Amor! Love! Liefde!

Another new blog. Because: I love food. I ADORE food, actually. I think about food more than I perhaps should. I crave South African food like samp-and-beans and boerewors. I salivate with almost sinful obsession at the mere thought of 'world food' like sushi, chai handcrushed and expertly blended by my long-lost Pakshi and the dim-sum I discovered on a holiday in Melbourne that I can still taste and feel in my mouth and heart -- so indelibly connected to memories of those special cousins too far away...

In light of my sudden concern about developing Type 2 Diabetes after a close shave with gestational diabetes while pregnant with Layla, my once unfettered love of food needs to be redirected into a more constructive and healthy outlet: hence Samp&Sushi. This can be a place where I can indulge my foodie fantasies without succumbing to glucose- and cholesterol-spiking temptation! (I've also been indulging in an unhealthy rollercoastering ride of low energy - high sugar/carbs - low energy - high-sugar ... you get the picture. Unhealthy, hey? Layla also needs to see that food is not a crutch or comfort, but something to be celebrated and respected: a source of nourishment for our bodies and souls. (Another element about my eating habits that was unhealthy was the rush to prepare and eat: being a mommy trying to co-ordinate naps, bathtime and very intense playtime made me lose my focus on the importance of the mindfulness of food: treating food with respect, joy, thoughtfulness and... taking it s-l-o-w... Choosing recipes that delight your gastronomic imagination! Shopping for the ingredients with care and sensory delight: tenderly feeling for just the right plumpness in a fig, feasting your eyes on the deep purple blush, the soft velvet of its skin, the lingering scent as you hold it close. And then... the cooking. Put on an apron - of linen or cotton or denim. Feel your heart skip a beat at the dangerously sharp glint of your gourmet knives. Put on some of your wildest rock anthems or some sultry, sexy jazz. Light some candles, or let the sunset steal the scorching sun away into its indigo night. Or gather your family and friends around you in an Italianesque celebration of togetherness! Or, solitude when you need to escape into yourself after a long, long day of too much job-related community. Feel the textures of onion sliced paper-thin, hear the pop of squashed baby tomatoes and the slow, hot sizzle of melting butter. I'll stop here - you get the picture.)

The next post will be about samp which I shall attempt to cook for Layla - under the authentically South African instruction of Thenjiwe Eunice Bunu (our family nanny for the last 30 years!)

I would also like to celebrate the marvellous coming into being of my friend, Melissa's company: Sublime Cakery! She's talented, beautiful, amazing, ingenious and as sweet as her confectionary delights: and, sadly for my heart (and tummy!) lives in Northamptonshire, UK. Check out her deliciousness on Sublime Cakery's Facebook page!