Cooking in Kuching

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We have spent several days here in Kuching and are loving it. The city is large, looks prosperous has many areas of new housing but has managed to hold onto the old part of the riverside area so that it has a centre with a soul.

It is hot here, much warner than KK and so far has not poured rain upon us, but perhaps that is tempting the skies! The centre has several different ethnic areas which are great fun to explore, China street with its herbalists, noodle shops and many stationary stores, the Indian street is on my list of thing to explore today together with a trip across the river in a sampan to look at the fort. It looks like any child's idea of a fort - a cube with a crenellated top! Right next to it they are building a very modern and quite exciting modern parliamentary building. )Public computer so no picckies to day)

There are lots of buildings from the "White Raj" period - huge white edifeces with enormous columns but the buildings are cool inside - perhaps they knew a thing or two in those days!! There are shipping buildings which are now bazaars and cafes, and it is just so esy to wander around and browse without feeling concerned about safety. In fact Christiane left her money, passport etc in a changing room of a shop and before she returned back to the hotel they had rung up and told them where it was so that she could fetch it. Everything was there - and that seems to be what the people are like - incredible friendly, helpful and honest.

I was out walking yesterday up a street which had a gateway at the end of it, a lovely man came out of his to tell me the history of the gateway and how it had changed over the years! Then he finished by saying 'Welcome to Kuching.' I think we could learn a lot from this kind of sharing and helpfulness. And yet again a Kiwi stopped to ask me if I needed help to find a place - they are great at this! My walk yesterday should have been straight forward - to a craft shop slightly out of the centre, about a mile and a half away. True to form, I got totally lost (- W1 and H1 you would have been laughing at this point) but a driver stopped and asked where I was going and could he help me find it. Brilliant!! Found the shop and there were some lovely weavings there... yes, I did buy somethings, but not very much!

As for the cooking, we are off to a Malayan village tomorrow to learn how to cook some Malay dishes, shopping at the market first then off to the kitchen! Should be good! I want to learn how they use fresh turmeric and galangal. (I supose it would be too much to hope that someone there is doing some indigo dyeing?!!)

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Comments

[John Bown]

Deep Joy!!
Hi Lizzie-P. How wonderful to hear words like friendly, helpful and honest relating to the locals. We here could learn a lot from that it seems. John

[w1]

nothing ever changes
I am saddend to see that after all the time we tried to teach you directions we have clearly totaly failed. A well it is a way to meet interesting and friendly people.

[Lizzie P]

Cooking in Kuching
We must do that cookery course W1 - but with sharp knives and a table or two!!

[Lizzie P]

Oh yes.
John, we could learn a lot from the Malaysians. It makes me sad to see our culture destroying the trust that there is. But I am enjoying the help and friendliness of people.