My first encounter with Sushi

It was almost twenty years ago. The major brands like Sushi Tei or all those fancy fusion sushi places available nowadays were still up there in the clouds, waiting for some entrepreneurs to discovers them. Sushi was still something that's considered really foreign; not because it's Japanese, but the idea of eating raw fish itself was quite challenging. However while it seems a little bit crazy that a culinary culture could evolve based on the premise of eating raw fish, Sushi made me curious, and after all there's a nation already considering it a delicacy so it couldn't be that bad, right?

However being living in Bandung had kept my curiosity at bay as there's only one place rumoured serving Sushi back in those days, and it usually caters for high ranking business people hence there's a very little chance I could afford it with a student's lunch budget. Therefore, the thought of trying out Sushi was really far fetched back then.

One unplanned event happened in Bali though, that forced me into knowing this unique dish. It was during my visit to 1993's Temu Karya Mahasiswa Desain Interior Indonesia (TKMDII) -- quite a mouthful event name -- a biennale national event which gathers Interior Design students all across Indonesia. I was among the selected few from my class to attend the event with more senior students.

It was one afternoon after all of the events were over. My friend, the four years older senior with a fruity nickname "duren", got this idea of visiting Kuta by public transport. As we haven't got a chance to visit the legendary Kuta Beach on that trip, I think that's a good idea so I tagged along.

After some strolling on the beach and got hungry, we came into this rusty restaurant that looks local, hence we believed are cheap. It's called "Warung Made" which made us even more convinced they served Balinese, or at least Indonesian food.

Well later I know that naming it warung is a seriously misleading, as the food weren't warung-cheap, not even close. Among the least expensive choice, and sounds foreign enough was this "Sashimi", that we both have no idea what it was. However being an avid fans of popular Japanese food, I had a great confidence that Sashimi is just some kind of fancy variation of Teriyaki, Yakiniku, or Sukiyaki. It didn't mention anything raw, just that it's made of Tuna, and it's Japanese. We ended up ordered one for each of us.

When the Sashimi did arrive, we took a good look at it and immediately gives each other that confused glance. It was thinly sliced, raw red Tuna, with nothing but a saucer of dark sauce, and this green mound of something.

"So this is that (in)famous raw food from Japan?" I scratched my head.

However as we've ordered it, then there's no going back. Carefully I picked up one slice of that reddish semi translucent meat, which hanging limp on the tip of my chopstick. Not really convincing. I then dip it on the dark sauce that turned out to be a salty soy sauce, and proceed to put it into my mouth.

The texture was discouraging, but the sudden burst of flavour play between the Tuna's rich umami taste, and the dark savoury soy ketchup convinced me to kept me chewing on. And we both finished the meal in no time. We both agreed it was good, and made us thought of bringing home the wasabi, our new item of interest due to its strange pungent taste, and have our friends at the hotel taste it **cough** by accident. Had the waiter informed us what it was, perhaps that first encounter would never happened, so thank you a lot Warung Made in Bali!

After that first encounter, I didn't feel gross, and grows to even missed the food experience instead. We also have a bragging right; having eaten one of the strangest food on earth, and survive to tell about it, surely has its merit.

The next amazing encounter with Sushi & Sashimi bears no more fear, and it was enthusiastically anticipated instead: The Gala dinner of Shima Japanese Restaurant in Bandung, where my mother handled its public relations affairs. As my father's most adventurous meal is KFC, which was already outstretched beyond his strict Sundanese food diet, naturally I was the one to accompany my mother during the whole event.

That was, up until this day, the greatest gala dinner I have ever attend, where they served premium quality Sushi of so many varieties, full set of Salmon Teppanyaki, and all other sorts of classical Japanese dishes, all you can eat style! I came to know Chef Ramli and follow his culinary journey many years after, and even became a work colleague with his son Arasy.

Needless to say after that gala dinner I happily converted from Sushi shy into one Sushi mania, and keep my faith up until this very moment. Do you have a memorable first encounter yourself? (byms)

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Kitchen Sessions Sri Lanka at Sarong with Chef Will Meyrick


Believed as one of the hottest dish in the world, Sri Lanka cuisine bore a similarity with Southern Indian cuisine. Sri Lankan dishes however, are more liberate in using spices, and has wide different influencers, including Chinese and the Dutch! Most of Sri Lankan dishes are curry, or includes coconut in one way or another.

Just like Indonesian, Sri Lankan staple carbohydrate source is rice, however it also includes some types of bread similar with India. Sri Lankan cuisine also consisted of chutneys and pickles. They have a national condiment called sambols, made with mixing chili, maldive dried fish and other ingredients then grounded together and eaten with rice. Sounds strikingly similar with Indonesian sambals don't you think so?

Seeing the similarities, it's interesting to know that Chef Will Meyrick has completed another one of his culinary journey, and invited us again to the Kitchen Sessions table for a taste of his Sri Lankan influenced creations. Graciously sharing what he need to experience in weeks, into one saturated dining experience.

Unlike the last time, this Kitchen Sessions: Sri Lanka was held at Sarong; Will Meyrick's flagship fine dining restaurant in Bali.


About Sarong

Sarong is one of Bali's best restaurants, award winning, and is among the forerunner Indonesian restaurants on regional culinary scenery. Will opened Sarong back in 2008 as a testament of his love for Asian cooking. Compared with its sister venue Mama San, Sarong has a more elegant atmosphere, and thankfully higher lumens making carrying around the heavy DSLR worth it.


Walking toward the entrance, I look around searching for the garden patio where Sarong usually puts their spontaneous guests; those without booking reservation in advance. Some people at Trip Advisor website actually were wishing they could be seated there, but they could not since it wasn't available for advance reservation; making it more challenging due to its exclusivity.

Seeing the all-black uniform Sarong staff wears, I felt lucky I don't wear my usual black shirt that night, and managed to snatch my rarely worn batik instead. Batik is actually a quite safe choice for more formal occasions in Bali, as they're beautiful, and you can bet that Balinese will prefer to wear Balinese influenced outfits in their homeland.


Besides of Raechel, I also found the familiar smile of Adam Baxter that evening. However Chef Palm Amatawet was missing from the whole dinner. As with the guests, they're either new, or weren't in the same batch with me on the previous Kitchen Session dinner. However this time they're mostly coming from magazines covering Bali.


The Taste Journey

Our first dish of the dinner was Kirri Houdi with crabmeat. Kirri Houdi is a Sri Lankan style curry many foodies believes as comfort food, just like the American chicken soup. While I think the curry tasted a bit mellow, the crabmeat however was bursting with flavour, creating such a nice contrast.


The bitter gourd which came next, was surprising in its dried, jerky state. As it has lost most of its bitterness, drying further elevates its flavour, making it a nice chewy bits among the salad and its coconut vinegar dressing. This Bitter gourd and tomato salad with coconut vinegar, chilli, and black pepper dressing provided interesting surprise since usually in Indonesia bitter gourd is cooked with scrambled egg, stir fried, and many other ways but jerky.


The next salad got me thinking that it contains potato chips. However after some bites then I realized it was banana, non-sweet one, which better known as plantain. The addition of onion and curry leaf lend intensity to the rather plain plantains. This Crisply plantain salad with tomato, onion, chilli and lime also reminded me of having roasted lamb with fried banana, instead of rice, upon trying out the Sate Domba Afrika in Tanah Abang, Jakarta. That's when I became aware that banana is a staple carbohydrate source in many African countries.

Sweet potato with dried maldive fish, onion and curry leaf
was another interesting combo. The use of sweet potato instead of the regular, adds sweetness in between the pool of creamy coconut milk gravy. It reminded me of my mother's potato curry, only this time it is combined with dried fish that closely resembling Indonesian ikan teri; a combo that turned out works beautifully.

The Prawn curry with kelor leaf, fenugreek seed, curry leaf and green chilli looks strikingly vibrant, and very inviting in its orange-ish colour  It's sweet, creamy and savoury; one of the dinner's highlight. The kelor leaf included as garnish comes as a good talk piece that night, since many of the Indonesian audience that evening have already familiar with the phrase "dunia tidak selebar daun kelor" but none knows how it looks like. Turned out it tasted exotic, sweet with a tad bitterness, a quite flavourful complimentary to the savoury prawn curry.


Stir fried kangkung with turmeric, shallots and chilli is a simple and modest dish, resembling the familiar tumis kangkung taste usually found in Indonesian home kitchens.


The third round introduces us to a coin-shaped cakes made from shredded coconut, which instantly reminds me of wingko babat, an Indonesian delicacy from Eastern Java. It also tasted like one, except that it's unsweetened, and has dryer consistency almost like sago cakes. Wrapped in banana leaves then chargrilled, it traps the coconut aroma and smoke within, making each bite a pleasant experience. Combined with three different dipping sauces, and read bean dhal, it paired well with the curries as well. It is also among the audience's most favourite dish, another highlight of the dinner. I believe this Chargrilled coconut cakes wrapped in banana leaves is Will's take on Sri Lankan Coconut Roti.


Apple eggplant lend its sweetness to the creamy curry which came next, and resulted in an analogous flavour scheme. Ela Batu is the name of this dish in Sri Lanka, and is a quite common curry both in Sri Lanka and in Thailand. While it tasted all right with the coconut cakes, I think this Apple eggplant curry with pandan leaf, light masala and coconut milk pairs much better with rice.

Beetroot and bone marrow curry with mustard seeds looks a bit intimidating with its towering bone, and the blood-red curry surrounding it. Beetroot curry however, is one of Sri Lanka's national signature dish, hence its presence on that evening was quite necessary. Taste wise it tends to lies on the sweet creamy side, while the tiny bone marrow bits lend mostly its gelatinous texture, as it has no distinctive flavour itself, as the beetroot is quite overpowering.


The chicken curry that opened the fourth round promotes a very nice taste experience. Enriched with chilli and tomato, the curry gained its extra punch from tamarind, making the curry velvety, rich, and South East Asian exotic. Gaulle chicken curry simmered in tamarind, chilli, tomato and black pepper was among my favourite performers of that evening for sure.

Slow cooked lamb curry with coriander, cumin, lemongrass and curry leaves provided all the lamb curry goodness should: creamy, savoury, with succulent almost melt in your mouth lamb chunks.

Crispy eggplant relish with roasted shallots, mustard seed, dried salted fish, coconut vinegar and curry leaf provides a good closing with its tad sour dressing, closely resembling the bitter gourd salad that came earlier, only this time it included salted fish bites.

Kitchen Sessions: Sri Lanka was closed with selections of Gulab jamon, pineapple praline, and pineapple sorbet as desserts.

The Gulab jamon looks like wedang ronde with its mochi balls, only it is bathed not in ginger, but in sweet syrup heavily dosed with cardamom. And the balls are dark brown, made from milk, interestingly spongy, resembling very light watery doughnut balls. While the flavour was quite light, it provides a pleasing taste experience.


Pineapple praline is pineapple slices covered with praline nougat bits, somehow reminded me of Bandung, especially the Citarum's batter-fried jackfruit, and pineapple: among Bandung's unique snack that stands the test of time.

The sorbet was smooth and refreshing. A good closure to the all-creamy dishes that evening.


A note on Chef Will Meyrick's cooking

After two cuisines inside my belly, and referring to my Art History class back in college, I found Will's cooking closely resembles an impressionism painting: they're made of tiny colour bits, quite different one to another at times, however in the bigger picture they create a harmony.

Will is fond of stacking layers of contrasting taste in his cooking  He is also quite bold with herbs and spices, at times putting strips of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and even a whole bird-eye chilli! This practice provides the distinct, striking flavour burst that compliments the whole dish; just like chocolate chips bits on a cupcake.

While Will many times playing in the dangerous zone of almost too much, however in the end they helps in providing the necessary sparks.

The aftermath

Just like the last Kitchen Sessions Burma, this dinner too created a lingering experience, not on the dishes alone but on its ideas as well, which provoked some questions like:

Judging from the taste, and the fun, it's a wonder why Indonesian never included banana chips in their salad dishes just like in Will's Plantain salad; they're gorgeous, and many home industries in Lampung have shown that Indonesian can produce good quality banana chips. And it's not a secret that Indonesian loves crackers. Gado-gado with plantain chips anyone?

Foodies and cooks can achieve a lot of inspirations with such eye-opening dinners like this Kitchen Sessions, where chefs dare to be creative, and playful in their creations. Inspiration leads to imagination, and imagination is priceless. Something worth to follow by other creative chefs alike.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” ~Albert Einstein

As a closing note: sparkling mineral water fits perfectly with curries! (byms)


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Free Coursera Online Courses for Foodies and Food Bloggers

Following my enrolment in Writing in The Sciences course at Coursera, which very much applicable to food blogging as well, I also found other courses that are even more related to eating and culinary world. One related with nutrition and healthy lifestyle, while the other take a deeper look into gastronomy from the scientific point of view.

While the first is scheduled to be held in April 2013, and the other one has no definite date yet, you might want to sign up early to keep up with the course's latest update.

Nutrition, Health, and Lifestyle: Issues and Insights

Jamie Pope, MS, RD, LDN
www.coursera.org/course/lifenutr

This seven week course will explore nutrition concepts that take center stage in mainstream media outlets and become conversation topics among consumers interested in food choice as it relates to optimal health and physical performance.

Next session: April 2013 (7 weeks long)
Workload: 2-4 hours/week

Course Syllabus:

  1. Week One: Just What is a Healthy Diet? A Balancing Act
  2. Week Two: Nutrition Labeling: Facts, Claims, and Challenges
  3. Week Three: Dietary Supplements: Evaluating the Evidence
  4. Week Four: Fortified and “Super” Foods: Their Role in Optimal Nutrition
  5. Week Five: Plant-based Nutrition: Controversies and Considerations
  6. Week Six: Nutrition and Fitness: Facts, Food, and Fuel
  7. Week Seven: Food Allergies and Intolerances: Separating Fact from Fiction

Recommended Background:

  • No background required, all are welcome!

The Science of Gastronomy

King Chow, Lam Lung Yeung
www.coursera.org/course/scigast

This course introduces students to elements of science lying behind cooking and cuisine preparation. The ultimate goal is to help students recognize the importance of scientific principles being applied in everyday life, so that they will appreciate and be able to apply some of these principles in their future cooking practice.

Next session: To be announced (6 weeks long)
Workload: 3-4 hours/week

Course Syllabus:

  1. Gastronomy: cuisine preparation, the chemical and physical principles
  2. Enjoyment of Food: parameter of excellence - the basis of taste
  3. The Basis of Flavor: the aroma and taste-aroma interactions
  4. Aroma and Coloring: coloring-association and improvement of perception
  5. Texture of Food: the highlight of contrast
  6. Fruits and Vegetables: properties, nutrition and enhancement of quality in cooking
  7. Meat: properties, taste, aroma and texture
  8. Meat: ways to modify the texture, enhance the taste and smell of meat
  9. Meat: precision cooking - how to cook a perfect steak?
  10. Sauce: modification of the viscosity and flavor of sauce
  11. Dessert: manipulation of desired texture: gluten formation and protein denaturing
  12. Examples of Dessert Making: ice-cream with liquid nitrogen and ginger milk curd

Recommended Background:

  • No pre-requisite of any science background is required. Only high school level science is required.

Suggested Readings:

  • This, Herve (2007) Kitchen mystery. Columbia University Press, New York.
  • McWilliams, Margaret (2006) Food Fundamentals, 8th Ed. Pearson, Prentice Hall, Inc. New Jersey.

Reference text:

  • Corriher, Shirley O. (1997) Cookwise: the hows and whys of successful cooking. Harper Collins Publishers, Inc., New York.
  • McWilliams, Margaret (2005) Foods – experimental perspectives, 5th Ed. Pearson, Prentice Hall, Inc. New Jersey.
  • Shepherd, Gordon M. (2012) Neurogastronomy. Columbia University Press, New York.
  • This, Herve (2005) Molecular Gastronomy. Columbia University Press, New York.






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Mr. Bean is here in Carrefour Bali's Bakery!

It's been 10ish years that we knows Carrefour, however Bali marks the first time ever that we went to this hypermarket and looking forward to its... cakes! Yes, Bali's Carrefour Bakery is an anomaly! Having only moderately satisfied with Carrefour's bakery elsewhere, Bali's Carrefour at Sunset Road hides a wonderful surprise. Their cakes are good, bread and pastries are great, cheese sticks yummy, and their meat pies are also nice. And not only tasted good they are also relatively cheap! You can get here at Carrefour's cheap price, what other boutique bakeries sells higher. And they're tasted as good, or sometimes even better. What is their secret?

It might come as a surprise but their secret is... Mr. Bean!


Well not that Mr. Bean, don't worry. Because Denis Langlois, the Carrefour Bali's pastry chef can really cook, and his creations are awesome. He wont let your Thanksgiving dinner turns into a nightmare, nor he will messed up a simple sandwich preparation, or shopping for frying pan carrying around a dead fish. He just happen to share a somewhat similar look with the famous British comical character.


I was at first a bit hesitant to highlight this likeness, but I guess I'm not the first one recognizing it because back in a Taste Magazine article in 2009 Denis mentioned:
“I am now working on funny cakes for children. People tell me I look like Mr. Bean, so I want to put Mr. Bean’s head on a Spiderman body – a Spiderbean cake!"(01)
Unlike Mr. Bean though, Denis really can make delicious bread, pastries & cakes. Like the simplistic but wonderful Mille Feuille with its crunchy solid crackers and creamy thick creams; or its delicious cheesecakes and lovely apple pies.




I found them all superb, even compared with many boutique bakeries Bali and Jakarta has. And Denis is able to sell them at the fraction of its usual cost elsewhere.
"He claims there is no reason for customers to pay a high price, as his costings are realistic and he is making a profit selling individual tarts and pastries like his famous Mille Feuille for under Rp. 8,000." (01)*
*the last time I check it's now 12,500, not as cheap as it's used to, but it's still very affordable

Denis loves watching people choose the bread, smell it and especially watching Indonesian customers taking a chance on something new. With almost 30 years of baking experience, Denis's creations are everything but boring. While he loves to experiment with new creations, his deepest passion however is to recreate traditional French cakes from his childhood.
"But the things I like most to make are the traditional ones, the ones I liked when I was a child, like éclair au chocolat chouquette mille feuille. I want to show people that simple can be beautiful, and when I manage to reproduce what I liked as a child, the customers go for it."(02)
Well after tasting many of his creations, I'm just glad that Denis is willing to share his childhood memory with us through his wonderful creations.




More about Denis Langlois can be read on these two links below. (byms)

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The Heart Smart Oil-Free Cookbook

Love to eat? Put more thoughts into what you're eating to avoid health problems -- not by meditating over it but to apply a more conscious mindset over what you eat, and what goes into your cooking. Reading quality books helps too, like this one recently published:


"The Heart Smart Oil-Free Cookbook" is the first vegetarian oil free cookbook, which launched on 29th Sept, World Heart Day. It promotes healthy living by providing vegetarian recipes which are oil-free, authored by Mayura Mohta, and George Jacobs, PhD.


This cookbook leads the way. Based on the groundbreaking research of Dr Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr of the world renowned Cleveland Clinic, The Heart Smart Oil Free Cookbook provides tested, detailed recipes by skilled chefs and global nutrition experts. They enable you to eat right for your heart while enjoying a wide range of tasty dishes.

The Heart Smart Oil Free Cookbook includes scientific information on why foods high in oil damage the heart. It is supported by the Singapore Heart Foundation.

About the Authors


Mayura Mohta is a Singapore based nutrition consultant and a health writer. She coaches fitness and wellness, with academic background in biochemistry, microbiology and nutritional science. She believes in prevention and reversal of disease through a plant based diet.


Her organization Health Friend, is a Singaporean social enterprise promoting health and fitness through nutrition workshops, seminars and consultation. It contributes to community welfare by distributing all its profits to charities that support underprivileged children. For the past 2 years, Healthfriend has conducted many nutrition workshops addressing various health issues for institutions such as WINGS, VSS, PRIMETIME, SCWO and UWCSEA.

George Jacobs, PhD, has been president of Vegetarian Society (Singapore) since 2003 and a vegetarian since 1980. He helped to write the New Asian Traditions Vegetarian Cookbook, also speaks and writes frequently about vegetarianism. Dr Jacobs teaches for NIE and other educational institutions.

This Heart Smart Oil-Free Cookbook is also supported by the Singapore Heart Foundation. All royalties from this book will be used to support charities and NPO's.

Contents


Foreword Dr Ong Hean Yee (Head, Department of Cardiology, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital) • Introduction • Singapore Heart Foundation • What is Heart Disease? • The Diet-Disease Link • Oil Free Cooking Tips • Heart Smart Recipes • Glossary of Ingredients • Resources • Index

Publisher

Straits Times Press
Mezzanine Floor, Information Resource Centre
Level 3, Podium Block
Singapore Press Holdings
1000 Toa Payoh North
News Centre
Singapore 318994
Tel: (65) 6319 6319, Fax: (65) 6319 8258
Email: stpressbooks@sph.com.sg
Online bookstore: www.stpressbooks.com.sg

Thanks Mayura Mohta for extending this information. (byms)
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Ubud Writers Festival 2012 shortlist for Foodies and Food Bloggers


Today marks the opening of Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2012. Among many sessions will be held, we have picked some which might interest foodies and food bloggers. Here they are based on relevance, not schedule:

Tongue Teasers

Forget about brain food; let’s talk turkey, spill the beans, makan the mango: a passion for food and for succumbing to temptation!

Shamini Flint, Romesh Gunesekera,  Ma Thanegi, Bondan Winarno.
Chair: Janet De Neefe

When:
Sunday, 07 October 2012
09:30 - 10:45

Where:
Indus Restaurant
Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud
Bali - Indonesia

Honest, I'm working!

Dreaming of travelling the world, writing your adventures and being paid for the experience? Meet the people living your dream

Don George, Zhang Su Li
Chair: MJ Akbar

When:
Thursday, 04 October 2012
11:00 - 12:00

Where:
Left Bank Lounge
Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud
Bali - Indonesia

Writing there, living there, the difference of distance

The freedoms and difficulties imposed by living in a location far distant from that in which one writes.
Isobelle Carmody, Sunil Nair, Romesh Gunesekera
Chair: Inez Baranay

When:
Saturday, 06 October 2012
10:45 - 12:00

Where:
Indus Restaurant
Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud
Bali - Indonesia

Writing to the power of E

The challenges, opportunities and practicalities of writing in a digital age with those who have taken the digital baton and run with it.

Luka Lesson, Kristina Olsen,  Jessica Zafra, Tom Vater
Chair: Jonathan Campbell

When:
Friday, 05 October 2012
09:00 - 10:15

Where:
Neka Museum
Jl. Raya Campuhan, Ubud
Bali - Indonesia

Say it out loud

Be it song or spoken word, performance gets the message across. How do writers convey big ideas without the real estate of the blank page?

Luka Lesson, Kristina Olsen, Krishna Pabichara
Chair: Skid More

When:
Sunday, 07 October 2012
14:30 - 15:45

Where:
Left Bank Lounge
Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud
Bali - Indonesia

Sense and sensibility

The role of the writer. Do writers have social, political and cultural responsibilities?

Louise Doughty, Nidurapas Erlang,  Neal Hall, Joanna Murray-Smith, Luka Lesson
Chair: Jamie James

When:
Thursday, 04 October 2012
13:00 - 14:30

Where:
Indus Restaurant
Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud
Bali - Indonesia

Transitioning

Writing locally, reading globally: the experience of writers finding their works in translation.

Kader Abdolah, Sheng Keyi, Riikka Pulkkinen.
Chair: Deepika Shetty


When:
Sunday, 07 October 2012
13:00 - 14:15

Where:
Left Bank Lounge
Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud
Bali - Indonesia

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What's Up List October 2012


Suddenly it's October... and next thing you know it's year 2013. Perhaps time does rolling faster toward the year's end?

Despite of the issue that the world is going to end this year, thanks to the Mayan Calendar prophecies, I still make plans for the upcoming year and assure everybody that the world is not going to end in 21 December 2012, I promise... Well that's an easy promise since even if the world did end by that date, you can't sue me either.

On the lighter note, facing October in Bali I was preparing for the super rainy season just like we had last year, however the sun is still shining brightly with just occasional light shower in early mornings; hence no rush to dust the raincoat I stored (did not sure where) earlier this year.

And the highlights of October 2012 are:
  1. Will Meyrick will be performing a duet with William Wongso in "William and William", a Gala Dinner opening the Jakarta Culinary Festival 2012 this Thursday 4 October. Among the rare event which making me wishes I was still living in Jakarta.
  2. Ubud Writers Festival is about to start, this 4 October too, bringing you the plethora of interesting topics on writing and culture. Among the talks you should attend is the "Tongue Teasers" which talk about passion for food and succumbing to the temptation, where Bondan "Mak Nyus" Winarno will be one of the speakers
  3. Mayura Mohta is launching her new book "The Heart Smart Oil-Free Cookbook" in Singapore. This is an important book for those who loves eating, and wish to keep that hobby until the later days of his/her life
  4. Some free online courses to improve your writing skills are available at Coursera. Though some will not start until early next year, you might want to sign up early to avoid missing it. One of the highlight is "The Science of Gastronomy" which  introduces participants to elements of science lying behind cooking and cuisine preparation
  5. The 6th Annual Balinale International Film Festival 2012 is coming. Between 22-28 October there will be World premiers, festivals, talks, and everyday screening of good movies, including a Gourmet Cinema Charity Dinner which include one ticket to the screening of Entre’ Les Bras (2012), A documentary on three-Michelin-stars French chef Michel Bras, and his decision to hand over his restaurant to his son, Sebastien. This dinner is supported by Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Bali. Event will be held at the new cineplex in Bali, Cinema XXI Beachwalk - Kuta, right by the Pantai Kuta shores.
  6. Kuta Karnival 2012 will be held from 10 - 14 October, with various fun and cultural related activities, including a Food Festival which will open from 12 - 14 October 4 p.m. onward.
Anything else should be on the list? Feel free to comments.

Cheers!

Bayu Amus
Epicurina Indonesia

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Coursera online course on clear and effective writing

Currently I'm taking several online courses at Coursera, related with my multi-faceted interests (i.e.: indecisive complex). While some are related more with my other interest of User Experience Design, there is one I found quite related with my food blogging hobby too: "Writing in The Sciences". This course itself is brought by the Stanford University.

Though the course title might looks a bit heavy for a blogger, but nevertheless bloggers facing a similar problem every writers everywhere have: how to write a good piece of writing. And this course provides good information about the subject of writing in general, including assignments and exercises to better understand about the subject.

But science is scary...

Should the word "Sciences" freaks you, as it is to those without a background in science, well it's intention is not to shoo non-scientific people away, but to address the specific challenges and needs of a scientific writing: "Communicates an idea clearly and effectively". As science naturally involves a lot of jargon and complex thoughts, therefore the need of clarity and effectiveness is paramount.

While presenting complex formulas and theory might not be a challenge bloggers might face daily, but the de-cluttering skill itself is applicable to any of non-fiction writing subjects, including blogging.

Course Materials 

In this course, the participants will learn the basics about:
  1. What makes good writing?
  2. What makes a good writer?
  3. Steps to becoming a better writer
Participants will also learn about how to:
  1. Communicates an idea clearly and effectively
  2. Develop an elegance and stylish writing
  3. Cut the clutters and bloats from a writing
  4. Writing effectively
Among the basic writing tenets that surprisingly many writers forgets:
  1. To become a good writer you must first read, pay attention, and imitate
  2. Write regularly in a journal (or blog) as exercise
  3. Write to engage your readers -- try not to bore them!
  4. Stop waiting for "inspiration"
  5. Accept that writing is hard for everyone, even for professionals!
  6. Revise, nobody gets it perfect on the first try
  7. Learn how to cut (editing) ruthlessly, never become to attached to your words
  8. Find a good editor!
  9. Take risks, get out of your box and get your own voice (writing style)

Is effective equal with boring?

A question might immediately arise from the bloggers though: "How could we create engaging writing with very minimum word plays?", would effective writing equals with boring? 

Well there's a saying that "designers aiming for usable is like a chef aiming for edible", and I think it fits to answer that question as well. While it's true that a writing sometimes benefited from stylizing, we shouldn't focus our effort into superficial decorating of our work, but on perfecting the other elements of writing instead: like the plot, the pace, the mood play, and inclusion of interesting/entertaining/surprising facts about the writing's subject. 

It should be like learning a recipe's basic then improves it with your own touch of creativity and imagination, instead of mere imitating the recipe then works only on decorating it; or worse, thoughtlessly throwing some stuffs together and label it "le' new interpretation." 

Even Pablo Picasso the famous cubism painter was once a very good portrait painter, before he went wild and inventing his own style of abstract painting -- after a long study of tribal art in the Africa. To get good in any arts, you have to master the basics first. 

Oh and did I mention that the course is free? For the list of available courses at Coursera, please click on this link. (byms)

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