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How to Make the Most of Flying Economy, From London’s Premier Fixer
How to Make the Most of Flying Economy, From London’s Premier Fixer
At Bloomberg Pursuits, we love to travel. And we always want to make sure we’re doing it right.
1970-01-01 08:00
The dish that defines me: Alex Outhwaite’s Vietnamese bun cha
The dish that defines me: Alex Outhwaite’s Vietnamese bun cha
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
1970-01-01 08:00
Laid-off Twitter Africa team 'ghosted' without severance pay or benefits, former employees say
Laid-off Twitter Africa team 'ghosted' without severance pay or benefits, former employees say
Former employees of Twitter Africa who were laid off as part of a global cost-cutting measure after Elon Musk's acquisition have not received any severance pay more than seven months since leaving the company, several sources told CNN.
1970-01-01 08:00
S. Korea’s Yoon Visits Damaged Areas as Downpour Leaves 40 Dead
S. Korea’s Yoon Visits Damaged Areas as Downpour Leaves 40 Dead
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol headed down to the storm-battered towns of South Korea, as the latest
1970-01-01 08:00
Analysis-For markets, BoE communication is bottom of the class
Analysis-For markets, BoE communication is bottom of the class
By Yoruk Bahceli As markets navigate a likely end to the steepest interest rate rises in decades, investors
1970-01-01 08:00
A $900 million jackpot is up for grabs in Monday night's Powerball drawing
A $900 million jackpot is up for grabs in Monday night's Powerball drawing
Feeling lucky? A $900 million Powerball jackpot grand prize is up for grabs during Monday's drawing -- the third largest jackpot in the game's history, according to Powerball.
1970-01-01 08:00
US, China envoys seek to revive climate diplomacy
US, China envoys seek to revive climate diplomacy
By Valerie Volcovici BEIJING U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said it was "imperative that China and the United
1970-01-01 08:00
Fans show concern as HGTV star Christina Hall neglects safety on bike ride during country trip: 'Protect your pretty head'
Fans show concern as HGTV star Christina Hall neglects safety on bike ride during country trip: 'Protect your pretty head'
HGTV's 'Flip or Flop' star Christina Hall shared photos and videos from her country adventures on social media
1970-01-01 08:00
China Property Investment Drop Deepens as Beijing Vows Help
China Property Investment Drop Deepens as Beijing Vows Help
China’s property investment contracted at a steeper pace in the first half of the year, underlining the sector’s
1970-01-01 08:00
'The View' host Ana Navarro mocks Ron DeSantis but the only one who laughs is Joy Behar, fans say 'GOP debates are hilarious'
'The View' host Ana Navarro mocks Ron DeSantis but the only one who laughs is Joy Behar, fans say 'GOP debates are hilarious'
Ana Navarro imitates Ron DeSantis on 'The View' but not everyone finds it funny
1970-01-01 08:00
It will be surreal – Chloe Mustaki cannot believe she will play at a World Cup
It will be surreal – Chloe Mustaki cannot believe she will play at a World Cup
Chloe Mustaki has not fully accustomed to the reality that in just three days she will walk out on the pitch at sold-out Stadium Australia as a member of the first Republic of Ireland squad to feature in a Women’s World Cup. The 27-year-old’s extraordinary journey to this point has been down a road rife with obstacles, from her cancer diagnosis at the age of 19 to a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2020 and the lonely Covid-19 lockdown recovery that followed. But when the Republic’s plane touched down in Australia it all began to crystallise for Bristol City defender Mustaki, who hopes she can tune out the noise of over 80,000 majority-home supporters expected to attend her side’s July 20 opener against World Cup co-hosts the Matildas. “I don’t think I have an idea of how insane it is going to be,” she admitted during a training session at Brisbane’s Meakin Park. “I am trying not to think about it too much, trying just to concentrate on the football. At the end of the day, when you walk onto the pitch, everything around you just fades away. “So, if we can just concentrate and focus and stay connected on the game, whoever is playing on that pitch, hopefully we can come out with the result. “It will be surreal, and we won’t really believe it until we see it, because it is something that only (captain) Katie (McCabe) and a few others have experienced and we might never experience it again, that amount of people, so we have to savour it.” Skipper McCabe, who plays her club football with Arsenal, has played big games at major venues like the FA Cup final at Wembley and a Champions League semi-final at the 60,704-seat Emirates, which the Gunners sold out for the first time in May. It will be surreal, and we won’t really believe it until we see it, because it is something that only (captain) Katie (McCabe) and a few others have experienced and we might never experience it again, that amount of people, so we have to savour it Chloe Mustaki Mustaki, on the other hand, reckons the 12,123 who attended the Republic’s World Cup qualifier against Sweden in Gothenburg was the largest crowd to ever watch her play. She was born in Ohio, USA, but spent most of her youth in Cabinteely, and previously captained the Republic’s Under-19 team that reached the semi-finals of the 2014 European Championship in Norway – where she experienced signs of what would turn out to be Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. Mustaki completed treatment in 2015, and has previously spoken about how that experience shifted her perspective and helped her get through the devastating ACL injury she sustained in training five years later. Though she was first called up to Republic’s senior squad that same year, rehabilitating the injury meant it took two more before she finally made her senior international debut against Russia in the 2022 Pinatar Cup. Mustaki took a huge risk last summer, quitting a comfortable job to become a full-time professional footballer when she signed with Bristol City. It paid off when the Robins earned promotion to the Women’s Super League and she signed a new two-year deal in June. That dream fulfilled, another is now on the horizon as Mustaki’s side, ranked number 22 in the world, prepare to face two of FIFA’s top-10 nations in Group B, Australia and Canada alongside Nigeria, with the two best finishers advancing to the knockout stage. She said: “Of course, it is in their home nation, they will have a massive support there and they will have prepared very well for us. It will be a battle but we will be ready for it and we love being the underdogs.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Wimbledon 2023: Women’s history made as men’s game has a changing of the guard From Chris Eubanks to Mirra Andreeva – Wimbledon’s headline makers in 2023 Novak Djokovic defeat the biggest surprise in a Wimbledon full of talking points
1970-01-01 08:00
HSBC Votes Against Big Oil More Often Than Peers, Analysis Shows
HSBC Votes Against Big Oil More Often Than Peers, Analysis Shows
The investment arm of HSBC Holdings Plc is ahead of peers in backing shareholder resolutions designed to force
1970-01-01 08:00
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