Hi, my name is Siew (Sue)!
I grew up in Malaysia, located on the peninsula between Thailand and Singapore. Our family built their home in the jungles of Malaysia on a rubber tree plantation. We didn't have running water or electricity- meaning, we had no fridge to store food, no microwave or cooking gadgets. We just used a wood burning stove to cook food. We had chickens, foraged, and went to the fresh market for food. I never even tried packaged or canned food- actually any processed or preserved food, until I came to the United States when I was 28 years old.
You can imagine what a change I've experienced!
Knowing how to cook was required for survival for me. I learned to use spices and create flavors from watching my mother cook, foraging for fresh herbs, and training my nose and tastebuds to identify spices.
Food has always been my passion. It is the comfort that can bring me back to people or places I miss, and something I love talking about with my friends.