Take a wok on the wild side with me

Welcome to A Wok on the Wild Side.

Please join me in my adventures in the culinary world and all things gastronomic.

Food, travel, books, music and the arts are all close to my heart, not to mention my tastebuds!

I've enjoyed tasting and testing recipes since I was a child in primary school who insisted on helping Mum stir her cake batters and test her bread and butter puddings for afternoon tea.

Christmas 2024

Christmas is celebrated by most of us in a variety of ways.

It can be a barbecue in the park, supper after midnight mass, a dinner for 20 with a huge turkey and all the trimmings or a white Christmas in snowy weather.

My friend Peter Koh and his family have spent most Christmases in the ski resort of Vail Valley, Colorado, since his retirement 19 years ago.

“This is because my wife Suzanne and I love to ski, as does our daughter Michelle who learnt to ski when she was five,’’ Peter said.

Book review: God and the Angel

Book review

God and the Angel – Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier’s tour de force of Australia and New Zealand

By Shiroma Perera-Nathan

Published by Melbourne Books

RRP $59.95

Available at all bookstores and from Melbournebooks.com.au

Author Shiroma Perera-Nathan’s book God and the Angel is a labour of love.

It took her about five years to write, from the time she won the right to do it, at an auction run by Sotheby’s Auction House in London.

2024 Saxo Scandinavian Film Festival

Go north this winter with the best new Nordic films at the 2024 Saxo Scandinavian Film Festival.

Now screening at Palace cinemas in Australia until August, the festival showcases films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

I especially enjoyed When the Light Breaks, a poignant drama, directed by Rúnar Rúnarrson.

HSBC Spanish Film Festival 2024

Hola!

The HSBC Spanish Film Festival presented by Palace returns to Australia this June to July with a fiesta of films for avid movie buffs.

The festival’s largest curated lineup showcases films from Spain and Latin America, screening nationally from 11 June and from 14 June in Melbourne.

The highlight of the festival is The Teacher Who Promised the Sea (El Maestro que Prometió el Mar), winner of the Audience Prize at the 2024 Gaudí Awards.

Book review: Ghost Cities

Book review

Ghost Cities

By Siang Lu

RRP $32.99

“You may look like a Chinese person, but you cannot speak or read Mandarin.

“You are monolingual!

“The worst thing in this special context.”

With these words a young man, Xiang, is sacked from his job as a translator at Sydney's Chinese Consulate after his employers discovered that he doesn't speak a word of Chinese and has been depending on Google Translate for his work!

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

In just a few days the glorious scents of freshly cut grass and bursting blooms will permeate the air once again for the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

This favourite event will be held at the beautiful heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens over five exciting days from March 20 to 24.

Featuring the best landscape and floral talent from Australia and around the world alongside an extensive array of garden retail products, the Show is a celebration of lifestyle and our great outdoors.

Chinese New Year 2024

The Chinese Year of the Wood Dragon starts on Saturday, 10 February, and traditionally celebrations go on for 15 days, ending on February 24.

Most Chinese families have a big reunion meal on the eve of Chinese New Year and in China this usually involves some family members travelling long distances to return to their villages, if they have gone to the big cities to work, so the trains and buses are always very crowded.

Richard Frank: a tribute

On Tuesday, 2 January, I lost a very dear friend and mentor.

I met Richard Frank over 30 years ago when we were judges for the American Express Chinatown Food Festival.

Our pleasant task was to dine at various restaurants in Chinatown and award them with points for quality of food, presentation and service.

Richard was a veteran restaurateur himself and also the President of the Restaurant and Catering Association of Australia.

Christmas 2023

Remember all those Christmas movies we watched? Some of the famous lines in them are memorable because they are funny, poignant or memorable.

Or all three.

Here are some that I love.

“Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.” — Fred Gailey in Miracle on 34th Street.

“The thing about trains ... it doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on.” — Conductor in The Polar Express.

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