Nothing To Envy: Ordinary Lives In North Korea (By Barbara Demick)

This book marks the end of my literary journey through the harsh terrains of North Korea. The next time I touch on anything dictatorial (or communistic, for a better choice of words), it’s got to be more visual than this – and more physical; I still hope for a day when I could finally travel to this supposedly ‘pariah’ nation, to witness all that is (left) of this autocratic regime.

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The Connoisseur’s Guide To Meat (By Jennie Milsom)

This book was a gift from a friend… well, sort of. Just by looking at the cover, one would not be too wrong about it being a very traditionally English and European-based cookbook. And it is, indeed, given the wide range of strange looking tools (or what they identify as kitchen utensils) used in their kitchens. My assumption is: one has got to have a copiously-spaced kitchen to be able to own and keep all of these utensils at home!

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Asian Stir-Fried Brinjals

A brinjal is a type of plant in many disguises, simply because it can also be called an eggplant (English/American), an aubergine (European), a melongene or a guinea squash. Asians usually identify them as brinjals, which in turn usually refers to the longer, slimmer breed.

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Milk And Cheese Plait Bun With A Local Twist

Plain but flavourful, this delicacy is much favoured by many Asians within the region – a common breed found in many neighbourhood bakeries and supermarkets. Here’s my very own version of the heartland favourite – golden little buns sprinkled with copious servings of cheddar cheese!

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The Photographer’s Eye (By Michael Freeman)

This book was a souvenir from a photography course that I took up several years ago, while I was still a teacher. I cannot remember much of the course – aperture size, white balance etc – but I do remember feeling very happy about receiving this book as part of the course materials.

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