Latest - Ola88

Drinking enough water each day: reading your needs instead of forcing a number

02/11/2026
4,848

Miscellany - Health & beauty - “Everyone must drink exactly two litres of water” is easy to remember but far too simple. Fluid needs change with the body, the weather, activity, food, pregnancy, illness and medication. A more sen ..

Swedish fika: why a cup of coffee can become a social pause

01/11/2026
4,810

World - World food culture - Fika is usually described as Sweden's coffee break, but its meaning lies in deliberately stopping work in order to meet one another. A cup of coffee, a cinnamon bun or something simple to eat gives ..

Bamboo-tube rice, grilled chicken and the fires of the Central Highlands: from the tube to the shared tray

31/10/2026
5,012

Culture & Cuisine - Regional culture - Bamboo-tube rice and grilled chicken are the famous pair from the Central Highlands, but they should not be made to stand for the whole diversity of the region. Placed properly within Jrai, Bahnar a ..

Polish pierogi: small folds of dough and the memory passed around a kitchen table

31/10/2026
4,631

World - World food culture - Pierogi are folded pieces of dough wrapped around a savoury or sweet filling, boiled and then sometimes pan-fried. What has made the dish last is not only how freely the filling can change, but the ..

How to make banh cuon with pork filling: a thin, soft sheet that does not stick

30/10/2026
5,048

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good banh cuon has a thin sheet that is soft but chewy enough to roll, a dry pork and wood ear filling and a gentle dipping sauce. This recipe serves five or six and covers mixing the batter, rest ..

Carrying it on with more than thanks: what can young people do to be worthy of those who came before?

29/10/2026
5,005

Miscellany - Life around us - Thanks offered to an earlier generation becomes most convincing when it turns into a way of living. Learning a trade properly, working honestly, caring for a family, protecting what is held in commo ..

Cao Bang cured sausage: mountain sun, spices and a kitchen in the cold season

28/10/2026
4,882

Culture & Cuisine - Regional specialties - Cao Bang cured sausage appeals through its deeply savoury meat, its measured amount of translucent fat and the smell of smoke or sun that belongs to the mountain climate. Behind each sausage lies a ..

How to cook mung bean and aloe sweet soup: refreshing, with crisp aloe and no bitterness

27/10/2026
5,099

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good mung bean and aloe sweet soup has beans that are cooked to a nutty softness but still hold their shape, a clean sweetness, and pieces of aloe that are translucent and crisp, with no slime or ..

Man Moi Thao Dien reviewed: a Vietnamese shared table in a green garden setting

26/10/2026
4,871

Travel & Backpacking - Restaurant & hotel reviews - Man Moi Thao Dien aims at a Vietnamese shared table in a leafy setting, suited to a family meal or a group who want to sit for a while. Its strength is the way dishes from several regions can be sha ..

Jamaican jerk: the scent of pimento, the smoke pit and a community's living heritage

26/10/2026
4,702

World - World food culture - Jerk makes its impression through heat, the scent of allspice and a layer of smoke, but its value does not sit in a bottled sauce. The marinating technique, the wood, the control of the fire and the ..

Island-hopping by boat in Vietnam on your own: keeping the plan flexible when the sea turns

25/10/2026
4,922

Travel & Backpacking - Tips & sharing - An independent island trip does not begin at the pier; it begins with what you will do if the boat is delayed. Weather at sea can change the schedule both out and back, so tickets, luggage and a buf ..

Korean kimchi and banchan: the craft of fermentation and a table built on sharing

24/10/2026
4,812

World - World food culture - Kimchi and banchan keep the Korean table in motion: sour, spicy, salty, fresh, grilled and stewed take their turns around the bowl of rice. Those small plates are not merely “free side dishes”; they ..

How to cook xoi gac: a beautiful red, chewy separate grains and never claggy

23/10/2026
4,843

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good xoi gac has a natural orange-red colour, chewy but separate grains, a light sheen and no wet layer at the bottom. This recipe for 8-10 portions explains everything from choosing the gac, soak ..

Mi Quang and the kitchens of Quang Nam: a bowl with little broth and a great deal of memory

22/10/2026
4,765

Culture & Cuisine - Regional culture - Mi Quang is easy to recognise by its wide noodles, its rich topping, the raw herbs, the peanuts and the rice cracker, but its most important characteristic is that only just enough broth is used. Th ..

Bo Dau banh chung: the green square cake at the crossroads into Thai Nguyen

21/10/2026
4,896

Culture & Cuisine - Regional specialties - Bo Dau banh chung belongs to the Phu Luong area of Thai Nguyen, where these green squares are made all year round and become a gift for anyone passing through the gateway to the tea country. Glutino ..

Persian rice and tahdig: saffron, a crisp bottom layer and the sofreh

21/10/2026
4,727

World - World food culture - In Iranian cooking, long separate grains, the scent of saffron and the crisp bottom layer called tahdig can make a pot of rice the centre of the table. Set on the sofreh beside herbs, bread, stew an ..

How to cook ca loc nuong trui: evenly done, juicy flesh and no taste of ash

20/10/2026
5,150

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - Ca loc nuong trui is appealing because the charred skin protects the white, juicy flesh inside, with a light smoky smell and the habit of eating it wrapped in leaves. Doing it at home means paying a ..

Letters, photographs and keepsakes: learning gratitude for earlier generations through family memory

19/10/2026
4,808

Miscellany - Life around us - Gratitude towards earlier generations usually begins with very small things: a faded photograph, a carefully folded letter, a work notebook or a story told again and again over dinner. Once we ask a ..

Easing neck and shoulder tension at a desk: adjusting your setup and changing position

18/10/2026
4,954

Miscellany - Health & beauty - The neck and shoulders usually complain when the body holds one position too long, the screen sits off to the side, the keyboard is too far away or the shoulders stay lifted. There is no “perfect po ..

Moroccan couscous and tagine: rhythm, hospitality and the flavours of North Africa

17/10/2026
5,074

World - World food culture - Moroccan food is recognised by the steam of a tagine, the loose grains of couscous and the stream of mint tea poured into a small glass, but its real appeal lies in a web of Amazigh, Arab-Andalusian ..