Croix Rousse Market in Lyon

If you've been reading  earlier entries from this blog, you would know my unrealized aspiration to take up culinary school. In an effort to test the waters, I enrolled for a class at Plum Lyon last month. The course started with a walk up to Croix Rousse and Lucy Vanel telling us the rich history of the area from its silk roots to how instrumental it was in changing the Lyonnaise cuisine but also how the neighborhood adapted through the decades. For more of Lucy's stories, also check out her blog. 

From reading this blog, you'd also notice I love farmer's markets - the real farmer's markets. Mind you, I always thought that only artisan products were sold in real markets but I was wrong. Lucy said there are three types of market sellers. First, are those that sell one product alone. Let's say they just sell apples that they grow themselves and perhaps add a few other products made from the apples like jam and such. The second type would be selling specific kinds such as vegetables, fruits, meat or whatever except that they are still all from the region's farms and also are products of the season. Then the third category are those that sell imported products from elsewhere. That's why you see pineapples on fruit stands too.

First Loves Never Die

 Sala Bai in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Photo from my personal collection

I know, that seems grammatically wrong but I have two first loves: food and travel.

I'm still procrastinating while resting (why work when one should rest, right?) and my Facebook newsfeed led me back to food and travel. I checked my work e-mail with the utmost desire to do those presentations. That was a little over an hour ago.

A few weeks ago, I had the realization that I wish I traveled around East Asia more -- Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia (excluding China). I add that to my bucket of regret. Thank God, it's superficial regret.

Then this morning, I saw this CNN Go link about 10 great international cooking classes by Lina Goldberg. Anyone who knows me is fully aware I love to cook, and if we've talked at length, I really wanted to be a chef before I realized, I needed a day job. And pleasurable activities like cooking, eating, and traveling should remain enjoyable. Not a chore or task like those powerpoints.

Whenever I travel, I always intend to take cooking classes but never get to do it. Sightseeing and eating are priorities or work, then the next chunk of free time somehow doesn't allow me to take classes. The Intercon arranged it for me in Bangkok last year but none started early enough for me to reach my afternoon flight the same day. While in Malacca last year, my friend and I managed to eat way too much in one weekend but also didn't have time to take cooking classes. In Siem Reap, we prioritized the temples and the boutique hotels too much that by the time we had a free day to visit Sala Bai, it was closed for the day.

Just like the KOTO concept, Sala Bai is about using food to help the community through skills transfer. I've written about this dream before but I guess it will have to wait a few years again. Cooking school will have to wait for me and so will philanthropic work. I think I could be forgiven since my day job's mandate is to reduce poverty in Asia.

It's just a pity that most of the cooking schools in the CNN Go article are from the Asia Pacific. Then I saw another article on Asia's 10 great street food cities. Thank God I have an upcoming trip to Taipei, or else, I would be in deeper regret! Just so much to see in our region.

Then a few more clicks and I found myself reading the entire blog of Ms. Goldberg at MyBigFatFace. I'm just like that, I need to read the entire blog before saying I like it. Reading the blog is just so inspiring.

I wish I can do freelance development work and combine it with my love of food and travel in the future. That would be absolute work-life integration.