Chatting With Eva From Across the Ocean

Posted by Correen in Articles, Interviews | 2 comments

Eva, from bagus lah and sedap too!, got in touch with me through my request an interview form several weeks ago and we’ve just now had a chance to get together for a chat. Her recent travels took her away from her blogging, however upon returning Eva has been posting extraordinary stories, that include plenty of cooking and recipes. Sit a spell to read our chat…then head over to Eva’s blog for a true culinary adventure.

Describe the main purpose of your blog, what are you trying to accomplish?

The purpose of my blog is to share my food journeys with family and friends. It is also a space where I get to wax lyrical, write creatively and have a bit of fun. I would like to make a collection of my rantings and musings and hopefully publish them as a food memoir.

What do you like most about your kitchen and why?

My kitchen is the space where I create recipes. It is the heart of my home and where my children and I gather in the evening hours to cook together and chat about various goings-on in the day. I like to cook whilst sipping a glass of wine and listening to light jazz being played in the background. But since moving to Paris, I have not been able to cook with music so I chat to my daughters instead.

You have recently returned from an extended vacation…please tell us about the highlights of your travels (especially the food).

This summer, I had the opportunity to travel to Bali, Indonesia. I was very fascinated by their cuisine and the spirituality of the island. Being Hindus in a largely Muslim country, the Balinese eat suckling pig which they grill whole accompanied by rice and various spices. Balinese food is generally spicy. The Balinese belief in the medicinal qualities of herbs like coriander, pepper, cardamons etc which feature prominently in their food. Rice is a staple food in Bali and is eaten with every meal starting at breakfast.

What’s one of the weirdest foods you’ve experimented with? How did it turn out?

I tend to stick to ‘safe’ recipes that is nothing too weird or difficult. I tend to also recreate dishes that I’ve eaten in the past or in my childhood, following my instincts, taste buds and nose. (Recently, I came across a blog, Out to Lunch, by an American woman who is very good at cooking , particularly, Chinese food. I was very impressed by her wealth of knowledge and her savvy. She blogs about very traditional Chinese dishes, often only eaten by natives of Taiwan or China and of course, also by ethnic Chinese living in Singapore and Malaysia.)

If you had the chance to guest post on any blog in the world, which one would it be and why?

I would love to guest blog for several food blogs. My favourite is David Lebovitz’s blog written in Paris. Living in the City of Light myself, I can relate to his many gourmet stories and anecdotes. I also love Carolyn Phillips’s blog which I mentioned above. My plan is to cook one of her recipes on Chinese cuisine that is challenging and then blog about it on her blog as feedback.

I am a mother of 2 daughters living in Paris with a penchant for the written word and cooking. I thought that if I combined the two, I’d have a recipe for success. So here I am, blogging about my many eating adventures in Paris. The blog also includes food adventures outside of Paris, namely from Italy, where I have family that we visit often and South East Asia, where I also have family that I visit often in summer.

♥ Check out Eva’s blog bagus lah and sedap too!

♥ Follow @evawongnava on Twitter