My beautiful gannets

One of my main interests in life is food.  I love to eat and I love to cook, expressing myself creatively in the kitchen.  I am faced, like most moms, with the incessant question every single day of my life…what can I eat, Mommy?

When I was younger and living in my parents’ home, my father used to call me and my siblings gannets.  These amazing sea birds dive from a height of 30 meters, achieving speeds of up to 100 km per hour, using unique, binocular vision.  They are able to dive the deepest and eat the most of all birds. Talk about focus!

My dad was right. I can see the situation at our table over dinner.  My kids devour everything that is put in front of them with their own brand of single-minded determinedness that would make my dad proud.  When they are finished I have to clean the walls, the floor and their seats. Cooking for them so satisfying I don’t even mind the dishes.

I love to try new recipes and spend hours in front of my computer (we don’t have cooking magazines here in Nizwa) looking for new recipes and ideas.  Of course South African recipes are the best but I love and hate South African food blogs.  Their glaringly bad grammar and spelling mistakes deter my attention away from their purpose. It’s really bad and I am really ashamed of my country in this regard.  South Africa has some really outstanding chefs who show a dire lack of professionalism when it comes to presenting their dishes on their blogs.  To show my passion for this subject, I am even willing to edit any restaurant reviews, food blogs and food reviews for free.

Picnic food is really something that is high on my list of priorities too.  Interesting food that does not go bad in the intense Arabian desert heat, or soggy within a few hours and is nutritionally sound is hard to come by.  Perhaps there are some suggestions out there.

I find ambiance important when dealing with food as well.  I love sitting on my camper-chair with my feet in the waves, watching the intensely beautiful red sunset, drinking rooibos tea and eating homemade chocolate-chip cookies with my love.   

Now that is one of my main interests in life...