DEAR DIARY

Jessie & Ali

From: the USA and Iran Respectively

 Living In: Malaysia

The View From Her Kitchen

The Expat Table: Where do you hang your apron these days? (where are you living)

Jessie: I hang my apron in Bangsar, a funky neighborhood in Kuala Lumpur. 

TET: How did you end up in KL? 

Jessie:Long ago, I was a dirty backpacker and was passing through town en-route to Bali. However, destiny intervened. I ended up at a reggae bar in Chinatown, the night before my flight, and met my future husband, Ali.

TET: What inspires you to get in the kitchen?

Jessie:I like to create things, randomly. When I’m in the kitchen, I see what ingredients I have and depending on how I feel, I just make. 

A little magic in the kitchen.

TET: What does your kitchen look like? 

Jessie:  Well, we just moved into a funky studio. All the kitchen facilities are along one wall. Starting from the right, we have a hobbit refrigerator (Not a mini fridge but not a real fridge either), then a red and pink counter that takes up the rest of the wall. Underneath is storage, on top we have our coffee maker, some food, sink, stove top and the most important thing in our house, our shisha. We’re about to paint and are stuck on choosing blue or yellow. We also have a lot of food photos from markets around Southeast Asia. It’s sort of our thing.

TET: Do you make a lot of things from scratch? 

Jessie:  We do make excellent homemade yogurt and we cook home cooked meals but as for making cheese or dough, we don’t do it so much. 

TET: How has doing this changed your life? 

Jessie:  We make things from scratch because it’s something that we can do together. After a long day, it just feels good to listen to music, drink a glass of wine, and cook with my lover man. Also, I really hate buying prepackaged things, like yogurt. It’s wasteful and Malaysia isn’t huge on recycling yet. 

TET: When you are missing home, what do you cook? 

Jessie:  Tacos or Tex-Mex ( an awesome dip my mom makes). My mom makes the best of both and when I’m really missing her and days at home, I make ‘em. 

TET: What is the one ingredient you can’t live with out? 

Jessie:  It’s a tie between tomatoes and lemons. 

TET: How has KL affected your cooking? 

Jessie:  KL is a paradise for foodies. Food, GOOD food, of all kinds is readily available at all times. Dah makan is a common saying for, "Have you eaten?" And that just what we do here. During any given week, at some point, we’ll go to mamak (local eatery) for tea and tosai or roti, and usually at midnight. So, when we do cook at home, we make sure to eat fresh, raw, or wholesome. 

TET: Before you lived elsewhere in Southeast Asia.  How did living in Thailand/Malaysia affect your cooking? 

Jessie:  I never cooked in Thailand because food was cheap everywhere. Even fresh foods, not so much of that in KL.  I started to cook more in KL because Ali loves to cook and pretty much taught me what I know. 

TET: What do you do when you aren't in the kitchen? 

Jessie:  Most of the time, I write. I’m a freelance writer but I haven’t figured out how to survive completely on that. So, I also teach part time. When I’m not working, I’m crafting, going for walks, or traveling. 

TET: What do you want to make next?

Jessie:  Cheese!  A tradition Iranian breakfast is bread, cheese and walnuts. We eat this a lot. Sometimes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’d be nice to make our own. 

TET: How has being married to your wonderful husband inspired you?

Jessie:  Honestly, he’s really the one that inspired me to get crafty in the kitchen. Before I met him I used to never cook. Only breakfast sometimes. But he showed me the light : ) and how amazing Iranian food is. 

TET: How is cooking related to homesickness? 

Everything is related! Sometimes, we’ll be cooking an Iranian dish and Ali will say, “Oh, in Iran the vegetables and spices are brighter and taste better than here…” and it just goes down that homesick path. 

The View From His Kitchen

TET: You moved from Iran, to Malaysia and are married to an American. How has this affected your cooking, your ideas about food.

Ali:  Well, I tried more western style food, like yogurt in the morning. That’s just weird. We eat yogurt as a side dish with lunch and dinner. 

TET: How is cooking related to homesickness?

Ali:  Well, you remember those days when you sit at home and your mom cooks Persian food for you. Food reminds me of Iran and makes me homesick. 

TET: Where do you hang your apron these days? (where are you living)

Ali:  Kuala Lumpur. Bangsar. 

TET: How did you end up in KL?

Ali:  To study. 

TET: What inspires you to get in the kitchen?

Ali:  Well, sometimes I’m tired of eating Malaysian and Indian food and I want to eat something good, like kebob. 

TET: What does your kitchen look like?

Ali:  It looks like shit right now. 

TET: Do you make a lot of things from scratch? 

Ali:  Not as much as I’d like, but I want to do it more often. 

TET: When you are missing home, what do you cook?

Ali:  When I miss home, I don’t cook. I go to a Persian restaurant.

TET: What is the one ingredient you can’t live with out?

Ali:  Spice. Black pepper and the yellow thing. Saffron

TET: How has KL affected your cooking?

Ali:  Well, I wasn’t used to eating spicy food but in KL, you have to eat spicy food. If you don’t get into it, you have to be hungry most of the time. 

TET: How did living in Iran affect your cooking?

Ali:  Well, in Iran because the ingredients are better and cheap, I can make better food. In Iran most people cook at home for all meals, its not common to eat out,  but here everyone eats out. 

TET: What do you do when you aren't in the kitchen?

Ali:  I play chess. 

TET: What do you want to make next?

Ali:  Actually, it’s a long time we haven’t made chicken rice and home and we make good chicken rice. 

TET: How has being married to your wonderful wife inspired you?

Ali:  It’s the best thing that could happen in my motherfucking life. I show more effort and now I know what I want to do in my life and planning for future is easier, its given me direction in my life. 

Originally from the Northwest United States, Jessie is a freelance writer currently based in Southeast Asia.  You can follow her work on The DFR and at Travel This.  You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter. 

 

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DEAR DIARY

Norma Jean

From the USA to Indonesia with love.

THE EXPAT TABLE: Where do you hang your apron these days?

NORMA JEAN: Ubud, Bali

THE EXPAT TABLE: How did you end up in Bali?

NJ: I came on a vacation and met some friends who loved the songs I wrote and encouraged me to write an album!

THE EXPAT TABLE: What inspired you to get in the kitchen?

NJ: Most people in Ubud are transient and quite a few are on a "vacation high." There's great restaurants here - like WORLD CLASS great - but after awhile you need the space to nourish yourself to feel at home. Also, I started the Anti-Candida Diet, cutting out all sugar, fruit, bread, anything with yeast, and alcohol, so making my own food has become the easiest way to make sure my body's getting what it needs (and what it doesn't!)

THE EXPAT TABLE: What does your kitchen look like?

NJ: Ovens are like unicorns here, so I'm operating on a pretty basic scale. Sink, 2 gas burners, a lot of counter space. I bought a blender which has made my life infinitely easier. Also, my kitchen is outside and overlooks my lotus pond... one of those beautiful Bali things.

THE EXPAT TABLE: Do you make a lot of things from scratch?

NJ: Yes. I find that making things from scratch brings more gratitude and enjoyment to the finished product.

THE EXPAT TABLE: How has doing this changed your life?

NJ: I'm more process oriented, and less results oriented. I guess you could say I'm more present about what I'm doing.

THE EXPAT TABLE: When you are missing home, what do you cook?

NJ: When I'm missing home, it's less about the recipe and more about the ingredients! I used to go straight for the cheese, now it's either avocados or almonds (I AM a California girl!) Also chicken soup is pretty reminiscent of home. I'm of the school of thought that says "Soup makes most things better."

THE EXPAT TABLE: What is the one ingredient you can't live with out?

NJ: Olive Oil. I know it's not local like coconut oil (which is so rich I use it in my hair more than my cooking) but sometimes you have to shell out for what's really important.

THE EXPAT TABLE: What is your favorite new ingredient from Bali?

NJ: Bali is an amazing place and there's a plethora of great, locally grown commodities.

A LOT of chocolate is grown here, and I started making my own chocolates with stevia (instead of sugar) that use local cocoa powder and cocoa butter! Even my friends who eat sugar are having me make them en mass!

I also like a lot of the local tea - Rosella is my favorite!

THE EXPAT TABLE: How has Bali affected your cooking?

NJ: Things are slower and less processed here. It forces you to insert yourself into the process to get the results you want.

THE EXPAT TABLE: How did living in Korea affect your cooking?

NJ: In California, everything is available year-round. It may be more expensive at certain times, but there's a general accessibility that anything can be had at anytime.

Living in Korea was not only the first time I lived anywhere with real seasons (or snow) but where there was a limited time-frame for certain foods, making things like eating locally and seasonally all that more conscious.

THE EXPAT TABLE: What do you do when you aren't in the kitchen?

NJ: I sing! I just finished my first album (it's on iTunes!)

Ubud is also a phenomenal place to live, there's so much to do, see, experience... There's great live music here every night of the week, so I go dancing a lot, practice yoga, and work for a magazine.

THE EXPAT TABLE:  What do you want to make next?

NJ: I've been on a Mediterranean kick recently, making hummus at least 2 times a week (I like to garnish it with sunflower seeds that I've freshly roasted in the pan with olive oil and a bit of salt.)

I think the next logical step is Baba Ganoush!

Norma Jean is a singer and Expat living in Ubed, Bali.  She just released her debut album The Devilicious Sessions.  You can find it on iTunes and playing around Bali.

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