Topic: Greetings from an Expat in Asia

[Davegrc]

Kiwi actually !  Grate grandfather, Scottish expat in Fiji , Grandfather and father borne there , Engineers in Lautoka Sugar  mills where Indians where emigrated into Fiji to work the sugar plantations .  the Indian Cooks servants and Yayos past on to my ancestors the culture of Indian food , that I intern  picked up and ran with from a very young man ! my father then a high school student was sent to New Zealand to escape Japanese menace in the 1940s and never returned , this  did not stop him befriending every Indian green grocer in New Zealand at that time to hunt down the spices , herbs and vegetables he needed to fuel his addiction in Indian food ! and it seems as I look back at 35 years of cooking and studying spice that this  pursuit of spice has been my endless task  as well ! Living in Cebu I have to travel to Singapore ( Mustafa in little India ) several times a year just to bring back a Port  full of  spice !  today I grow my own curry leaves , Kiffer Lime , Bay leaves , Galangou . we are blessed with fresh coconut and I produce my own oil ! Living in a country that was ruled for  300 years by the Spanish , there is a surprising shortage of spice in local markets

I joined this Forum for two reasons ! one, we all share this interest in spice and two because I have taken on an interest in spice pastes !  Not being able to get Pataks or any other good brands in this region ,I have started to make my own !

I will not except those who shoot down pastes as second to fresh whole spice, as fermented paste and pickels have been part of Indian culture for a millennium and Pataks speaks for itself . Mango and lime pickles , fermented producing natural lactic acids  , and flavors  absorbed into oils in spice paste jars somehow add to the culture and have earned there Place .

I hope that as I make my way through the archives here I can open and expand this subject  beyond simply adding ground herbs and  spice into vinegar and oil into something that gets closer to what Partakes do in a jar !

I ticked the "open to anyone emailing back" box when I joined   ! and I  look forward meeting you all and to mining the Archive

Cheers

Dave

[littlechilie]

Welcome Dave many good topics here for you.

[Garp]

Welcome, Dave. May I ask your age and what is your first language?

[Onions]

Te Maori.

[Garp]

? Are you saying he or she is Maori?

[Davegrc]

age ? i don't like to count borne 1959 !  language English !  Ancestors Scottish !
20 years a New Zealander ! 20 years an Australian and 15 years in Asia  !

 
Dave

[Onions]

Your age is required to facilitate any accuations of inexperience later- if required of course-, and likewise your nationality, to excuse any ad hominem attacks that may be made, under the guise of a communications breakdown.
Hope this clears things up. Happy cooking!

[Garp]

Sorry, Dave. My understanding of ex-pat was that the person had lived somewhere then relocated. The spelling mistakes made me wonder about your native language. Your pro-paste comments made me wonder if you were trying to sell us something.

I have nothing against pastes and have made some lovely ones. I do, however, have issues with commercially-produced pastes, which I believe are bulked out with cheaper spices which, in my opinion, taste bland and 'industrial'.

I'm sure we would all appreciate any recipes for homemade pastes you have 

[noble ox]

Were you once named Patrick or Patricia being an Ex pat why a name change? and welcome here

[littlechilie]

Above  : classic   

Welcome again Dave