Beijing retorts that Manila is deliberately stirring trouble in disputed South China Sea waters.

TL;DR: Prime Video is hosting the 2023 Vienna Open. You can watch for free with

Defining Dishes is a new IndyEats column that explores the significance of food at key moments in our lives. From recipes that have been passed down for generations, to flavours that hold a special place in our hearts, food shapes every part of our lives in ways we might not have ever imagined. I got my first job in Hanoi as an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher and taught a kindergarten class at the weekends. The school had a mix of Vietnamese and other EFL teachers, so I was able to make a lot of really great friends who were very keen to educate all of us foreigners on the best local food. On my first day at the school, they took me to a bun cha stall nearby that was really, really popular and it was always full. They served it with strips of pork belly, which is uncommon. Quite often, you’d have to wait a little while to get a seat, but it was always worth it. Once, I saw a bride and groom dining there in their wedding outfits! My favourite thing about bun cha is the smell of smoky meat coming off the open-air grill. It would fill the air around you while you sat and waited for your food to arrive. That delicious smell is what I miss the most when I try to make it for myself in the UK but it’s really hard to recreate indoors. The way my Vietnamese friends taught me to eat it was to pour the nuoc cham – a sauce made from fish sauce, sugar, lime juice and water – all over the dish and mix it all up, but I know other people just dip the meat in it. I’m sure there’s no one correct or incorrect way to do it, but the sauce is so delicious, why wouldn’t you want to soak the whole thing in it? I spent one year in Hanoi and moved back to my parent’s house in York, where I grew up, in 2011. By this time, I’d done a few embarrassing TV adverts and little acting jobs in Hanoi, and I went on to do quite a lot of presenting work on little local channels and corporate videos. Then I came across a Sainsbury’s magazine, I think, that was running a competition by the British Herb Association, which I’d never heard of before. They were looking for people to cook a recipe using British-grown herbs. I decided to try making a bun cha at home by adapting a recipe by New Zealand-born US chef Bobby Chin. I’m sure I butchered it and Anglicised it (all those terrible things) because I’d never made it before. But I did use some fresh British herbs, coriander and mint that my parents grew in their garden, which was quite sweet. I filmed myself making it and submitted it for the competition, and in the end, I was invited to take part in the final. I’d really like to highlight that I am not a chef. I like my food and I enjoy cooking, but I’ve never pretended to be a chef. Anyway, I went to London and participated in the cook-off against two other ladies and was judged by Masterchef’s John Torode. Of course I’d seen him on TV quite a lot – he was fairly intimidating, to be honest. He was very friendly off-camera, but he plays a part when they’re rolling. I remember he came up to me and said: “Oh, you obviously much prefer cooking in your own home than in a professional kitchen.” I said: “Well, yes, I’m not a professional.” He was very complimentary about my dish, although he did highlight that there was a lack of smokiness in the meat, which was a very fair point. But I won the competition somehow and that’s how it linked me to getting my first proper TV presenting gig. I saw an advert for a TV channel in Mumbai that was searching for a presenter who could also cook, so I sent off my details and a video of me making bun cha in the competition. A couple of days later, they got in touch with me and seemed quite pleased by my enthusiasm. I was flown out to Delhi just two weeks later. It seemed too good to be true, but I started presenting on a show called Quest, which was initially only broadcast in Mumbai on Travelxp. It’s now an international channel that broadcasts in about 30 countries. The show had me visiting chefs and families around India and learning about “forgotten dishes” that people were rediscovering and cooking. It was an incredible opportunity and I feel very fortunate to be able to do what I do. Maybe I should be thanking Sainsbury’s magazine. But it’s bun cha and Hanoi that I have the most love for. When I make it now, I have this image in my mind of the place that I would go with my teacher friends and I’m doing my very best to emulate that flavour. I’m sure if I went back now and tried the authentic version again, I’d think: “God, I’m just butchering it.” But you know, I’m doing my best. Alex Outhwaite is a travel TV presenter. She has hosted several travel shows, including ‘The Wanderer’ on Prime Video. Read More It’s easier to make baklava at home than you might think Get set for Wimbledon with top pastry chef’s strawberry recipes Pinch of Nom: Healthy eating doesn’t have to cost the earth

Although the FIFA 23 pre-season release date has yet to be revealed, chances are it won't be too much longer.

Today's MLS rumors include Josef Martinez being set to leave Inter Miami. Kei Kamara wants to continue playing and Vanni Sartini has signed a new contract with the Vancouvar Whitecaps.

As night fell in Marrakech earlier this month, Christine Lagarde was there, busy talking to a colleague from

The Miami Dolphins destroyed the Denver Broncos 70-20 on Sunday, putting up a franchise-record point total for a team and the second highest...

Canadian miner Teck Resources missed market estimates for third-quarter profit on Tuesday, hurt by lower steelmaking coal sales

Ukraine has lost 16 US-supplied armored vehicles in the past several days, according to open-source intelligence analysis, as the country's military announced its forces had captured three villages from Russia in an offensive in the eastern Donetsk region.

Sandra Bullock said she couldn't get 'Million Dollar Baby' made so she moved on after several failed attempts

TOKYO (Reuters) -Sony Group Corp said on Thursday its chip business would buy land in the western Japanese prefecture of

Since the wildfires started in Hawaii earlier this month, nonsense conspiracy theories about 'space lasers' have been rampant on social media but one of the weirdest phenomena related to the tragedy is currently happening on Amazon. A book called Fire and Fury: The Story of the 2023 Maui Fire and its Implications for Climate Change by Dr Miles Stones has attracted a lot of interest in recent days thanks to it largely being published just two days after the fires began on August 8th. The book, which comes in at a whopping 44 pages, is currently listed as a 'bestseller' in the Natural Disasters section of Amazon and is available on Kindle and in paperback editions. The book's description reads as follows: Fire and Fury: "The Story of the Maui Fire and its Implications for Climate Change is a gripping and eye-opening account of one of the most devastating wildfires in Hawaii's history, and how it reveals the urgent need to address the global climate crisis. "The book chronicles the events of August 8-11, 2023, when a massive fire swept across the island of Maui, fueled by drought, heat, and hurricane winds. The book describes the harrowing experiences of the people who lived through the fire, as well as the heroic efforts of the firefighters and rescuers who battled the flames. "The book also examines the causes and consequences of the fire, both locally and globally, and how it exposes the vulnerability of our society and our planet to the impacts of climate change. The book draws on scientific research, eyewitness accounts, official reports, and media coverage to provide a comprehensive and compelling narrative of the Maui fire and its implications for climate change. "The book also offers practical solutions and recommendations on how we can prevent and prepare for future wildfires, and how we can reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate. Fire and Fury: The Story of the Maui Fire and its Implications for Climate Change is a must-read for anyone who cares about the environment, the future of humanity, and the fate of our beautiful planet." In addition to this seemingly vague and hurried analysis of this awful event which has claimed the lives of 106 people, there is next to no information about Dr. Miles Stones on the internet. The website GoodReads does have an author of the same name listed who has written biographies on individuals such as Hunter Biden and former US defense official Michael G. Vickers. Given that the book appears to have been turned around in lightning-fast fashion and that there isn't any info about Stones online it has naturally attracted the interest of a lot of people who are skeptical about the true agenda of the item. Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.