Search Results for: General Interest

‘For the first time in my life I felt that death was a possibility; a stupid, pointless, lonely death on the aptly named Mondulkiri Death Highway.’

The Ho Chi Minh Trail is one of the greatest feats of military engineering in history. But since the end of the Vietnam War much of this vast transport network has been reclaimed by jungle, while remaining sections are littered with a deadly legacy of unexploded bombs. For Antonia, a veteran of ridiculous adventures in unfeasible vehicles, the chance to explore the Trail before it’s lost forever was a personal challenge she couldn’t ignore – yet it would sometimes be a terrifying journey.

Setting out from Hanoi on an ageing Honda Cub, she spent the next two months riding 2000 miles through the mountains and jungles of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Battling inhospitable terrain and multiple breakdowns, her experiences ranged from the touching to the hilarious, meeting former American fighter pilots, tribal chiefs, illegal loggers and bomb disposal experts.

The story of her brave journey is thrilling and poignant: a unique insight into a little known face of Southeast Asia.

From seaweed-wrapped maki rolls to tuna-topped nigiri, dive into this celebration of one of the world’s favourite delicacies

There are few foods more recognizable than sushi. Originating in Japan, the iconic fluffy white rice that’s topped, wrapped or rolled with beautifully prepared fish and vegetables is an art form as much as it is a meal.

This handy pocket guide will give you a taste of the following and much more:
– Find food for thought with the history of sushi
– Learn about different kinds of sushi, from the traditional to the modern, and how to eat it
– Whet your appetite with delicate bites of trivia Discover mouth-watering recipes, allowing you to bring Japan to your very own kitchen

Whether you are a curious beginner or a seasoned connoisseur, The Little Book of Sushi will be your handy guide to the bite-sized delicacy which has found favour all over the world.

We buy food we can point to. We stalk the streets until rush hour and wait for the little hatches to open in the sides of restaurants. From the steamy openings, cooks in overalls sell jiaozi (dumplings) and bowls of thick, sticky, white congee – an unholy cross between soup and porridge. Baozi, steamed white buns, are light as air. I buy them filled with water spinach and nettle – delicious dipped in sharp, black Chinese vinegar.

In 2008, Miranda and her partner set off for one last big adventure before settling down. They chose to travel through South-East Asia. All did not go to plan: Asian flu, falling off boats and the general chaos of a life abroad challenged them at every step, and yet, in the midst of it all, they fell in love with the culture and culinary delights of China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia.