Snövit (Snow White)

29 December 2021

I did my last volunteering activity for 2021 with Kompis Sverige. We went to see a dance performance entitled Snövit which means Snow White. It is not the classic Snow White story that most of us know. The dwarfs are there but they are not dwarfs and there are 6 only. The evil stepmother is in the story. But the person looks like a man so it could be stepfather.

So, the story is about Snow White who reaches puberty (she had red stains) and her stepfather gifted her a mobile phone and got her hooked on to social media and obsessed with getting as many 'likes' in her posts. One fine day, Snow White's post reached more 'likes' than her stepfather and he ordered her to be killed. So, a huntsman was there and he killed a rabbit (a shadow of a rabbit. You cannot be killing a live animal on stage). Finally, Snow White was liberated from her stepfather. I did not understand how. I cannot quite decipher that from the performance.

But overall, I enjoyed the dance show! Oh, we needed to show a vaccination certificate to enter into the venue. 

Tastebud : Chili Masala

18 December 2021

Lunch at Chili Masala was so delicious! It was a far cry from the dinner I had yesterday at Kebabkhan Kurdistan. I would definitely come back to Chili Masala again and again. The food was full of spices and so finger-looking good.

I had Tawa Mix Fish which is fish fillet, salmon and prawns cooked with spices and costed SEK170. It was served on a huge frying pan and took up a lot of space on the table. One friend ordered Nihari which is lamb leg and that costed SEK130. We had the dishes with so aromatic pilau rice and garlic naan bread (SEK25 a piece). I had mango lassi (SEK35). SO GOOD!

Tastebud : Kebabkhan Kurdistan

17 December 2021

Dinner for today with 2 friends. We went to Kebabkhan Kurdistan which unfortunately, I have to say was not up to my liking. The meat was chewy. The soup was not spicy. The beans in tomato sauce tasted like Heinz's canned bean. The rice was not fragrant. Surprisingly, there were lots of customers, which I guess are familiar with the food being served in this restaurant. It is a huge restaurants so it is spacious. 

We had the plate of grilled meat - lamb and chicken, and half a grilled chicken served with 2 types of rice. 

Waldemarsudde - Ett eget rum (A room to oneself) art exhibition

2 December 2021

Voluntary work to Waldemarsudde Museum. Yes, Kompis Sverige is back in action with their activities to bring newly-matched friends together to hang out. It is a great initiative. I enjoy going to their activities, being a volunteer to gather them and talking to them, getting to know and being humbled by new people I meet each time. Everyone has their own stories and I learn each time I listen to their stories.

The last time I was in this museum was in November 2018. 3 years back and with Kompis Sverige too but as a participant then. 

Today, we are in the museum to see an art exhibition - Ett eget rum, which means a room to oneself. Well, the direct translation will be 'an own room' but does not make sense in English. So, this exhibition depicts how Nordic female artists at the end of the 19th century came to conquer the role of artists during a time of radical societal changes and gender equality aspirations. Source from Waldemarsudde. We had a guide with us to explain the history of a few painters. I took photos of paintings that intrigued me. 

In this picture, the painting of the man was painted by his fiancée. And his fiancée is painted by him and depicted in the next painting. See, how they see one another in each other's eyes. I think the woman looks dark and sad, while the main looks happy.

In this huge painting, a husband painted his wife and his wife who is a sculptor sculptured a bust of him and is displayed next to the huge painting. You can see the wife's profession in his painting, and the husband is very proud of his wife being an artist. 

Women as artists were being frowned upon then. I prefer these sort of paintings when one is able to see the object clearly. I am not a fan of abstract paintings because they are just random strokes and I cannot interpret them as creatively as the artist. I feel that clearly painted objects are harder to paint as one needs to be careful with the strokes, details, and shades of colours. 

Tastebud : Sushi Kawa

21 November 2021

Sushi for lunch! I realised that back in Malaysia, I do not usually eat sushi because it is expensive and I associate it as a luxury food. But here, in Sweden, it is common to eat sushi and somehow, it is not difficult to find a place that sells sushi. It can be any Asian restaurant and there is definitely some form of sushi in the menu.

Here, I am in Sushi Kawa. This restaurant has a number of branches in Stockholm. This place is located in Kungens Kurva. I took the small plate with 8 pieces of sushi - SEK95. Can you see the small Swedish flag? It is actually a toothpick! Smart, eh! 

Tastebud : Senshi sushibar

11 November 2021

Today, I had lunch at a Japanese restaurant. I enjoyed the sushi there. I love the crunchy bits which are around the seaweed. I took the 8 pieces sushi for SEK95. It came with a bowl of miso soup. This place was quite crowded during lunchtime too!

Tastebud : Tiflisi

3 November 2021

Until today, I was not aware that Georgia is a country. We had dinner in a Georgien restaurant. I was also informed that the embassy is in Stockholm too. I was intrigued and researched more about the country. It looks like a beautiful country and I might travel there one fine day.

For the two of us, we had ostri (a common dish in the central region, according to the menu) which is lamb stew for SEK245, mtsvadi which is grilled pork loin for SEK245 and a bowl of rice for SEK25. The rice is fragrant. The food is nothing out of the ordinary. It is nice to eat warm food during late autumn. 

Tastebud : Bird Söder (South)

23 October 2021

Today, we tried a recommended restaurant or bistro as I may call it. I booked brunch at Bird which is located in Södermalm. They have 2 branches and I took the one which has the brunch option. Södermalm is an area famous for its hipsters so I am not surprised they have a brunch option. Funnily, brunch starts at 12pm! It was challenging choosing a place to try its food and I chose this place because their menu serves fried chicken on a doughnut! Haha! I thought it was very unhealthy and I decided to try it. 

Overall, the food was so delicious! I could not stop gushing how so good they were each time I had a bite! And not too expensive as it was about SEK150 per plate. It would be better if you come with a group of friends and one can share the meals. In total, we paid SEK690. Food and drinks (cola zero for SEK40 and ginger beer for SEK45).

Tastebud : Eat East

12 October 2021

Today, I met up with some new people who I have been talking to on WhatsApp and finally got the chance to meet them. We met up at Eat East restaurant which serves Sichuan food. I was informed that this is one of the best Chinese restaurant. I had a faint idea on what Sichuan food is because I travelled to China many years ago. It was still the same taste as how I remembered. I do not enjoy Sichuan's taste too much because the chili has a weird after-taste. A sort of 'cutting' taste that lingers on the tongue and not something I fancy. It is hard to describe.

We had pakchoy for SEK99 (very expensive for me), pork ribs for SEK179 (the meat on the pork ribs were very little), seafood (tiger prawn, mussel, squid, tofu skin, black fungus) for SEK199 and tilapia fish for SEK149. The seafood and tilapia came in chili oil so the dish was very oily and a bit spicy too. Each of us got a bowl of rice. There were 4 of us so the meal became affordable. 

I would not mind coming again but I will try a different kind of dish. And it is better to come with a group so that one can order various dishes and try all of them. I think 4 is a good number! :)

Tastebud : Trattorian

26 September 2021

IT IS MY BIRTHDAY TODAY!

Initially, I chose a French cafe but there was a long queue to get in. So, we continued cycling and saw a brunch sign which is what I intended to have (brunch). The place is called Trattorian and it is an Italian restaurant. It costs SEK365 per person. It is a short buffet brunch. The food is so yummy and we got there just in time before the crowd poured in. At least, I know the place is good. There was even dessert too.

I enjoyed the interior of the restaurant. Pots and weaved baskets hanging from the ceiling. I wondered if they use them. I saw pizza and I was so curious by them. I thought that since this is an Italian restaurant, they must serve good pizza but I was wrong. There was nothing special about the pizza. Thick dough, not crusty, felt very full from it. I would not recommend the pizza. BUT the pork belly was so delicious! I had two helpings. Hehe... There are not much photos of the food because it was difficult to take photos with a queue behind me. 

Tastebud : Fru Bellman Cafe

25 September 2021

It is my birthday weekend! I like to try new stuff on my birthday. I usually travel during my birthday month but it has not happened since I moved to Sweden. In Sweden, holidays are usually taken during summer, a week during autumn (for the school holidays in October), a week during sport break (in March for the school holidays) and a week during Christmas. So, no one takes a break in September unless the person is not working.

It was a sunny weekend too. It was difficult for me to decide which cafe to choose as Stockholm has soooo many cafes as people here love to drink coffee and hang out in cafes. So, I chose a place in Södermalm which is located in the south of Stockholm. It took us about 50 minutes to cycle. Fru Bellman Cafe is apparently the oldest cafe in Södermalm. That was why I chose the place. It needs to have something outstanding. By the way, Fru = wife.

I like the extra touch of a red rose on the table. We got served sourdough bread while waiting for our meal. I had vegetarian salad for SEK109. I was very full from this, which is very surprising. I thought I will be very hungry from the cycling but I took extra time to finish my meal.

Tastebud : Noorii Mall of Scandinavia

10 September 2021

Today, I cycled to Mall of Scandinavia to take passport-sized photos in a photo booth. It is so convenient! It is cheaper than going to a photo shop. The photo booth is located right opposite the information counter. I selected 'foreign passport' and a large size, paid SEK149, got my photos taken as many times as I wanted (deleted and retook) until I was satisfied, and printed the 4 photos on the spot. It is really so easy. When I got home, I cut the passport-sized photos according to the measurement.

Because I did it during lunch hour, I decided to have my lunch in the mall. It was a lunch offer at Noorii. SEK115 for my salmon poke bowl and it came with miso soup. A healthy meal, I could tell myself. Haha! I was full from this because it has rice at the bottom. I have not been eating rice and noodles lately, so eating a bit of rice makes me full. 

Tastebud : Bistro Björkvik

28 August 2021

On a warm summer evening, we visited a bistro in Björkvik for dinner. This place is located right in front of the waters. Very lovely view and one can go for a walk after the meal to burn off the meal. 

Plum plucking

15 August 2021

For the first time in my life, I saw a plum tree! And to make it better, I plucked plums from the tree because the kind neighbour invited us to do so as there are so many plums on the tree. The neighbour informed us that the plum tree bears fruit once in two years. So, there were not any plums last year. The plums are smaller than the ones in the grocery store but equally yummy. 

Tastebud : Värmdö Veranda

30 July 2021

Outdoor lunch at Värmdö Veranda. This is a new restaurant that opened in spring and it serves Danish bread - smörrebröd. This is a common Danish bread that is made of rye flour. One can sit outdoors on the veranda to have their meal but it rained a few hours before and the furniture was wet as they are made of wood. 

I found it strange that the menu is in Danish and there are no translations. In restaurants that serve Asian food, there are Swedish translations on the food. Maybe it is easy to figure out Danish when one is an ethnic Swede.

There is a small shop inside the restaurant. They sell their own brewed beer, cider, and rapeseed oil.

I had salmon served on the bread and my boyfriend chose the 2 fried fish served on the bread. In my opinion, it is nothing out of the extraordinary and this food can be made at home too. :)

My sandwich costs SEK99 and my boyfriend's sandwich costs SEK169. I took a glass of water because it is free.

Berry picking in Uppsala

28 July 2021

For the past 2 years, we plucked strawberries in this farm - Ulva Kvarn. This year, we decided to pluck raspberries and blackberries which are more expensive than strawberries. We got to eat some as we plucked them to taste them. This year, the strawberries cost SEK115/kg. Increased from SEK100/kg in 2019 which was the first year we plucked the strawberries.

Raspberries - SEK180/kg and blackberries - SEK140/kg. Entrance fees for adults is SEK100 per person. We paid the entrance fees and the cardboard box (SEK20 for a box). One can bring their own container. I checked a local grocery store's website and found out that store-bought raspberries are from Spain and cost SEK181/kg whereas store-bought blackberries are from Mexico and cost SEK255/kg. 

The berries are so huge! Way larger than the wild berries that we plucked two weeks ago. We plucked wild raspberries in the countryside and the size of the wild berries are 1/3 of these berries. The plants are under a roof which protect the plants against the sun and rain. I think that helps with the growth. We got 2.75kg of raspberries and 1.75kg of blackberries. Also, there are no worms and insects in these berries. The staff weighs the weight of the box (with the berries) and deduct the box's weight to get the net weight. In total, we paid SEK800 for the berries. 

Tastebud : Bonn Sushi

26 July 2021

Japanese food at Bonn Sushi. This is not located in town. It is located opposite a huge grocery store (ICA Maxi) and I thought that it was strategic as workers can cross the road and buy sushi for lunch.

I had a small plate of 9 pieces of lyxsushi (which means luxurious sushi) for SEK120. Different kinds of fish which are not usually found in a normal plate.

Garden to kitchen : Tomato 'Indigo Rose'

Harvested my next vegetable - tomatoes! Orange-purple tomatoes known as Indigo Rose.

I don't usually eat colourful tomatoes. I am familiar with red tomatoes only. So, it was fun and exciting to plant other colours. These tomatoes took longer than my red cherry tomatoes to mature and be soft enough to be plucked. This plant grew very tall and because of that, it took longer for the tomatoes to mature as the energy and nutriets goes to the leaves at the bottom of the plants and the shoots. So, I had to pluck some of the bottom leaves and the shoots.

We got a tomato support as the plant grew longer. According to the seed packet, the plant can grow to a height of 2meter. The plant was not stable and it swayed easily when there is a strong wind. The tomatoes grew oddly when we placed the plant indoors as we were away for the weekend and did not want the plant to dry out and wither. I think the tomatoes turned out odd due to the lack of sunlight indoors. I read too that a plant grows gangly or leggy due to lack of light as the plant tries to stretch out as much as possible for light. So, that is another reason why the plant grew longer.

The part of the tomatoes that were exposed to the sun turned purple but the hidden parts were still green. It was funny when I saw that there were green streaks as I checked the tomato. I adjusted the tomato and the green streaks eventually turn purple after a week. It was still not soft. Then, the tomato turned orange for some of the small green spots. Now, the tomato is soft as it turned orange. Amazing, huh!

Tastebud : Nam Kang

23 July 2021

Lunch in town today. Lots of people in town for the summer. Many tourists too. I feel stressed seeing all these people.

Today, a Korean friend wanted to eat in a Korean restaurant and I decided to join her. We ate at Nam Kang and I had the day's special i.e. kkanpoongi that are lightly-fried chicken bits in sweet and hot sauce. It came with rice and one could take miso soup, kimchi, salad, tea and coffee. I did not take the tea, coffee or water because I was unsure whether I could find a public toilet to pee as I was taking the 1.5 hour bus ride back to the countryside.

Meal costs SEK125 and I am pleased with my meal. I took a small plate of kimchi and I enjoyed the kimchi a lot! Such a good meal!

Wild raspberry plucking

17 July 2021

Today, we plucked some wild raspberries that grows amongst nettles in the countryside. So, I wore long pants and shirt so that I don't get pricked by the sharp nettles. Also, I wanted to avoid a suntan. We got 1 liter of raspberries. They were small and we had to check the berries to ensure that there are no worms or insects. Otherwise, it will be extra protein. :)