To Be or Not To Be .... Organic

Lately, the emergence of food safety issue has affected many countries worldwide, including Malaysia. Undeniably, there are many loopholes existing in our system which our government is trying to plug. As consumers, we are never sure what we will be getting in our boxes. I guess Forest Gump knows it better and said "Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you are going to get". At least he got a box of chocolate which have the FDA approval.

Malaysia have tons of natural resources/produces that we are proud of eg. petroleum, natural gas, forest timber, palm oil, rubber and others. Unfortunately we also rely heavily on imported goods such as fruits, vegetables, rice, wheat, beef, lamb, dairy and yes the list does go on. Second grade fresh produce are often sold in our "pasar sayur" while the best one are sent across to our neighbour which is Singapore. Stringent health and safety regulations in Singapore determine that only those that passed the test be sold there. There had been countless times when truck loads of produce has been denied entry into Singapore and there after many months of ban till a permittable pesticide level had been reach.

In any case, our relevant safety and health department is on the crackdown of all dairy- based food items in view of the SANLU Milk scare. Everything or anything made with milk is under scrutiny. We even receive SMS's warning us not to eat fruits or vegetables originating from CHINA. Fuji apples, Gong pears, Fragrant pears, peaches, Beijing cabbages, Baby bak choy, Pea sprouts, Snow peas, Hongkong kale, mustard .....

Obviously if you are a vegetarian, life has just become more difficult. Anyway, if you have read my last post, it would not be difficult to guess that my family have been gradually going organic.

It started with my son, Siddharth who could not tolerate cow's milk as it aggravates his sinus problem. Out goes cans of powdered milk, packs of UHT milk to be replaced with organic oat milk from Canada. At one point, we even tried RAW fresh milk delivered by our Indian Milkman ( Local indians and punjabis who are dairy farmers who supplies fresh milk and yoghurt to household ).

10 years ago, going organic would have been impossible and unthinkable. Now, we have a large organic section in our BV Grocer in Bangsar, Country Farm Organic , BMS organic, Justlife Organic and many well-stocked smaller ones all over Kuala Lumpur. I, especially like the one in Taman Desa called DE Health Paradise Organic where their prices are great and they have a good selection of ready cooked meals at fantastic prices.

In the end, we are ensured that what we eat and what our children eat has not been compromised. We, of course, grief with those parents who have lost their child due to tainted milk or contaminated food where officials have not acted to the urgency of their complain until it is too late.

As mothers, parents we do our best to protect our children. After all, they are our future.

The Missionary of the Delicious

I am a newbie to this thing called blogging. In fact four days new. For the past four days I have come across many impressive blog sites and even gave them my two cents worth. Thank you and my appreciation to Bureka Boy, Nandita in Mumbai, Canadianbaker and Priya. All of you are my inspiration . As of today, May the 1st 2007, I have joined this army of web bloggers, journeying into the secret Labyrinth of Blog.

Let me tell you about ME ..... I am a food stylist living and working in Malaysia. For those out there having a mental" blog", it is quite similar to a ...... make up artist except that I deal with food. Actually my job is to make food look the prettiest before the photographer takes over. Well, as the saying goes, exquisite food and things in life comes in pretty packages. Mine is definitely made in the food photography heaven as the photographer is also my good half. (Check out our website: www.redsstudio.com) Currently residing in a vibrant suburb in Kuala Lumpur where food, food and more food is to be found round the clock. Restaurants, bistros, delis, kopitiams (Local coffee shops, Starbuck, Dome Cafe and Coffee Bean) pop up as fast as lallang( local wild weeds ). Food is like a sniff away. Not surprising that my American friend always remarks that no one needs to cook in Malaysia ..... fantastic food and it doesn't burn a hole in your pocket. Not surprising too, as obesity in Malaysia ranks the highest in South-East Asia.

Food in Malaysia does offer lots of inspiration to everyone. Professionals or novices can learn and pick up different style of cooking. Endless varieties, be it Chinese, Indian, Malay, Indo-chinese, Thai, Italian, German, Ikea food? ..... definitely a melting pot for different cuisines and cultures.
At home too, we can be having south Indian meals for lunch(courtesy of my good half) or Italian for dinner. Variety is the spice of life and cooking is MY PASSION. Both my kids are very kitchen savvy and we have a fantastic and well equipped kitchen. Many a reason to indulge in experimenting and creating recipes. Occasionally when time allows, I write and contribute recipes to food companies, magazines, publications and the newspapers.

I am also a self professed health-nut and great supporter of alternative treatment therapy.

As of today, I will begin a new mission .... meeting and blogging with those who believe in what I believe. Eating to satisfy the soul as well as to heal the body and mind.

To those I would meet in the world of blog .....
Good Day! Vanakkam! Selamat Datang! Ni Hau! Sawadee ka! Salama Po! Namaaste!

For those venturing into my inner space ..... Welcome to the Domain of the Kitchen Nymph!

Psst,psst ....... just finished 3 pieces of my eggless citrus sugee cake I made on Sunday night. Just blame it on the lack of self-control and the love of food ....... glorious food. So much for the low-carb lunch which now has been equalized with some hi-carb dessert. Naughty girl.