Day 11 Dinner: 1715-1915 Spaghetti no. 3 aglio olio with mackeral and anchovies Roasted eggplants, zucchini and tomatoes Angela: Spaghetti aglio olio and soul music with a bottle of Chimay, guess it kinda melted our worry of news about trains going on strike on the day we're scheduled to return to Singapore. Our gustatory experiment is growing more intense by the day. After checking out the Japanese manga artist Jiro Taniguchi's "The Solitary Gourmand," I'm inspired to explore making a solo piece on the urban experience of eating alone. How do we translate such visceral words of swallow, ingest, smack into dance expression without being cheesy and literal? More practices in eating await

Day 10 Dinner 1720-1910 Porridge Thai styled omelette Stir fried pork slices with Chinese cabbage in Myanmar tea leaves Edwin: Comfort food. Everyone has one for different situations, be it falling ill, homesick, heartbroken, stressed, tired. What food can do to relieve emotional tension is amazing. Little life hacks, homemade remedies. Mimie : Omelette was a bit burnt. That reminded me of the first time I made omelette when I was 9 years old. It was for my mum. She went home late that night and she said she had a headache and hungry. I made omelette for her and asked her to eat. It was burnt and it was not the thing she wanted but she ate it. เจียวไข่ไหม้ไปหน่อยวันนี้ เลยนึกไปถึงวันที่ลองเจ

Dinner: 23 Nov 2014 Singapore chicken curry: sauce packs, chicken thighs, carrots, potato, egg plant, leeks, red chilli, coconut milk, garlic, and a small can of anchovies (to intensify flavor). Stir-fried mixed vegetables: Cauliflowers, French beans, Leeks, Mushrooms, sweet yellow and red capsicums with black pepper sauce. Steamed Thai jasmine rice Baked rice pudding (bought from outdoor farmer market) for dessert Belgium beers Sparkling wines and chocolates from the guests Tomomi : ついに Irene K のメンバー達と共に食事。テーブルの上には、シンガポールカレー、柿の種、ベルギービールにチョコレート、そしてポテトチップス..。 そんな東西ミックスの中で、食事以上に色んな事を共有出来た、夜でした。久しぶりに日本語たくさん話せたのも、嬉しかったね。 We finally had dinner together with Irene K members. We had Singapore chick

22/11/14 Dinner 1905-2145 Rice pilaf Stir fried potato with carrots Broccoli with mackerel Angela: Left-over rice from yesterday turned into rice pilaf with the preserved tea-leaf spice from Myanmar. What culinary intelligence that preserved vegetables and spices are invented and passed down through the ages. New potatoes and skinny carrots cooked soft in some unknown herbs (a cache came with the bag of potatoes with no information). After dinner we have sweet grapefruits for dessert, although Mimie thought it was very sour to eat without her keeping a straight face. Well nonetheless it's a good stringent dose to replace a saccharin, cliche birthday cake any day for me. Today it's both

Dinner 1905-2140 Stir fried chicken with White button mushrooms with a dash of teriyaki sauce Oven baked French bean with fennel, onions and leek with preserved Chinese olives. Angela: on the subject of rice: two days ago we began to develop this rice-eaters narratives where I asked the three dancers to connect to their gustatory memory about rice. Three different anecdotes related through their own mother tongues are now emerging through the colorful tonality and the specific speech rhythm of Teochew, Japanese, and Thai. This pot of rice is now steaming with anticipation. Edwin: One significant Asian dining culture that came up in conversation often is the act of leaving the last piece on

Dinner 1827-2004hrs Roasted eggplant, paprika, fennel, potato with Chipolita sausages. Tagliatelle with spicy tomato based sauce. Angela: we had a after rehearsal drinking session with Irene K and dancers in a tiny local bar. It was fun to share and get to know each other in a more relax occasion. Edwin has invited them for a Sat dinner (makes you wonder what Monsieur Ed-Win is planning to whip up?! Hmm....) The sharing of cooking dinner so far has yielded interesting movement ideas and ingredients (ha, I bet some of you think that we are only doing a cooking show!). We experimented to "transcribe" color, texture, and treatment from the culinary art into movement art. We are still deep

19/11/14 - Day out in Bruges! Lunch at La' Dentellière : 1340-1500hrs Mussels in white wine Mussels in beer and cream Fries with mayonnaise Scampi with garlic herbs Cheese croquette Angela: The resort seaport: It was the perfect lunch: mussels cooked in two different wine and beer sauces, French fries w mayonnaise, appetizer of garlic prawns n cheese croquets. And of course draft local Brugges beers. After lunch we strolled over to a serene hermitic compound set up long ago by widows and spinsters which now turned into UNESCO heritage site. The organ music in the quiet compound led me into a grand but extremely dim chapel. The red candle flames beckoned me to do my offer. I put a $2 euro coi

18/11/14 Dinner 1810hrs - 2100hrs Green Curry with chicken, potatoes, and leek Stir fried French beans with white button mushrooms Jasmine rice Angela: Who'd have thought an innocent curry meal triggered off the fire alarms three times in a row! Last night's dinner was an exciting culinary display of furious smoke and steam and cracking spices jumping in the pot! We can still smell the pungent spices early this morning lingering in the corridor. What would our landlady say?! Should one apologize for cultural dietary differences, or expect tolerance and civility? And to answer Mimie's query: if all Asian kitchens have fire alarms installed, I say the fire stations will be very busy indeed

17/11/14 Dinner 1700hrs - 2010hrs Baked black pepper chicken with roasted capsicums, paprika, carotts and mushrooms and garlic Blanched celery with sea salt, peppercorn and a dash of teriyaki sauce with Thai Jasmine Rice Angela: funny how the subject of the use of hand-made food came up after dinner. We all lamented how the skillful hands that used to make dumplings and other desserts have lost their memory in our instant culture days. Where have the hands that remember and know how to churn out food with intelligence and love gone to? Edwin: please do not wash the mushroom. didn't manage to count the number of bottles of beer we shared. happy hour during the roasting hours. long and mean

16/11/2014 Dinner 1715hrs - 1830hrs Vermicelli with chicken soup Sautéed white button mushrooms and zucchini with Burmese tea leaves Blanched broccoli drizzled with teriyaki sauce Angela: I thought to save the instant behoons for emergency. But supermarket here closed on Sunday and we were totally unprepared for that. So emergency it is and out comes with the instant beehoon packs! Edwin: Oriental cuisine accompanied with sultry jazz music fit for the lounge. How uncomfortably complimentary. Mimie: chopstick in a salad bowl Teriyaki sauce with broccoli Bridges on dining table ตะเกียบในชามสลัด ซอสเทอริยากิคลุกบรอคโคลี่ สองซีกโลกพบกันบนโต๊ะกินข้าว Tomomi:ビーフンスープの香りはシンガポールを早くも思い起こさせた。 Beehoon

While in Eupen, Angela and the dancers are preparing their own dinners. Each one of them will contribute an ingredient to the meal they prepare. The food, utensils, dining culture, eating mannerism, and the whole experience will make up the creative ingredients of the company's collaboration with Irene K dance company. Here's the thoughts, feelings and scents from first dinner in Eupen. The Rice Bowl Blog Date: 15 Nov 2014 Meal: Dinner 1754hrs - 1953h Menu: Aglio olio linguine with anchovies, zucchini and white button mushrooms. Angela: inside this tiny kitchen, a mist of garlic and basil and anchovies lingers in the air. Edwin: so hungry, I can't stop slicing up the zucchini, while making s

After long hours of plane rides, our company dancers: Edwin, Tomomi and Mimie and Artistic Director Angela Liong have arrived in Eupen! The company is in Eupen, Belgium to collaborate with Irene K dance company to explore and create a creative work with food as a theme. In the next 2 weeks, the dancers and Angela will be preparing their own dinners and will be using their experiences in a foreign land and foreign kitchen as creative ingredients for idea fermentation. Check this space for updates on the Rice Bowl Blog and the Arts Fission's experience in Belgium!