Simple joys - 物以稀为贵

When I was in Malaysia or Singapore, I have taken forgranted the abundance of delicious food around me. I could just walk out to the 'mamak' stalls, pay a couple of ringgit, and I could have the best teh tarik, roti chanai, nasi bryanni, nasi dagang, nasi lemak, rendang, cha kuay teow, laksa, nyonya kuih, yumcha... alamak, 'apa apa macam' (all kinds) of food!

In Kajaani (and generally Northern Finland and country side areas), eating out is not a local culture. Women here are mostly very capable to make their own local delights, from dining meals to coffee breads, bakeries and such.

Another challenge is, there are not any good restaurants (at least in my opinion comparing to all the Asian cities I have lived before - price vs. quality and taste), plus there are not many varieties too. So, if I would like to have a good meal, the best solution is to make it myself - with my preferred ingredients, to my likings.

If I am looking for variety, then I must definitely make them myself unless I go to Helsinki, Oulu or other big cities. There are very few local restaurants in Kajaani and Sotkamo, and the alternatives are Pizza, Kababs parlours, Burger chain and a Chinese restaurant. Not even global trendy delights like Japanese, Indian, Thai nor Vietnamese food.

Thank god I enjoy making food and exploring exhautic recipes... so, it is not a big big challenge, despite I love eating and enjoy ethnic delights. Today, I decided to pamper our tummy with Indian food - fragant Basmati rice and grilled masala chicken. Yum yum!