of children in general, but nothing hurts me more than knowing that millions of children out there are being abused in some way everyday. Someone said that it's my missionary streak. Even as a child I had wanted to change the world. Once I told off 2 kids my age for torturing fish in a pond and their dad came and asked me why I was telling off his children. I turned round and told him that he should be ashamed of himself, that as an adult not only wasn't he setting an example but was condoning his children in barbarious acts. Mom dragged me away telling me that I should avoid trouble and mind my own business - which infuriated me as I thought even then that if everybody minded a little of other people's business when they had to maybe the world would have been a better place.

I started playing the game, je vais jusqu'au bout. I now tag the following 6 people for this Meme :

1. Last Frontier
2. One Wheel
3. Bella Tigre
4. ASAAAN
5. Rojak Rendezvous
6. Pris' Life in Germany

Pain d'Epices (French Gingerbread)

Pain d'Epices

I have been a (happy) Karang Guni in the past week. Brother C and CL are moving back to Penang and have been passing me part of their WW3 food stock. The stuff they didn't want to/couldn't bring back. I am still reeling from what their small kitchen contained. Endless trove of food and household wares. A bit like the magic porridge pot.

A few jars of honey were among the stuff. It is a relief to know that I'm not alone in this world when it comes to stocking up. Besides the (great) fear of running out, I think I often end up stocking up unwittingly, because :

1. I have forgotten that I already have the item;


2. I know I have it but when I needed it I couldn't find it;


3. There was an offer that I couldn't resist.

Unfortunately I do not have my dream kitchen yet. My fridge and freezer are both tiny, I do not have enough cupboard space in what could be considered a spacious kitchen. All my own stuff are packed in stacked-up Ikea boxes. Brother C's offering is now lying around in plastic bags. Which would be normal in almost any Asian home - but a big no-no in an European one. The ang mohs too like their appearances.

So I have to start exercising some imagination as to how I may start to use up the extra foodstuff. Am glad to say that the first attempt has been very easy : Pain d'épices.

I guess it helps that I love pain d'épices and that we're nearing Christmas when it is most often consumed. This French cake/bread is similar to Gingerbread though not as hard or compact. And from what I know, it may even have originated from the Chinese. Come to think of it, at times when my mom prayed and offered food to the Gods, we would have this brown sweet and spicy cake that often comes to my mind when I eat the pain d'épices.

Traditionally the pain d'épices would require days, weeks and even months to ferment (just the flour and honey) but with the discovery of instant yeast one can bake the cake immediately. It wouldn't be as rich as the traditional cake that we find e.g. in Alsace though.

Pain d'épices (a non-traditional quick and easy recipe) :

350g Acacia Honey (preferably)

100g Butter

250g Flour

1 packet of Instant Yeast

50g Ground Almonds

10g Bicarbonate of Soda

1/2 Tsp each of Ground Cinnamon, Ginger, Green Anis, Nutmeg

1/4 Tsp each of Ground Cloves, Cardamom, Cumin

A pinch of Salt

2 Eggs

Sift the flour with the instant yeast into a mixing bowl. Add in the ground almonds, bicarbonate of soda, ground spices and salt. Mix well.

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. In a pot melt the butter and stir in the honey. Remove the pot from fire when the mixture starts to boil. Pour it into the flour. Mix well. (If you like the gingerbread really really sweet, dissolve some brown sugar in the honey)

Add the eggs into the flour-honey mixture one at a time.

Pour the smooth cake mixture into an oiled 25x7 cm bread tin. Bake for 10 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 170ºC, then cover the bread tin with aluminum foil and continue baking for another 30 minutes at 150ºC.

The pain d'épices is best eaten after being cooled overnight. But nobody could really wait, I think we finished half of it almost immediately. And I like eating foie gras with it, Baby Girl turns 6 on Tuesday, that may provide a good excuse to open a jar of the good stuff. :-)

Snow and French Toasts (Pain Perdu)

Outside the house at 9am

When I mentioned to the landlord's gardener that I was thinking of buying a Lemon tree, he told me that it wouldn't be a good idea as Modena's not warm enough for that. That set the first warning bells ringing but I didn't want to believe it as I have come to the country for the supposedly warm weather and the contrary wouldn't do at all.

Then I also learnt that balsamic vinegar does really well in these parts partly because of its micro-climate e.g. very hot during summer and very cold during winter...Oooh.

Outside the house at 7am

This morning, we woke up to a snowy field and it's still snowing as we speak. White white white outside. I do not have a snow mobile nor even a shovel come to think of it. I hope we won't get stuck. I managed to get the kids to school, and I hope I'd be able to pick them up later on.

7am

Ran through the house looking for snow boots, gloves etc and then when we left the house, we couldn't drive out of our compound as the main road was jammed. This is Modena for you. When it snows, nothing moves any more. The road was just covered with a few cm of snow then and there was already a jam and accidents everywhere. Someone told me that that's because when it snows, half the Italians drive like they've never seen snow. And the other half do not see it.

French Toasts

I called E up and cancelled our date. Went back home and made myself some French Toasts. I wanted a good dose of sweetened condensed milk to comfort me. Did it the way I've learnt it at the age of 13 during Home Economics at Secondary school (still remember our beautiful teaching kitchens), with egg, condensed milk, salt, pepper, a little milk and some ground cinnamon. Fried the egg-coated pieces of bread in butter.

Yesterday I went to see a diet doctor. She (very beautiful woman but I wonder how much of her is real) wanted to put me on a diet consisting of protein-rich pre-cooked dishes. You can supposedly lose 2 Kgs each week and then never put on weight again because of your changed metabolic rate etc. Someone lost 20Kgs like that so it must work. I took a look at the catalogue of pastas, omelettes, soups, desserts etc and decided that I'd rather be fat than eat all that. I mean life is short, you can't ill-treat your taste buds for beauty. Well, the consultation was costly though. Could buy a few Guitar Hero bundles for that.

It's still snowing. Can't see anything but white outside now. I think I need something really hot to warm me up. How about a can of sardines al piri-piri?

3:30pm Kids playing in the snow

Update (5pm) : Nearly couldn't get out of the house this afternoon. When they cleared the main road of the snow, a mountain of it was deposited right in front of my gate. I had to get out of the car and spend 15 minutes trying to kick away the snow so that my car could pass. Then I had a near accident on my way to pick the children up. The car wouldn't stop at a stop sign, it was skidding straight towards the wall opposite and another car's coming from the right...I managed to turn left before I hit the wall and the other car stopped in time. Thank God...

Miso Seafood Udon Soup

Miso Seafood Udon Soup

Miso Seafood Udon Soup :

Raw Big Prawns with Heads

Ginger

Chicken Stock

Konbu or Ikan Bilis stock

Mirin

Light Soy Sauce

Pure Sesame Oil

Miso

Fishballs

Shitake Mushrooms

Greens e.g. baby spinach, cabbage...

Bean Sprouts

Silken Tofu

Fried Tofu

Udon

Toasted Sesame Seeds

Fry the prawns in the wok with thin slices of fresh ginger till fragrant. Remove the heads from the prawns and return them to the wok. Peel the rest of the prawns and set aside.

Add in mirin. If you do not have it, caramelise some sugar in some Chinese rice wine.

Pour in the stock, stir in 2-3 Tbsps of miso and season with soy sauce and sesame to taste.

Add in the shitake mushrooms, cabbage and fried tofu.

In a separate pot cook the udon, drain the water and then toss the noodles with some sesame oil.

Serve hot. Garnish with the prawns, some spinach, silken tofu, bean sprouts and toasted sesame seeds.

Had the honour of sharing this with Brother C and CL yesterday.

Grade 1 Mothers' Lunch - Season 2

The Sushi

Had a good turnout again, really glad to see so many old, one or 2 new and other now familar faces. We gathered for a buffet lunch in a new Japanese restaurant in Maranello. The Chinese owner was the former Teppanyaki Chef from the Fujiyama restaurant in Modena. Warned him that we'll have a Japanese lady coming in for lunch and that he had better do a good job. :-)

The cooked food

Everybody seemed happy with the meal. We had both raw and cooked stuff and for 11 euros pax you get half a bottle of mineral water and coffee as well. A reasonable deal.

Fruit, daikon and fried spring rolls filled with prawn and cheese

Do not know if I'll manage to organise another gathering before the end of the year. Have to get Baby Girl's birthday party ready for next week, there's the PTA Winter Fair coming up (if you're reading this and can give either the International Buffet a hand or help look after my 2 younger children on the day itself - let me know!!!) and I really should think about sending out a few X'mas cards this year. Last but not least, the MIL and SIL would be turning up for the holidays...

Making my own Five Stones

5 Stones filled with Red Beans

Baby Boy's current Unit of Enquiry is about Play and the teacher was asking parents if we would like to share a game we knew with the children. Well, of course I hadn't any idea, I mean, I'm such a hardworking and serious person do you think I spent my childhood playing?

But I guess that I did play quite a bit after all. Especially when the games I had as a kid were very portable, didn't cost much and required just a friend or 2 for playing with.

I remember that during recess, we would rush out to the playground and play catching sometimes hopping on one leg for added difficulty. Another group game we enjoyed was Eagle catches Chicks. Then when mom agreed to buy me a whole bag of rubber/elastic bands, I used them to make myself a very long rope and I would play skipping games with it with a few girl friends. It was something I could bring along with me everywhere, any spare moment I had e.g. while waiting for the school bus I would whip it out and start skipping. Other times, we would use a spare exercise book, draw (sometimes in 3-D) furniture, rooms etc and used it as background for our home-made or bought paper dolls.

I was also very nostalgic for my 5 Stones. Mom couldn't sew but she managed to buy us 5 stones of different sizes and fillings to play with. I prefer the bean fillings, those stuffed with rice were too compact and difficult to catch.

As a matter of fact, I even left Singapore more than a decade ago with a set or 2 actually. But I couldn't remember where I've kept them since my last move and if I still have them.

Told Baby Boy's teacher about it and she said she would try to make them if I would come show the class how to play the game. I'm absolutely lousy at sewing, but I am also very impatient, plus I am very rusty now not having played 5 Stones for more than 2 decades. Those kids would laugh at me if I couldn't catch half of my stones...

So I searched and found a blog that taught us how to make the 5 stones. I used Baby Girl's old tights and the material's probably too soft and elastic for the method she showed us, so I improvised and came out with 5-stoney-looking 5 Stones somehow. A bit too big for my delicate hands though. And probably will burst after a few throws. I don't have a sewing machine and had to hand-sew the bean bags.

But I'm so damn happy to have done it. Made them after our heavy dinner at the Churrasco restaurant (would you believe it - we were 18!!! 7 adults and 11 kids - but we survived) last evening so I went to bed really happy even though the stomach felt too rich. Now I just need to practise a little.

Teaching and Assessment

Yesterday we attended an Assessment Workshop for the MYP organised by the school. I am happy with the philosophy behind it, as I share the belief that we should assess for learning. In one of the insightful books I've read last summer (as part of the Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment Programme that Eldest Son went through), my guru criticised the classic assessment system for assessing only for knowledge and not for the learning/thinking process. The MYP is avant-garde so knowledge will only constitute part of the final grades. The assessor will also take into consideration other factors like

• thinking/reflection
• communication/oral
• investigating/learning patterns
• peer/self assessment

They also believe that one's performance should reflect the evolution of one's learning process, i.e. one should do better with each assessment - so the final grade will not be a simple average of all the grades, but reflect the improvement obtained towards the end of the assessment year.

I do have a little doubt though about the implied subjectivity of/in this assessment process. Teachers after all are human. And alot of emphasis is placed on teaching to think.

Learning and teaching = both sides of the same coin.

Still, learning is a subjective and slow process. Children have different learning capacities, speeds and motivation. Some thrive under pressure, others wilt. Some have problems like Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, ADHD etc. Family, social and other environments do affect learning. So if we use a more personalised learning process and a more holistic assessment process on them, we should theorectically give them a better chance to learn better.

At some point we had a Classic Education vs IBO discussion. Most of us are victims products of the classic education system (though it differs largely in different countries). Some still believe in it but have a few doubts nonetheless, I prefer the middle path, others seem to be happy converts though I sensed a certain romantisation of the IBO e.g. someone asked why anybody should dictate what we learn for classical Literature. I wanted to point out that whether it's public school, IBO, Steiner, Montessori or Home schooling, someone will be deciding what you learn for Literature. The major difference probably is how you learn it and how much of what.

I played the devil (as usual) by implying (or I could have said it) that maybe the MYP system's a little light in substance. Most disagreed loudly saying there's more to just pure knowledge/information e.g. "History shouldn't only be about dates", "Do you remember what you have learnt in the past?". I totally agree with them, though I did wonder if they weren't indirectly agreeing with the statement after all.

And I wondered about the person who left school thinking History's only about dates (and therefore linear?), since I never did (not even when I was 14) and in any case wouldn't remember dates even then. But boy have I had fun with the subject, it has given me some of my dreams/motivations when I was a teenager. And History is NOT linear, btw.

Anyway as far as I'm concerned both systems have their merits and demerits. Ceteris paribus both will come out with both successful and nondescript products - all of whom should find their niche in this world.

In any case, people who put children in International Schools move around (though increasingly local populations are attracted to the philosophy) and are relatively successful. So by definition, IS children belong to a world apart and are usually not destined to be Esselunga cashers or your friendly neighbourhood postman. And kids who have access to education in general should count themselves lucky because there are millions out there who don't.

But if the International School child came from a very different system and may have to return to it in the future, that's when the headache comes in. MIL's still very upset that the kids may have to repeat a school year if we return to France (c.ref. the September 1st dateline for which they make exceptions for the Italians but not for the French plus across the school today there are quite a number of other exceptions). Otherwise my kids are happy in the school and that for me is the most important. I have lived with parents' expectations and know how they felt. As such, I will not burden my children with too many any. Just want them to be balanced, educated, cultured individuals (OK - and not lose out too much if possible).

Finally a mother made a really insightful comment about some people who went through the classic education system with great success having a condescending attitude towards those who didn't and yet not being able to flow with the times etc. True, and it doesn't help with both groups not speaking the same language. I have a fascination for intellectuals (used to have crushes on my professors) but I suspect that they live on another planet most of the time. Still it's not given for everyone to survive any education system, if they are pleased with themselves, surely one can understand. Myself, I am hard on others, but I'm usually even harder with myself.

I think I ''failed'' our last exercise in the MYP workshop. Had to draw something without using words. My drawing sucks so I started out without words but took a short-cut and wrote anyway. Will have to remember instructions better the next time!

Chiesa Matrice Carpense di Santa Maria, Carpi

Inside the church

Somebody told us that Carpi (north of Modena) has this piazza that's unique in Italy so though we've already been to the city last year, we made our way there again just in case we've missed out on something the last time.

But honestly, having seen a number of beautiful, even unique plazas/squares before, we didn't see what's so special about Carpi's. Discovered one walkway filled with Chinese-owned shops though. Lousy stuff.

Then we walked around and saw a library situated in a restored old building. Lovely library with an interesting mediathèque. And next to it - a small but beautiful church. I think it's called the Chiesa Matrice Carpense di Santa Maria but I'm not sure.

It has beautiful frescos, is made of stone and brick and doesn't have that cold feel to most churches built with marble. Come to think of it, I probably like it because it's like the church version of my current house.

The façade

Hub and I noticed that there were many Indian people in the city. Quite a number were watching Bollywood movies at the library using free internet access. I wondered if we shouldn't stop one to ask if there was an Indian restaurant around. But Hub said they probably eat at home like most respectable Indian families do. In any case, if there were an Indian restaurant in Carpi we would have heard of it. Come to think of it, the last time I went all the way to Carpi it was to check out this Pakistani fastfood but it turned out to be a Kebab shop. I know I know, what distance wouldn't I cover when it comes to food.

Update 22/11/08 : Good thing about having friends read your blog, Mu & P told me last night over dinner that they knew an Indian restaurant in Carpi!

Chinese Seafood Steamboat

Chinese Seafood Steamboat

When the days are cold, it is always a comfort hanging around a steaming pot of stock cooking and eating your food at the same time. Brother C lugged a wonderful induction plate back from the UK sometime back and had the great idea of making a Seafood Steamboat with it. Using one of his super woks (I'm envious that's obvious I'm sure), of course.

I resisted eating anything else before the meal and had quite a bit of room for seafood and stock. For those who love to cook, they must invite me of course, since nowhere I'm sure they'll find someone with an appetite like mine. Though true true, I shouldn't complain that I'm 15Kgs overweight and then continue stuffing myself the way I do. But that's another story.

Fish, King Prawns, Scampi, Tofu, Tau Pok, Fish Cake, Prawn Balls, Cabbage...I'll let the pictures do the telling. The stock was really sweet and tasty by the time we were half-way through and it was yummy just scooping soup onto the rice and enjoying this simple pleasure. Very healthy too.

Mmm...the Stock

When they're gone, I'll have no one else to speak Cantonese with in these parts. And if I had known earlier that Brother C has a rich cooking heritage (thanks to his mom) I would have tried to toushi (steal a skill) earlier heh heh.

Grilled Pork in Soy, Balsamic Vinegar and Honey Sauce

Grilled Pork in Soy, Balsamic Vinegar and Honey Sauce

This is another of my fusion dishes : Grilled Pork in Soy Sauce, Balsamic Vinegar and Honey. It's easy to make and is a pleaser. Can be served with salad, rice, pasta, pita...Make it usually when I'm lazy to cook and yet do not want to make steak-frites.

The Marinade :

Pork Filet Mignon or Loin (cut into big cubes)

Light Soy Sauce

Honey

Sesame Oil

Pepper

The Sauce :

Light Soy Sauce

Rock Sugar

Balsamic Vinegar

Honey

Dry Sherry/Chinese rice wine

Marinate the pork for a few hours.

Put the ingredients for the sauce together and simmer till the sauce is reduced and has thickened.

Grill the marinated pork cubes till they caramelise. Add them to the sauce and cook for another few minutes till the meat's coated with the sauce.

Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds over the pork. Serve hot.

France-Italia Millefeuille-Mascarpone

Millefeuille-Mascarpone with crushed Almonds, Chocolate & Raspberries

One thing I love about living in different countries, dining in different restaurants is learning each time something new about cooking. I can usually reproduce something that I've eaten or observed rather quickly. I can also come out with something "new". Of course this also means that I eat alot and do spend much of my waking moments reading and thinking about food.

When we invited DC over for dinner, Hub reminded me that I mustn't make anything exotic for dessert as the last time I did so the poor guy suffered. I was hoping to make a Mung Bean dessert (Tau Suan) but I guess that it will have to wait for another day.

He likes classic French and Italian cuisines from what I know so that gave me the idea to make a very simple Millefeuille-Mascarpone dessert.

Vanilla Pod

E very generously offered me a few precious vanilla pods from some exotic island a few months ago. I've saved them for an occasion like this and it was well worth the wait.

The Millefeuille :

Place puff pastry on a baking tray. Put a metal grill on top of it to stop the pastry from rising too much when it is being baked. Bake in a hot oven (180ºC) for 20 minutes. Slice off the edges and cut the pastry into smaller squares or rectangles. Set aside to cool.

The Mascarpone :

Slice open one or 2 vanilla pods and scrape out the seeds. Add them to 120ml of whipping cream. Do not waste the empty pod, put it in a jar with white sugar to make vanilla sugar.

Add sugar to taste to the whipping cream. Followed by half a Tsp of instant expresso coffee.

Whip the cream till it's stiff.

Add 250ml of good mascarpone to the whipped cream, plus some good rum. Whip the whole thing together taking care not to overdo it as the cream could become flat. Cover with food film and leave it for a few hours in the fridge.

The Garnishing :

Roughly crush some whole roasted peeled almonds as well as some dark chocolate.

Rinse some fresh raspberries.

Just before serving, take out the mascarpone. Give it a few quick turns with a big spoon, it may stiffen further. Scoop some mascarpone and place it in a bowl. Sprinkle some roughly-crushed almonds and chocolate over it and add in a few raspberries. Place a millefeuille on the mascarpone and scoop more mascarpone on top of it. Repeat operation with the almonds, chocolate and raspberries.