On Saturday we ventured out to one of the city's oldest areas, Chow Kit, and visited the local market. A guide book that we have described it as "the real Malaysia" and if you take away the fancy sky scrapers, glitzy malls and modern groceries of KL, things definitely get more real. We made the mistake of going during the middle of the day as it was unbearably hot but we managed to walk through the maze like setting quite a bit, snack on some fried goodies, and get a feel for the prices - we'll most certainly be going back to stock up on fruits and veggies! However, I will stay clear of the meat and fish section. The older I get the more squeamish I'm becoming about seeing certain things ... I basically told Joe that we had to get out of there before I decided to become a vegetarian! Thankfully that section is easy to avoid and I can focus on fresh pineapples, watermelon, and tons of strange/beautiful looking fruit and sweets I have yet to try.

marylebone farmer's market marylebone farmer's market haul

Hi, how was your weekend?

As you can tell mine revolved around food so it was definitely a good one. Things kicked off with a full-day introductory cooking class where I learned practical principles of cooking and created simple yet impressive dishes. I'll share details in a separate post but for now let's just say that I've got a brand new sense of confidence to get my hands dirty in the kitchen! It's a good thing because earlier that morning I wandered into Borough Market just as vendors had finished setting up. Everything from cheeses, meats, produce, to spices looked incredible and only served as further motivation to get creative with my homemade meals.

Lately I've been surprising myself every time we clean out the fridge and have to make another grocery run. My once chore-like mentality has turned into excitement to shop for fresh items and try new ingredients and luckily for us, one of our fave neighborhoods, Marylebone, holds a great little farmer's market on Sundays where we can do just that. It's amazing how much more enjoyable a farmer's market can be when you see possibilities instead of road blocks. Can't help but think of all of the great meals I missed out on when I lived in LA and only bought fruit and fresh-baked cookies from my local ones! Oh well, better late than never, right?