BY ANASTASIA CHOO I am British-born Chinese. I am the second-generation daughter of Hong Kong immigrants who came over to the UK in the 1960’s and set up a successful business. My sisters and I grew up in leafy Hertfordshire and attended state schools where we were subjected to the occasional joke but didn’t suffer too badly from racism as people took us for who … Continue reading Sneezes & Sinophobia
BY ANASTASIA CHOO Taiwanese voters re-elected incumbent president Tsai Ing-Wen in a landslide election on Saturday 11th January which translates as a sharp rebuke to Beijing and its attempts to intimidate Taiwan into China’s fold. Tsai won over 8 million votes, or 57% of the vote share, leading her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to a crushing victory with a landslide in presidential and legislative elections. … Continue reading Taixit Holds Strong
BY ANASTASIA CHOO A recent court case filed by a British worker (with dual Australian citizenship), Francis William Haden, against Leighton Contractors (Asia) for unfair dismissal and racial discrimination has ignited much debate and outrage from some quarters on Chinese social media. Haden claims he was referred to as “Gwei Lo” and excluded from projects and prevented from hiring fellow Australians to work on a … Continue reading Is calling a Westerner a 鬼佬 Gwei Lo offensive?
BY ANASTASIA CHOO As the NHS approaches its 70th Anniversary, I thought it appropriate to hear from NHS employees with their thoughts on the NHS. As one would expect there are both fans and detractors. Here are the comments of NHS staff below: ‘It was a privilege to work for the NHS and if I had my time again, I would still choose to work … Continue reading #NHS70
BY ANASTASIA CHOO The Police informed me that the maximum amount of time you spent ransacking my home would have been ten minutes. Yet the carnage you left in my bedroom alone took the best part of three days – with very little sleep – to clear up. You turned every drawer upside down and pulled everything down from my wardrobes in your frenzied search … Continue reading Letter to the Burglars
BY ANASTASIA CHOO Aside from flowers and breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day, impress the Mama in your life with one of these easy cocktails: Tea Tini – It’s tea time and Mum will sure enjoy this light short drink on a Spring afternoon. Ingredients: 50ml vodka 30ml iced tea (sweet) 10ml lemon juice (fresh) Garnish: lemon wedge Garnish: sugar for glass rim Method: Pour … Continue reading 7 Cocktails for Mother’s Day
BY ANASTASIA CHOO As Chinese New Year is fast approaching this Friday 16th February, I am having my house spring cleaned or as the Chinese say, “Sweeping of the Dust” which represents a wish to put away old things, bid farewell to the old year and welcome in the New Year. Pretty much all the top traditions of Chinese New Year serve one purpose: to … Continue reading 8 Chinese New Year Traditions
BY NONI CHRISTOPOULOS Serves approximately 4 Ingredients: 1 cup whole-wheat flour 1 cup all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 Tablespoon sugar 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or any other variety of milk) 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt Maple syrup, for serving Fresh berries or fruit of your choice Method: In a large … Continue reading Fluffy Greek Yoghurt Pancakes
BY CECILIA NAYLOR John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich was a notorious gambler who in a twenty-four-hour gambling streak ordered his cook to prepare food in such a way that it would not interfere with his game. The cook returned with sliced beef in between two slices of bread which enabled the Earl to continue his game with one hand and not get his … Continue reading Sandwich Day
BY ANASTASIA CHOO Is there anything that feels more nostalgic or autumnal than a basket of freshly picked apples? Each year in October a friend brings me an abundant mix of Cox’s Orange Pippins, Worcester Pearmain and Egremont Russets from her orchard to celebrate a delicious harvest. As an apple grower she is aware that traditional English apples are in danger of becoming some dwindling … Continue reading Autumn Apple Roses
BY ANASTASIA CHOO It’s a warm sunny afternoon and I am sitting in an idyllic converted church chapel in the heart of the Hertfordshire countryside in the delightful company of singer and song writer Holly Rose. Holly was the lead singer of platinum selling band Semisane in South Africa in 2004 followed by a successful solo career in the UK and two outstanding album releases. … Continue reading The Holly Rose Interview
BY ANASTASIA CHOO Chia seeds are mini food powerhouses and they have been called the world’s healthiest whole food for good reason. They are filled with protein, have more calcium than milk, more antioxidants than berries, and more Omega-3 than Salmon. Emerging research suggests that including chia seeds as part of a healthy diet may help improve cardiovascular risk factors such as lowering cholesterol, triglycerides … Continue reading Chia Seed Pudding
BY ANASTASIA CHOO Ask anyone what the word “tapestry” means and the chances are that they’ll talk about old and grandiose designs that are metres long and wide, which the aristocracy often used to keep out the draft. Nowadays the need for tapestries to keep out draughts in a large hall has disappeared but the weaving of tapestries did not die in medieval times and … Continue reading Interview with a Master Weaver
BY ANASTASIA CHOO Ingredients Olive oil 12 chicken thighs and drumsticks 2 red peppers, sliced 200g chorizo, cut into small chunks 1 large onion, roughly chopped 4 cloves of garlic, crushed 2 tbsp hot smoked paprika 1 tsp chilli flakes 3 litres chicken stock 375g paella rice Flat leaf parsley chopped to make 2 tbsp 1 lemon, halved Method Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/Gas4. Heat … Continue reading Spicy Spanish Chicken One Pot
BY ANASTASIA CHOO As most of us basked in the hot sunny weather that hit our shores over the weekend, let’s be honest, how many of us remembered to apply sun screen? The Met Office has issued a Level Three Heatwave warning which will remain in place until Thursday this week as UK temperatures will remain high. We don’t need to be reminded to apply … Continue reading Ways to Soothe Sunburn
BY ANASTASIA CHOO The 1st of July marks the 20th Anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from Britain back to its motherland, China. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government has organised an array of celebrations to run on the theme of “Together, Progress, Opportunity.” The $640 million HK dollars taxpayer funded extravaganza is to show the world how successful ‘one country, two systems’ has … Continue reading Hong Kong 20 Years On
BY ANASTASIA CHOO This year, Chinese New Year – The Year of the Rooster – begins today and lasts until February 15th, 2018. It is the most anticipated global event in China’s calendar and millions of Chinese will make their way home in the world’s largest annual human migration. As a lot of China’s 1.3 billion people work in big cities hundreds of miles from their … Continue reading Happy Chinese New Year!
BY ANASTASIA CHOO Country Squire Magazine’s Anastasia Choo works in the NHS and is a proud supporter of Britain’s Health Service. Here she discusses why we should keep the NHS and suggests we all wake up to the reality that if we want a successful and effective healthcare service now and in the future we need to pay more, keep fit and waste less. The new year … Continue reading Don’t Give Up on Our NHS!
BY ANASTASIA CHOO Donald Trump’s win on 8th November, based on a campaign of fiery and blistering rhetoric often singling out China, sent shock waves around the globe. Mainstream media observed closely as world leaders raced to make that all-important phone call to congratulate the unpredictable political virgin. Some calls were fulsome and some tentatively made but none caused as much furore as the phone … Continue reading One China or Two?
BY ANASTASIA CHOO Chattering teeth and gloomy evenings are the least of our worries as winter approaches. It’s snotty noses, aching bones, scratchy throats and hacking coughs which become the number one challenges of the season. Doctors are yet to find a cure for the dreaded rhinovirus but here are some preventative measures and remedies extracted from current scientific research, which I’ve put together for … Continue reading CSM’s Guide to Avoiding Colds
