Picking Up A Pencil

Lockdown blues were strong the day I decided I was going to pick up a pencil and give drawing a go. At this point I’d already spent two weeks straight trying to learn digital 3D modelling in Blender with mixed results. I really enjoyed the creative process of making something aesthetically pleasing but the combination of being tied to my desk, bleeding retinas and the RSI that I was almost certainly developing in the hand that pushes the cursor around the screen, meant I needed a break. Having not wanted to give up creating completely whilst I let my various faculties rest from the 12 hour days spent in front of a computer screen, I decided drawing might be fun. 

Food Cart - Blender

Campfire - Blender

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Now let’s be clear, I was no artist (arguably that is still the case). My girlfriend will attest to the atrocious pictures I had produced on the rare occasion that she had convinced me to spend a couple of hours drawing with her. In fact the closest I’d ever been to anything near passable mark making lived in my old Product Design GCSE portfolio and was a very simple isometric drawing of a Barnyard Toyset I designed. It took way too many attempts and I had left the pencils well alone after that, until now. After scrolling through Pinterest and seeing some cartoons that looked fun but relatively achievable, I had a quick browse and ordered a beginners guide to cartooning. 

My early attempts were okay. Actually Christopher Hart, the author and illustrator of the guide I used is great at breaking down his characters into simple shapes that anyone can replicate with a bit of practice. So after a few basketfuls of screwed up rejected sheets, I got to the point where I was happy to share some of the things I’d reproduced. 

I was hungry for more and simultaneously infuriated by how often I was producing drawings I hated. Having to keep reminding yourself that you are just starting (baby steps) is tiring but important. Often I found myself having to reground my attitude towards art. I couldn’t expect to produce anything like what I was seeing on Instagram, Pinterest or in comic books and guides like Hart’s. Not yet anyway. It was going to take practice, just like anything else, and so that’s what I did. I really had nothing else to do. Last year’s uni work was long gone and the next term’s hadn’t been released yet. I started back at work at some point in that incomprehensible period that was the summer of 2020 but on the days I wasn’t working, I drew (and maybe played just a few video games too). 

I soon got bored of simple line drawings and wanted to bring more life to my characters. Lots of the art I was most inspired by seemed to be created digitally and so, of course, I wanted a piece of the action. I did some research, again, and this time found myself an entry level graphics tablet that would let me take my subpar physical sketches and turn them into subpar digital drawings! Now I could bring my sketches to life as more fully fledged, coloured illustrations. I think I was led astray in the belief that technology would somehow improve my artwork exponentially. Even now, in 2020, the age of SpaceX and self driving cars, there is no technology out there that could make my drawings respectable. It seemed I would have to work harder than that… Anyway, my delusional self thought these illustrations were good enough for instagram so I posted them anyway. I think the biggest part of my journey as an ‘artist’ so far, has been coming to terms that it is going to be many years before I get to the point where I am really happy with my art. Those of you who know me will know that I have since discovered the audacity required to tout my illustrations as printed tangible things on Etsy. Don’t be fooled. I am well aware that my art standards are not what they need to be yet, but it drives me to keep going so more on that another week. 

Best so far I think

Thank you so much for coming back to my blog and reading all the way to the end of this post! I am going to try and post on a more regular basis (God knows this might not happen) and of course I’ll talk about art and how my life has changed since starting a small business, but I still want to talk about books and food and life more generally from time to time. I’m sure it doesn’t make much sense to have a blog as directionless as mine but you guys seem to enjoy it enough to come back and read it so I appreciate that a lot. 

Big Love,

J

Quarantine Cooking

I’m writing this post to keep myself sane as much as anything else because I need some more productive daily actions in my life. Anyway, today I want to talk about the importance of food during these strange and quite frankly, harrowing times. I think we are realising, now more than ever, the gravity of food. It has the power to make our day, or in some cases, send it the other way. We are being forced to recognise the value of what we have in our cupboards through the restrictions on shopping and the tumbleweed that’s found in some supermarket aisles at the moment although I have to acknowledge my own privilege in this situation in the fact our family can afford to still be shopping at the supermarket and for that I am truly grateful. 

When you spend all day at home, as almost all of us are having to do at the moment, little things can make the biggest difference. Food is one of those things. For some of us, myself most definitely included, it has always had the power to lift our spirits, but it feels as if the rest of the population is starting to feel that way too. Every day I see more and more evidence of people engaging with food in a way they might not have been before. More people are baking, cooking, experimenting and sharing their culinary experiences through social media in a trend that is undoubtedly inspired by this sudden excess amounts of time that so many of us are finding ourselves with. It warms my heart to see people I know and strangers alike, taking to the kitchen and trying new things and I really hope that they are finding the same joy in the process that I have in recent years. If nothing else good can come from this devastating pandemic, at least food and family time has been thrust into the epicentre of our lives once again.

What’s more, the consequences of what we are eating have increased tenfold. Being cooped up at home all day, whether you’re working from home and living a weird virtual life through Zoom or Google Hangouts, or studying for exams that you’re unsure will even happen, we are all moving less and so trying to eat a varied and balanced diet becomes more of a priority. We are also eating all three of our meals at home every day which for students, and the employed alike, will be something of a novelty (or a nuisance). All things considered, then, food has presented itself to all of us as an inflated challenge where it may have previously been skirted around.

I want to have a look at how we can keep food exciting whilst best managing the food we have in our houses so that we can keep down unnecessary trips to the shops and try to protect our beloved NHS who are working so hard at the moment to try and keep the country from sinking. 

There are a few things we can do to minimise waste, maximise efficiency and keep our meals engaging and healthy. Some are boring but essential and others are more light hearted but equally vital for maintaining that family bond in really testing times. 

The first, and arguably most valuable thing we can do is pause and take stock. Choose some time when you have all clocked off from your virtual workplace for the evening and empty out your cupboards. Dig everything out, right to the back. You will be surprised at some of the weird sh*t you find in there. Do the same with the fridge. It’s so important that you know what you’ve got in the house at a time when some selfish people are panic buying whole carloads of food from the supermarket and leaving others with nothing. Make a list of what’s in each cupboard and stick on the inside of the door. It’s a great reference point to be able to glance at without having to dig about and means things won’t get overbought. Next time you go to make a meal, have a glance at your lists and you’ll know exactly what things you have to work with. This will also cut down on waste because you can prioritise things you know have been in there the longest. Saving money on unnecessary food and not having to throw things away at the moment can be a real lifesaver. 

Secondly, make new things. With your newly organised storage spaces, you know exactly what you’ve got and you can build recipes around those ingredients. Websites like www.allrecipes.com will let you put in a single or multiple ingredients and bring back recipes for those specific things so if you can’t think of anything those sites can be a good place to look for inspiration. Making new dishes is not only a good way to use up old stock but is also great for keeping things fresh in the kitchen. At a time when you can’t eat out at your favourite restaurant, making exciting, tasty and new food at home is key. Learning those new recipes can also help to make your day feel more productive if, like me, you have been left feeling a bit useless. You can even make it into a game. Taking inspiration from ‘Masterchef’ mum set me and my sister, Lo, a mystery box challenge. We had an allotted time to produce dinner for the family from a box of random (really random) ingredients that she’d pulled from the ‘needs using up’ pile. We made it into a friendly competition (which I managed to fluff up and lose) and it gave us all great entertainment for the evening whilst making use of ingredients that might have otherwise been left sitting in the cupboard until the next global catastrophe.

I hope that you’ve found some of what I’ve written helpful. Remember that all this will pass and in the meantime, cook something that puts a smile on your face. 

Lots of love, stay safe,

J

End of an Era

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. And for the first time in living memory I think we can all safely say we share that experience. In the space of a 48 hours I went from cruising down the French Alps on a snowboard without much of a care in the world, to cutting my year abroad short, driving from the Alps to Aix to grab my stuff and get out of France before all the flights stopped running. Now I’m home things seem to continue to get more and more unimaginable every time I turn on the TV. In fact sometimes when I do turn on the news it feels as if we’re watching fictional footage created for some dystopian Netflix original. But we’re not.

This blog has, recently, been a place where I have voiced some often harsh criticisms of my time in France and so it won’t be a surprise to most of you that my year away was a challenge for me. I’m not going to go into that more now because there’s plenty of previous posts you can check out if you haven’t already that explore that in more detail. However, I never expected these circumstances to be the ones in which I would be returning home. I was ready to come home to a perfect British summer where I’d catch up on all the socialising I’d missed out on in the last 6 months. In fact being back with my closest people was one of the key things keeping my head up on the loneliest days in France, yet here I am, at my computer, a little bit lost as to what I’ll do next, much like I’m sure many of you are too. 

There are, I must admit, some positives though. In reality I’ve basically been practicing this whole isolation/quarantine/social distancing thing for the last 6 months so being at home with my parents, two siblings, a piano, guitar and a whole host of video games is really an upgrade on what I had before. Of course I miss my daily trip to the boulangerie but other than that, I’m okay with being home. My family and friends are safe and in good health and that currently seems to be all that really matters.

I think for us exchange students especially, these are confusing times academically. For some of us, our host institutions are still expecting us to complete the program remotely and sit virtual exams etc… My host institution has been, as expected, unclear in how they wish to proceed. Some professors are sending daily work, others are ignoring me completely, and so I’m opting to effectively terminate all relations with Aix Uni and complete alternative assessment at UoB. Another thing I didn’t think I’d be doing this exam season but everything is unexpected these days. 

We are having to make some tough decisions at the moment and although we are reminded constantly that it’s for the greater good that doesn’t make those decisions any easier. If you are struggling, you are not alone. A lot of us, myself included, may be feeling lonely, bored or just a bit useless during these frustrating isolation days. I think the last point is particularly poignant and one that I am having to actively battle against in order not to lose my mind. Feeling useless is going to be something especially troubling for those of us who have either lost our jobs or cannot currently go to the jobs we do have. For everyone the solution is going to be different. I have found learning new skills is a really good way to not only pass the time but leave you feeling accomplished as you turn in for the night. Try to learn an instrument, cook something you haven’t before, take an online course in something you haven’t learnt about before (there is loads of quality, free content online at the moment if this is something that interests you). I am going to try and funnel more of my energy into our allotment (you never know when the fresh produce is going to run out in Tesco…). Jokes aside, give something new a go. It will give your day some structure and you’ll feel less useless. 

If all that fails, make yourself a hot drink, pick up a kids novel and escape into that instead (works for me every time).

Stay safe at home, wash your hands, be kind and keep your head up,

Love

J

P.s. If you need reading recommendations or are struggling to find the kinds of online courses I mentioned above, drop me a DM and I’ll try my best to help!

Read Kids Books.

I think it’s safe to say that in today’s modern world, reading is not the first form of entertainment that most of us turn to in a moment of boredom. The world of onscreen entertainment offers an easy way out of a rut and most of us are guilty of relying on it way too often, myself included. I want to talk about something most adults would push away as immature or too easy but that I think is a really helpful tool for keeping reading relevant in today’s world. I’m not here to preach about the elitism of reading over bingeing Netflix of YouTube because I’m in that team too. I just want to offer up a different option, one you will most likely have been persuaded away from either consciously or subconsciously, and convince you to give it a shot.

Read books meant for children. That’s it. That’s the trick. 

I have been lucky, growing up in a house with supportive parents and a mum who understands the importance of reading for children from an academic point of view. She knew how vital it was that I read when I was younger and managed to instill in me a love of books that I hope I never lose, so thank you, mum. It wasn’t cool, however, to like books as a teenage boy, and so there was a long period of time throughout high school where reading took a backseat in my interests and it was only with my A-levels and the realisation that I wasn’t much good at anything else where I realised an English degree was the way forward and therefore I had better start reading properly again. I had always had a book on the go but I knew that if I wanted to study literature I had to teach myself to want to read again and so I did. It’s not always as hard as it seems, you just have to put aside some time each day, even if it’s only twenty minutes, where you focus solely on your book. 

So I started uni and the reading really ramped up and I was set at least one or two texts a week to get through. At this point things started to change again. Reading went back to being a chore and I stopped putting aside time to read for myself. I was just focused on pushing through all the uni content and forgot all about the pleasure of the books, this wasn’t helped by the absolute bore of some of the content we were set… Anyway, it goes on and on like this for a couple of years and that brings us to the summer just gone. I decided I needed to change something because I still had another two years of an English degree to get through and I was sick of just reading the set texts and the literary canon. Books had really lost their appeal.

Then came Philip Pullman. I mean metaphorically he came along in the form of a copy of Northern Lights that was on display in the window of the bookshop. They were promoting his original fantasy trilogy in the coming months before a new edition was released and I thought there was no harm in giving it a go. I strolled straight through the shop to the back where the kids books are kept and I picked up a copy and within a month I had finished the first trilogy, and the first book of the following series, waiting with baited breath for the next leg of Lyra’s journey. It was this discovery of Pullman’s magical storytelling that reminded me what reading is really about. Too often, especially among English students I must say, there is a pressure to read certain things. Nobody is impressed that your favourite book is meant for 9 year olds, you need to love Steinbeck, Dickens, Fitzgerald and all the other white men that make up the canon. But why? Reading is about storytelling no? And since that discovery of Pullman’s series I have turned almost solely to books aimed at people half my age. The stories are just as gripping and so much more accessible. This is not to say that we should only read children’s books, of course, I still adore the more complex, nuanced language and narratives of an adult novel and upon my return to uni in the UK will no doubt have to read many more of them but I can no longer ignore the appeal of stories aimed at our youngest readers. 

Even if just used to reset ourselves from time to time, they are invaluable. Find yourself stuck about what to read next? Not willing to commit to an enormous hunk of 500 pages? Turn instead a kids novel. They take a fraction of the time to read because of their simpler language, bigger font and smaller word-count. This makes them so much less daunting. Sometimes I just pick one out and can finish it in an afternoon if you really have nothing else that needs doing. 

If you have found yourself stuck with reading recently, I urge you to choose an easier book. Ignore the pressure that adults have to read big books. It doesn’t make you any less mature or intelligent to turn to a kids book once in a while and it may just kindle a flame inside you somewhere that pulls you back towards a book. 

Please keep letting me know your thoughts on this blog, I really appreciate your feedback and if you are inspired by this post and want to give kids books another go, drop me a message and I can send over some recommendations. 

Thanks as always for reading, big love to those who kept reading to the end.

J

The Little Things

This adventure of French living has been going on a while now, coming up to seven months, in fact, and it has taught me a lot. I’ve learnt how to truly fend for myself, how to entertain myself in all manner of ways I would have never have previously and of course I’ve picked up a bit of French… But most importantly, I have really come to terms with the importance of appreciating little things. 

If you have been following this blog recently you will be aware that things haven’t been easy. Actually I don’t think it would be a push to say these have been the most emotionally challenging 6 months of my life. I’ve been away from all my loved ones in a country that doesn’t necessarily welcome foreigners with the widest of arms and yet I’m surviving. That’s not to say there haven’t been highs too, there are days even when I feel I’m thriving, but it is the minute details that are often the ones that have been the most enjoyable. 

Even in my most cynical critique of the whole experience, it would be impossible to deny that my ability to understand the gravity and importance of certain things I would have previously overlooked with an air of indifference, has developed enormously. For example, a morning coffee whilst I digest the day’s news would have been something I would previously take for granted and not take time to appreciate. Now I realise that it is not only a privilege to have the time and facilities to be able to indulge in this admittedly very middle class activity, but it is an act that is exponentially increased in value when you take the time to slow down. 

Unlike my busy life in the UK where I’m always working, studying or socialising, the combination of isolation from my comfortable social circles as well as the reduced workload has led me to a slower pace of life. In some ways I feel old, like some retired expat living out his retirement in the peace of sunny, provincial France. Joking aside, taking my foot off the gas has really changed the passing scenery. I’m no longer rushing towards whatever is next in an infinite state of hurry and this has given me more time to take things for what they are and not just tick-boxes on the day’s to-do list. The headlines become a way of learning about the world outside my bubble and not just as a mental filler whilst I tie my shoes with a slice of toast hanging out the corner of my mouth in a rush to get out of the front door. 

However, above all this philosophical waffle about slowing down (I totally understand that for most of us, myself included upon my return to real life, slowing down isn’t always an option and I’m not here to preach it), one of the most important lessons that this exchange has taught me is the power of the relationships we have with our family and friends.

My parents and youngest sister are flying home as I write this and their visit was like a dose of some miracle drug. I was blessed with the same feeling when my perfect S.O. visited and one of my best mates too. They all had this innate power to transform this city that I live in into a magical place that I had the power to help them discover for the first time. It transformed the somewhat mundane into something completely new. Seeing Aix through the eyes of a new visitor meant that every time, I discovered something new too. Not only that but it lifted my mood beyond belief. I like to believe that I’m able to keep myself going in this place and I think I do a pretty good job, but there is nothing like sharing it with the ones you love the most. They each reminded me of how lucky I am to have such a strong support network and I am grateful to them for that every day. They aren’t going anywhere and they will all be there when I get back so for now I push on, enjoy every day as its own and do my best to make the most of this incredible opportunity, because it’s not going to come around again. 

Sorry for the long post,

I’ll keep writing if you keep reading,

J

Honesty

Moving to France has taught me a lot. In all honesty, it has been harder than I thought it would be and I have resisted admitting that on this platform for a while because up until now, it’s been a place reserved for mostly light-hearted content with food as the focus; have no fear, the food isn’t going anywhere. 

I have found a new kind of loneliness since moving here that I have never before been presented with. It’s a challenge. At times it’s pushed me to the edge of my resilience and there have been moments, in fact some prolonged periods, during which I was merely a phone call away from cancelling the whole exchange, packing my bags and going home. There is something innately tortuous about the isolation that this place perpetuates. It’s a cheap excuse to blame all my troubles on my accomodation and although, granted, it’s not the only factor, it plays the biggest part. This place is a perfect storm for a lonely existence; the kind of loneliness that drives one up the wall. 

Our rooms are too small to congregate in, a problem in most university accommodation globally, I would imagine. The easy fix of a permanently and universally accessible common space would seemingly be most appropriate here. It would give us a space to socialise and relax as well as a different set of four walls to be surrounded by, therefore reducing the whole prison cell vibe. The kitchen is the common British uni solution to the social space, but as I have previously divulged, here that is not the case. The cooking facilities are minimal and the social opportunities are even more disappointing, though not for want of trying. Though we try our best to make some amicable and sociable times in the kitchen (multiple times a week, usually for pre-drinks) we are inevitably kicked out by the enraged security guards who appear like stormtroopers to extinguish any modicum of amusement. I’m not sure who hurt these guys but they are eternally angry. Something else to note is that none of us (European exchange students) have ever come across a group of French students attempting to socialise in any form in the kitchens. Maybe they’re a more isolated people? Or maybe they know some secrets that we do not…

Why not just go out to socialise, you may ask? Well, we do when we can afford to but this city is the second most expensive in France, after Paris, and so there are no £2 pints of lager to be found anywhere near it…

This post may seem like a miserable, ungrateful rant and to some extent, I suppose it is. Don’t get me wrong, I love Aix. I am so glad I came and did this experience, even if the soul purpose of it ended up being to toughen up my mental and emotional resilience. I’ve had to get a lot better at entertaining myself and enjoying my own company. I’m now more than happy to explore a gallery alone or sit and watch the world go by with an espresso and a book but I don’t think I will ever be able to shift that yearning for other people to bounce off of. We still have a great time here when we can and I genuinely believe that this place could be so much more enjoyable for outsiders like us if a few tweaks were made, but I’m not sure that enjoyment is the university or the accommodation providers number one priority. Everything is done on the cheap and the French students just accept that it kind of sucks but they can go home to their friends and families every weekend should they so desire and escape from the trapped feeling that we find it ever so slightly harder to pull ourselves out of. 

More than anything, however, this experience has taught me something. It has taught me that what we have at home is a blessing. British students spend a lot of time complaining about the state and operation of our university and accommodations but we don’t know we’re born. The way our happiness and education are at the forefront of how our universities operate is admirable. The conditions we live in are a cut above the French standard. And our communal attitude, the desire to be with one another and exist in the company of friends is something I will forever be grateful for. We have outstanding sports facilities, as well as a drive to perform, compete and look after our bodies. Here most of the sports that takes place is all done for extra credits, at home we do it out of passion for the game. 

Upon reflection, our experience in the UK just screams “I care” so much more than it does in France, and that says a lot, and though I intend to take on the rest of this year with a dogged determination to get the better of it, and not the other way round, I look forward to returning to the land of the caring.

J

La Marché

It’s been a good while now and life in France is starting to normalise for me. I have to be honest, it was a big culture shock, and not one I was ready for, however, the employment of a small dose of that tried and tested ‘resilience’ brings us to where we are now. I have established some sort of routine and figured out some ways to make life run smoother than it was at the beginning.

The biggest struggle I found upon moving to Aix-en-Provence was not so much the language barrier (although at times that’s been testing), but more the sheer expense of everything here. I know that Aix is a particularly expensive city but I also think the price of fresh produce, in particular, is just higher in France. There are less opportunities to pick up lesser quality produce at a lower price, which I suppose it intended to be a good thing. It does, however, mean that for a newly arrived vegan, who is acclimatised to filling his fridge with fresh fruit and veg from Aldi for a measly £10, the rocketing prices are somewhat disheartening. In fact there was a low point during the beginning of this journey where I was very close to leaving the vegan train behind simply because I was so disheartened by the cost and accessibility of a variety of fresh produce. 

Then came the market. In hindsight I’m really not sure why it took me so long to venture to the market. Maybe it was the early starts, maybe it was the fear of interacting with scary French farmers, maybe it was laziness? In fact it was probably a combination of all three. Either way, a few weeks ago I made the decision to set the alarm, pack my best tote bags and make my way to the market on a Saturday morning and boy, was it an experience. The first thing to explain, something it took me a while to understand, is that there are two markets in Aix. 

The first, and more publicised, is the big market that happens every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. It takes over all the main streets in the city and offers mostly tourist traps. It’s beach throws, tea towels and a whole ton of lavender. It also opens out into one of the main squares and that’s where all the food stalls are focused. It’s the typical French affair and exactly like the market’s I associate with family holidays. Fresh rotisserie chickens, olives and antipasti, bread, meat, fish and a lot of cheese. 

The second, and the one I now most often frequent, is something of a hidden gem. It wasn’t even mentioned when I asked for the market timetable at Tourist Information and maybe for good reason. It’s a completely different experience. This is obviously where the locals buy their produce and explains the lack of choice and extortionate prices in the supermarkets. The square is flooded with French grandmas selecting only the best for their meals that day. You have to get up early and go since things start to shut down before lunch time but it is so worth it. Not only does it force you outside into the reviving fresh air that we are so lucky to get on a morning in Aix but the experience of shopping at the market is something else. I don’t know if it’s the microinteractions that keep you on your toes with the French skills or the ease with which you can drift from stall to stall taking only what you want without the disgusting plastic sterility of the produce section in a supermarket. If you want to take five green beans, you take five and nobody bats an eyelid. It’s all paid for by weight so the stall holder is really not fussed about whether you buy five or fifty. It’s the same with the fruit too. Nothing is pre-packaged and the few things that are pre-bundled or priced individually are so reasonable that it makes no difference. The joy of this way of shopping, besides the lack of packaging, is the absence of food waste. When you can buy one carrot, one courgette, and a handful of beans, you have exactly what you need for your meal and nothing need ever go bad or get thrown away. 

The combined pros with an apparent absence of cons (minus the slightly inconvenient opening times) leads me to the conclusion that shopping at the market is a must in a city like Aix where we have the ability to do so. It’s cheaper, the products are better and it forces you to practice your french (that’s why we’re here right?). If you have a market in your city and you haven’t already, I strongly recommend you go and take a look. Take a couple of bags and buy things that inspire you. Not only is it better for your wallet, the planet and your cultural experience of the city, it is bound to improve the output of your kitchen. 

I hope you’re still enjoying reading and very much appreciate if you’ve made it this far!

I’ll write again soon,

J

La Cuisine

I promised I would write again and so here I am.

After receiving a heartwarming reaction to my return to the writing scene (can I call this writing or is that a bit of a leap?), I feel inspired to write more for you guys and equally for myself. After all, even if nobody else is reading this, in 20 years time I can look back on it and reminisce. That’s if the world hasn’t burn to a crisp, of course. 

A certain Molly Chipperfield, lovely lady also on exchange, slightly further afield I might add, mentioned to me that the suspense of the kitchen saga had left her hanging and she needed gratification. I fear I may have overhyped the situation but I hope I can leave her feeling in someway satisfied, whilst you all come along for the ride. I should also mention, at this point, that Molly and her friend Avi have started a podcast (way cooler than a blog…) documenting the trials and tribulations of adjusting to Canadian life. It’s funny, relatable and easy to listen to so go check it out if you get the chance!

Donc, la cuisine. The kitchen is dire. As I’m assuming everyone has noticed, I have a certain affiliation to food. I live and breathe food. In fact there is seldom a time when food is not plaguing my imagination in some way or another. This results in an inevitable, neverending hunger pang, but, we move. As you can imagine, upon arrival to this mysterious land that we ship our young chefs off to in order to find themselves and return to the United Kingdom as culinary experts, I was expecting good things from the kitchen. I was wrong. 

I’m not going to include a photo here because I think it’s better left unseen. If I’m being honest, this is probably a massive overdramatisation on my part but the kitchen is normally my happy place and so when I was shown a filthy room, kitted out very much like a prison cell, I wasn’t best pleased. There are four electric rings, shared between 35 people (bear in mind that in first year we shared four between six of us). There is no oven and there are eight metal rectangles screwed onto two round tables upon which you can perch to prepare and consume your meals. Another difficulty to note is the lack of storage. In fact there is none. You keep everything in your room and ship it to and from the kitchen each mealtime. This has resulted ,however,  in an incredible advance in my balancing skills. 

In hindsight, it’s not that bad. In reality, it turns out French kids never cook anything. In fact the kitchen is basically shared by myself, and four other Erasmus students, with native students occasionally sneaking in, making a dash for the microwave, waiting in the corner to be saved by the bell before grabbing their pot noodle and darting for the cover of their room. Maybe it’s us foreigners that are putting them off, I’m not sure, but either way they are always sure to minimise the amount of time they have to spend in that place. Thanks to this French fear of cooking/foreigners, we normally have the kitchen to ourselves and I’ve learnt to adapt. The good news for you guys is some new recipes will be making their way to you very soon with even less ingredients or faff than normal. 

What the experience has really taught me is that food is about more than equipment, space and facilities. I should have known this already as it’s evident from the abundance of street food that exists all over the world. Delicious food does not need to be complicated or fancy. In the past month I have made some delicious meals (and some disappointing ones too) but all with one pot, one frying pan and a spatula. Granted I have my rice cooker too but boy am I glad I slogged that one through the airport. It has been invaluable. 

I have learnt to treasure ingredients more than ever before thanks to the new approach to grocery shopping that I have adopted. The market is my new best friend, but I will save that for a later post because it deserves all the glory I can give it. 

To summarise, I will probably never again have to deal with a culinary situation like this again for a long period of time and I now know if I can manage here I can manage pretty much anywhere else. I would also like to reflect, briefly, on the light this experience has shone on my privilege. It’s often hard to acknowledge how immensely lucky one is in comparison to others but one thing that has helped me in the settling process of my adventure, particularly in regards to things like facilities (we are spoilt in Birmingham) is realising and appreciating how good things are at home. If I have struggled this much to enjoy food in a ‘functioning’ kitchen that is warm, sheltered and has power and running water then how do others who cook on a camping stove under a railway bridge or perhaps can’t even cook at all, ever get a chance to enjoy food. I think the truth is they don’t and so I have had to come to the realisation that my enjoyment of food is not a right, it’s a luxury and if sometimes I have to forego that and eat a stale baguette and some butter for dinner then that’s okay because it’s still more than what a lot of people can call ordinary. All that being said, when the opportunities present themselves I make the best food that I can and some of it turns out pretty well and I will endeavour to share as much of this newly discovered knowledge with you as I can over the following year.

Thanks, as always, for reading and I’ll be back soon.

J 

Bienvenue en France

Firstly, an apology.

It’s been an entire five months since the last time I wrote anything for you guys. Now I understand that in some ways that is tragic but equally I’m not sure how many people actually follow this blog so maybe it’s only me that needs to worry about how tragically long it’s been… Either way, I am sorry and I promise to try and do better.

Secondly, new directions (not the lead show choir group of Fox’s ‘Glee’, obviously).

This blog has previously been focused purely on food, and for good reason. I love food, evidently. It’s also one of the things I would say I’m better at writing about, mostly thanks to my passion and limited, but existent, knowledge on the subject. But as any of you who follow me through any form of social media (I’m pretty sure that’s all of you because how else do you accidentally stumble upon www.jamiecheung.com?), I have made a big change in my life recently and temporarily displaced myself from the UK (probably a wise decision considering our current political situation…). I am now living and ‘studying’ (I used said term loosely) in the picturesque city of a thousand fountains; Aix-en-provence. Thanks to this new direction my life has taken, I figured that it’s only sensible to let the blog follow. Food is still going to feature heavily, how could it ever not, it’s me we’re talking about here, but I am also going to be writing more about life here more generally and what life as an exchange student in Provence is like. As always I love to hear your feedback so if you like the new direction the blog is taking then please let me know through any of the various social media platforms I have linked through the website, equally, if you don’t like where it’s going, I am open to all the savage criticisms you may feel the need to throw my way. 

I’m just going to give you a brief overview of my arrival and initial thoughts/feelings in this post because I don’t want to overload/bore you to death with an incredibly long post…

So; allons-y. My journey began on August the 23rd when I shipped myself out here from London Luton to Marseille Provence airport, two phat suitcases and my guitar in hand. The physical journey itself was a bit of a mission with a 3am start, a multitude of delays and my insistence on taking a full sized, six string piece of wood along with me. Anyway, I took a taxi from the airport and was dropped at the gate of this mysterious land we call Les Gazelles. Don’t be fooled, I have not moved into some majestic safari park, it’s far from that. In fact it’s pretty far from anything a British University student would recognise, but more about that later. After much struggling, the first real French encounter happened. 

I should take this opportunity to explain my French language situation; I do not study French as part of my degree or otherwise, much to the disgust of literally every Erasmus student I have met since being here. I do, however, absolutely adore the language, I love watching French TV and studied it at GCSE level as well as doing a brief stint of classes in first year as a kind of extracurricular experience thing. All that being said, my conversational ability is not terrible and thus for me to suggest I am completely lost, linguistically, in the streets of Aix would be a bit misleading. 

Back to the story, I queued for an unnerving amount of time considering how nervous I was, eventually handed over my paperwork and all of the student loan I’d graciously received the day before in exchange for my keys. I was told to go and find my room where someone would meet me to inspect it and finish the handover paperwork. That was done and I was left on my own, for the first time, in a completely foreign land. My first thoughts were almost all centered on my concerns about the kitchen situation but the kitchen is going to have it’s own post. Make of that what you will. 

And so there I was, I unpacked into my 9m2 room with “tri-functional cabin” which is what they call our bathrooms. A fitting name, I must say, given their likeness to the bathroom one would expect in the bunk of a ferry. And my adventure began. I’m going to leave settling in until the next post because I know people have other things to do with their days than spend it all reading whatever waffle I’ve written. 

Thank you so much if you’re still with this blog, it means a lot to know people, somewhere, are reading it and, hopefully, enjoying it. I’ll write again soon… 

J

Pizzailo; My Journey to the Kitchen

I’m sorry, it’s been a while. Life’s been crazy busy between work life and trying to plough through the end of term at uni. But as exams draw to a close and the last one is on the horizon I thought I’d better get back to writing.

Another reason for me to write tonight is some exciting news that I’ve got to share. Some of you will already know through instagram or my constant waffling that I have recently been appointed as chief Pizzaiolo at the pub I work at. It’s been an unconventional progression but one I am grateful for.

When I first started at the pub I was brought in as a barman after being recommended by the head chef at the time, a lovely guy I had previously worked with over summer. Things, however, did not work out and he had to leave meaning the kitchen was left unstaffed. It was Christmas eve and there were a hundred people booked in for lunch the next day… Anyhow, an agency chef was drafted in at great expense and saved the day but boxing day came around and still there was no permanent replacement to fill the positions left by the previous chefs. A new guy, Italian, (we’ll call him Neil for anonymity) came in that day, sent by the agency to cover until they could find someone to take on. Me and Neil got on and after I offered to pot wash for him that boxing day afternoon so he could get on with the onslaught of orders coming in thick and fast, we really hit it off. The next day I was in again but instead of cleaning dishes so he could cook, he pulled me round to the other side of the pass, handed me an apron and a knife and got me started. We had talked briefly about my interest in food but I had never mentioned kitchen experience before, maybe because I didn’t have any…

The days went on and Neil kept me behind the pass, he also took on the permanent position of head chef and moved in upstairs. We slowly reordered the kitchen to fit the way we wanted to work and I learnt a lot. Neil was a cool guy but he had a temper. He treated me like an apprentice, teaching me the tricks of the trade but bollocking me when I inevitably did things wrong. On New Years Eve we hand made canapés for two hundred people in one day on top of regular service and after that I started to feel like the kitchen might be where I belong.

Anyway, University drew me away from the kitchen and back to Birmingham and by the time I returned, Neil was gone. His temper that had forced me into an intense learning environment, was too much for the others to handle. But working with that intense temper taught me a lot and built up a resilience that has come in really handy in the kitchen since.

Back to the pizza story, my landlord has decided to buy a pizza oven on the back of a trailer and our new chef put my name forward to pioneer the project. It has been a tricky process that has involved a lot of learning on my part but we launched it officially the weekend just gone and it was a roaring success. I finally got the dough process down although making 5kg of dough by hand is knackering and only enough for about half a busy day’s worth of service, the sauce still needs work and my speed is probably not quite up to scratch yet, but we’re getting there. We go again this Saturday (wish me luck)!

Work on the book is ongoing, I think I’ve found a publisher so now I’m just trying to get recipes written and tested for you guys.

That’s all I’ve got to catch you guys up on at the moment, sorry if it’s been a bit of slog getting through this one, there was lots I wanted to say!

Creamy Mushroom Linguine

Thank you so much for sticking with me on this journey and I’ll write again soon…

J

P.s. have a recipe because I haven’t given you one in ages!

Gwen Stefani, Biryani

It’s been a while. Life’s been super busy and food has had to take a backseat for a while (doesn’t happen too often). I’ve still been eating, obviously, but most of what I’ve made has not been worth shouting (writing peacefully on this blog that I’m pretty convinced about two people read) about. Also Gwen Stefani is currently playing through my bedroom wall (great taste, neighbours), hence the title.

BUT, this week saw a wee change in that pattern. When it comes to times when I really need to buckle down and get on with my work, I do the exact opposite. I get in the kitchen and make ridiculous, convoluted dishes and meals that I don’t have the time or money to be crafting. Makes me feel good though… So this week’s procrastination station was an homage to Mrs Babs. Babs is my queen of all things Indian. She was previously my A-level biology tutor. However, since leaving those science days behind, our relationship has developed into something completely different and quite unexpected. Babs and I always got on well and there came a time where she would give me a plate of leftovers from the night before in exchange for my undivided attention on the respiratory system of a plant. Her food was incredible, better than any Indian food I had ever eaten, homemade or otherwise, and so I made her promise that once exams were over she would impart some wisdom unto me.

The day came where my A-levels were (thank God) finally finished and so Babs made good on her promise. I went over and she spent the whole day with me in the kitchen making all sorts of classics. Babs comes from the North of India where she tells me they eat a lot of vegetarian food, and thanks to the low levels of dairy, most things were easy to veganise. We made daal, chapattis, bhajis, a whole manner of vegetable curries and then sat down with her family to eat it all at the end of a long, hard day of culinary education. It was the most educational day, perhaps ever. I learnt so much about how to replicate authentic Indian flavours, the knowledge was invaluable and I still use it much more than the biology she spent so long trying to help me with…

Fast forward a couple of years and I fancy a Biryani. I could order one but I don’t have funds and also need an excuse to not work right? So I decide to make one, but I also have a hankering for pappadums. So I decide to make those too. I didn’t have a recipe for the Biryani and it was one of the things I never went over with Babs but I figured by applying some key flavour principles that she had taught me, I could work it out. The pappadums were fun too. Smoked the house out with the deep fat frying only to later discover you can apparently just microwave them… The recipe for the Biryani can be found through the link below.

I ended up on a bit of a run and the next day made Saag Aloo, Chapattis and some Coriander Chutney to have alongside my leftovers. Maybe I’ll write up the recipes for them too.

Fresh Focaccia, Comin' Atcha'

Click this to go straight to the recipe

Before the summer just gone (‘18), I had never been to Italy. I’m not really sure why, because my family love sunshine and food and those two words encapsulate everything that is great about that country. Anyway, the summer of 2018 had not one, but TWO trips in store, to the beautiful land of pizza and pasta. Because that’s the only relevant cultural significance of Italy right? Pizza and pasta? (Sidenote: if you believe the ridiculous statement above then your stomach is about to get woke by the recipe that ensues). So a road trip from the North of Italy (Genoa) to the South of France (Nice) with a few stop offs in between was what the Cheung clan had in store and it was beautiful. We visited some really pretty places and had a great time, but food wise it was eye opening. In fact, both trips to Italy were. Since becoming a vegan I was so used to going on holiday and having to order fries and a side salad, and thanks to my lactose intolerance, even before my opting out of meat and dairy I was constantly having to ask about ingredients and cooking techniques. (France is like a minefield of hidden dairy products). But Italy is different. You cross the border and suddenly asking if they cooked their mushrooms in butter is offensive because of course it would ever be olive oil. In fact olive oil was used almost universally in place of dairy products like butter or cream with the exception of cheese. But cheese is much easier to spot than melted butter.

So here I was in a new country thrilled by the opportunity to actually eat like a local and not have to order a customised salad that left you with a bowl of iceberg and tomatoes with a side of chips. Instead I could wander into a focacceria and choose from a wide selection of freshly baked focaccia that was lathered in olive oil, not butter. In fact, they were almost exclusively vegetarian so all I had to dodge was the cheesy ones and that wasn’t too difficult. It felt great to eat something that was such a staple for locals without having to alter it in any way at all. The same applied to a surprising amount of pasta dishes that relied on good quality tomatoes and fresh herbs for their powerful flavours. It wasn’t even frowned upon when I ordered a pizza with no cheese, (pizza marinara) which was apparently one of three original Neapolitan variations.

Kitten looking absolutely smitten

This is Teo

The second Italian adventure of the summer was a completely different experience and one that involved even more focaccia than the first. It came about thanks to the pride of my Italian housemate Matteo (Teo) who wanted to give us the local’s tour of his hometown, Piacenza. His family were kind enough to have us for the entirety of our stay and his wonderful mum made all nine of us dinner, every night. (We love you Amanda!). This was awesome because it meant we got to see what genuine Italian family dinners looked like. Strip back the fancy restaurant experience and you are left with some incredible food. There were slight variations made to certain dishes thanks to the extensive veganism that pervades our student house but all in all most things were left unchanged. Amanda’s fresh pesto was a personal favourite of mine, made from basil she grows on the windowsill!

We explored a lot and did some travelling, staying the night at Lake Garda before moving on to Verona. And all those long sweaty train journeys had one thing in common. They were fuelled by focaccia. Everywhere we went, Teo ensured there was an abundance of focaccia weighing down our rucksacks, god-forbid we ever got stuck somewhere! And I think this is where my love for the stuff comes from. Of course it’s delicious and incredibly therapeutic to make but I think it’s the joyous memories of holidaying in the sunshine with some of the best people I know that makes this bread so special to me. I find myself making it more and more and cannot wait to return to its beautiful country of origin to get myself the real deal once again.

Focaccia on tour

The recipe I have included below is for the base bread and a couple of variations that I love to make, however the options for toppings are endless. I often do a roast veg one which is pretty easy, just cut whatever veg you want into fairly small pieces and roast whilst you let the dough prove. It’s better, if you are pre-roasting anything, to leave it a bit on the under done side as it’s going to be going back in the oven on top of your dough for another session and you don’t want it to burn or dry out. You can do sliced olives, sliced onions, garlic and rosemary, cherry tomatoes or even plain with lashings of olive oil. The combinations are endless.

P.S. Sorry for the length of this post, I got carried away…

J

Stir Fry

A stir fry is an absolute go to for me. Once you get the technique nailed it’s such an easy, quick and cheap dinner that can be made really impressive, maybe even ‘gourmet’ with a few special touches.

Stir fry is a really vague term. Like technically anything that’s put in a pan, fried and stirred is a stir fry right? Right. But all stir fries are not born equal and in this recipe I endeavour to show you the light. I mean to be fair, I have absolutely no position to dictate what a good stir fry is or is not but all I know is there are a few things you have to do every time if you want a final result that is authentic as well as tasty.

There are a few key things that you have to remember and you will be rocking. The first comes with prep. You need to think about how you are cutting your veg because some veg is harder than others and therefore cooks quicker than its thinner counterparts. There are a few ways to address this issue: either cut the hard veg (e.g carrots, green beans) small so they cook through at the same speed as the softer veg (peppers, mangetout etc…), or add the hard veg to the pan first and give them some extra time on the heat. If you are feeling extra particular about the texture of your finished stir fry or have some time to spare, you can pre-blanch things like broccoli which cook better with more water or steam but it’s absolutely not essential.

Another thing to consider when cooking a stir fry is seasoning. If you grew up in an asian household you’ll be familiar with a lot of the seasoning I use, but if you did not, some may be a bit alien. Although all of the ingredients included in this recipe most definitely bring additional elements to the dish, there are only a few that are essential and are mostly store cupboard classics. Garlic and ginger is so readily available from supermarkets and greengrocers and brings fresh and savoury flavours that you cannot replicate with pre-bought sauces. You can add as little or as much as you like (particularly the garlic) depending on who you might be seeing that evening.

Soy sauce is another ingredient that most people have already sat in their cupboard but should be used sparingly. It should be present for the sake of its flavour rather than its saltiness because too much soy sauce can really ruin a dinner. In this recipe you will see both light (traditionally what you would have at home) and dark soy sauce but the dark can be left out, it’s only really present to add colour and a bit of sweetness.

Sesame oil is not so common in a western pantry but it’s not expensive, is usually available in supermarkets and creates a much more authentic tasting Chinese vibe when included.

The final decision that needs to be made when stir frying is what carby base one wants to go with. In this example I’ve obviously used noodles which I incorporated in with the veg in the pan before serving, but rice also works perfectly well. If going with rice, however, you might want a wetter stir fry to give some sauceage to your pearly white base.

In this recipe I use some marinated jackfruit which can be substituted for any meat substituted or simply left out, just don’t forget that if you choose to leave it out this dish is pretty low in protein. Tofu works equally well!

That’s enough waffle, let’s get to it.

Recipe: (Serves 1-2)

Ingredients

• Any quick cooking veg you want, but I went with:

  • 1 Red Pepper

  • A handful of mangetout

  • A handful of green beans

  • ⅓ head of broccoli

  • A handful of mushrooms

  • Some cherry tomatoes (absolutely unauthentic but needed using up…)

• 1 tin of unripe Jackfruit

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 inch of ginger

• Seasoning:

  • 1 tsp light soy sauce

  • ½ tsp dark soy sauce

  • 1 tsp Shaoxing rice wine

  • 2 tsp sesame oil

  • 1 pinch of salt

  • 1 pinch of sugar

  • ½ tsp white pepper

• Garnish: (all optional)

  • Spring onions

  • Sesame seeds

  • Coriander

  • Chinese pickles

Method:

• If you are having rice, cook it the way you usually do (I will address this enormous can of worms in another post one day) and if you are having noodles you may need to prep them too. I use fresh udon because they can come straight out of the packet into the pan but if your noodles are dry then you may need to soak them according to the packet instructions.

• Open the jackfruit tin and slice it into smaller bite size pieces. Some brands leave the seeds in, if so remove as many as you can. Set the jackfruit aside in a bowl with a splash of sesame oil, soy sauce and a pinch of salt and sugar to marinate whilst you prep everything else.

• Peel and mince the garlic and ginger

• Cut the rest of your veg into bitesize pieces (remember chinese food should always be bitesized thanks to the chopsticks it will be eaten with), taking into account what I said earlier about the hard/soft veg.

• Put your biggest frying pan/wok onto a high heat and get the pan really hot before adding a splash of vegetable oil.

• Once the oil is smoking hot, throw in the garlic and ginger, stirring constantly for 30 seconds until fragrant.

• Add your veg into the pan at this point. If you have chopped your hard veg small enough you can add it all together, however, if you opted for the multiple stage approach as mentioned before then add your hard veg first until it starts to soften before adding the rest of the softer veg into the pan.

• Now you can add all of your seasoning and stir through thoroughly.

• I then add the udon noodles but if you are having rice of course just omit this step.

• Once the noodles are heated through, everything is done and it’s time to serve up.

• Dish out the contents of your pan into 1 or 2 bowls depending on how hungry you are and garnish with any or all: finely sliced spring onions, coriander and sesame seeds. I like to add a few chinese pickles on the side with a bit of chilli oil.

Getting Started

So today is the day I start work on what I hope will be a long and prosperous project. I have finally got my act together and shot my first video.

I decided I need to just get on with creating some quality content that included photos, video footage and some written text too. There’s going to be full length YouTube videos, blog posts accompanied by pictures and some shorter ‘Instagram style’ videos to keep the social media lot happy.

All the content I create will appear on my website first and foremost but I will try to link the relevant platforms (YouTube, Instagram etc…) so that everything is as connected as possible.

Anyway…

I decided to kick off the whole foody blog platform thing with a kimchi. It’s something I love to eat but have never made before and so I figured a little experiment would be a nice way to start the journey. I’ve also shot some photos from a simple Jackfruit stir fry I had for dinner which I will write up and have online soon.

In the meantime I am editing the Kimchi video whilst I await its fermentation and will have it up as soon as it’s all ready!

Thanks for reading as always

J

The Beginning

Every good story begins somewhere and I guess for us that would be here.

I have always had a love for food, mainly consuming it, but since moving away from home and commencing ‘adult’ life as a university student things have changed somewhat. There was no longer anybody to cook for me on a daily basis and so I quickly came to realise that in order to fulfil my desire for fat portions of the best munch, I’d have to take on the role of chef myself. This blog is designed as an outlet for me to share my creations with fellow students who are looking for quick and easy inspiration of the culinary kind that keeps them on budget with enough time and money left over for pub related activities.

For 18 years of my life I was a devout omnivore and considered a meal incomplete if there wasn’t some form of animal protein that came with it. Even vegetarian food that swapped meat out for cheese or eggs didn’t really cut it for me. I wanted steaks cooked rare and burgers layered with bacon and extra patties just because they looked better that way. I’ve always had a huge appetite and thought that without the meat, a meal just wouldn’t satisfy me, and then one day in March of 2017, everything got turned a bit upside down. I was on the final push of my English A-level when my teacher decided our class deserved a break and so she put on a new documentary she’d discovered on Netflix. When she told us it was about the environmental impacts of the animal agriculture industry I scoffed and tried to convince her that we should spend our precious ‘reward’ time watching something of more interest. She persisted however and I’m forever thankful that she did because the 20 minutes of ‘Cowspiracy’ that we watched that afternoon ignited in me a desire to know more about the consequences of my dietary choices. I went home that night and finished the documentary and as my mum called me downstairs for dinner (sausages and mash) I told her “I can’t eat those sausages mum”. She laughed at me, knowing how dedicated I was to the meat eating life I had lived since birth but she soon realised I wasn’t joking. I had mash for dinner that night and the next morning we went to Tesco and a new chapter in my life began. Over the next month or so I spent every night watching and reading everything I could find to try and fill what felt like an 18 year wide hole in everything I thought about living. I learned about the health benefits of living a plant based life, how much better it was for the environment, I finally allowed myself to see how cruel eating meat, eggs and dairy was and generally became more aware.

This blog is not going to preach about the negatives of an omnivorous diet. It simply serves to exemplify cheap, quick, easy vegan meals and snacks that my fellow students may benefit from. Veganism is a cheaper way to live and so is ideal for students and I just want to show you that through the medium of food, because who doesn’t like food?

As an student of English Literature, finding the time to cook is not really a big deal. I could spend most of every day in the kitchen if I wanted to but I understand that for my poor fellow students over at Med-school this isn’t the case so; firstly, shout out to anybody doing a real degree, and secondly, I hope you can find respite in knowing that good food doesn’t have to take an age, cost a fortune or be cooked by your mum.

I won’t say much more as of now because I want the food to be the focus but be sure to follow the journey as I try and grow this currently vacant web page into something more mouthwatering.