Food challenge

How exciting, I got my first blog challenge. I was challenged by Herb from Herbtravels. She's been travelling from Finland through Russia and Kazakhstan to China, Japan and Korea. Maybe soon she might even post some photos from Australia ;). Her blog is in Finnish, but even if you don't understand the language the pictures tell a great story.

She challenged me to answer 11 food related questions. It was really interesting to think about the answers to these questions. Of course I don't have many food pictures as we're on holidays and I don't have my hard drive with me, so for example the bloody picture of the dead goat is not here (yeah keep reading!), so I appologise that the pictures might not relate to the answers at all.

Me and waffles, a true love story right there.

1. How would you prepare and serve blueberries for a dessert?
If the blueberries are fresh and the sort that you get in Finland I would just give them as such, nothing else. There is no need to ruin the amazing natural flavour they have. Blueberries picked from the Finnish forest are amazing and I think people in Finland take it for granted a bit. In Australia there is only blueberries from a bush and they are very very different. They work great in smoothies or I also like a good blueberry pie. I don't have one specific recipe in my mind right now.

2. What is your favourite kitchen tool, the one you wouldn’t want to live without?
I love peeling things, my peeler is the best and I peel carrots just for the sake of peeling.

3. What are your favourite snacks for a road trip?
Carrot sticks, it's only natural after I've peeled them all day long with my awesome peeler. But for real, I do think carrots are awesome for road trips, as they are healthy so it doesn't matter how many you eat and crunchy so it gives you a lot of satisfaction when you can crunch away while sitting in a car. But it is important that they are in STICK form as they taste better that way. I do have a coke zero on long drives quite often too.

I think she loves carrots too. Picking them straight from grandpa's garden.

4. Describe a perfect dinner.
Perfect dinner is when we've got friends over and I've cooked something new at home and it's turned out amazing. It gives such good satisfaction when people like what you've made and the best part is if you don't wash the dishes after.

5. Most memorable food experience on a holiday?
This is so easy. This food experience is not about taste but about the effort in making it. It was definitely when I was in Zambia, Africa on a scout camp. Our group was in charge of the cooking for the day and in the morning we were brought a live goat and told that it was going to be our dinner. There it was going baa and kicking around and we had to kill it. Throat open, the goat was hanging from a tree for a few hours so that the blood would drain out. And in the evening we surely had some goat for dinner, amazing and discusting at the same time. Oh this memory makes me smile.

6. What Finnish dishes you miss the most while abroad?
Tough questions, I miss many different ingredients that you don't get in Australia, but a dish that I would miss... I think I'd have to say rice porridge. Having said that, if I miss some dish from Finland I usually then make it in Australia, so I don't have to miss that many dishes. 

7. What are your favourite dishes in your present country?
We cook a lot of Asian dishes at home and enjoy eating Asian food when we go eat out, but one of the best dishes in Australia for me has to be a good roast dinner. Nothing beats a good roast dinner, nothing! 

8. Share your healthy breakfast tip.
I love this one! Handful of spinach, one banana, two slices of pineapple, 1/2cup of water and few ice cubes. Blend them together and this makes an amazing green smoothie. I also add some chia seeds to give me an extra boost of healthyness and sometimes I add some natural no-fat yoghurt, that suits it really great as well. This smoothie fills me up pretty good and makes me feel refreshed.

9. What is your favourite cuisine?
I like Asian food, Indian is awesome, and Thai. I also love sushi. Pretty much all Asian food.

10. Have you ever tried weird diets?
No, I've never been very good in sticking to any diets. I have been able to lose over 10 kg though by changing my food habits and doing more exercise. Sounds simple but it's not very simple at all.

11. How travelling has affected your cooking and eating?
I've found my love for Asian food after I've moved to the other side of the world. I have learned to cook Asian food and our normal homemade food is now quite often Asian instead of the meatballs and potatoes that Finns eat. I've learned to taste new flavours as well and found many new and wonderful ingredients and spices that I wouldn't have tried in Finland.

 Because we're still on holidays and running out of time, I won't challenge anyone else this time. Instead I'm going to go and enjoy some more strawberries.