Born in the vibrant city of Singapore with a unique Eurasian blend of Portuguese and Chinese heritage, my journey has taken me from the bustling streets of Singapore to the serene and open landscapes of Sweden. My educational pursuits in Singapore culminated at tertiary level with two separate Master degrees, after which I embarked on a new adventure in 2002, moving to Sweden. In Sweden, I pursued with deep interest, the knowledge field of applied linguistics, particularly corpus linguistics research methods, earning a doctoral degree from one of northern Europe’s largest universities, the University of Gothenburg. I currently work as Project Manager, focusing on EU and international projects, at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, at the Division of Bioeconomy and Health, Department of Agriculture and Food. My office is located in Mölndal municipality. Mölndal, known also as the Valley of Mills, is located about ten minutes by bus ride from the city center of Gothenburg to the south. If you’re ever traveling south from Gothenburg to Malmö, whether by train or car, you will likely come by Mölndal municipality. In these pages at cmariec.com, you’ll find my lifestyle musings on culinary and travel adventures from Singapore to Sweden, and from when I lived and worked the Arctic City of Tromsø (2018 to mid-2022). SINGAPORE | SWEDEN | NORTHERN NORWAY Life in Singapore Pursued all academic interests in Singapore, of which the post-graduate years were founded in two separate disciplines. In 2000, graduated with two separate Masters Degrees: (i) Master of Science in Information Studies at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore (ii) Master of Arts in the English Language at the National University of Singapore (NUS). In 1999, represented the Republic of Singapore at the Miss Universe Pageant in Trinidad and Tobago. With this came a variety of film, educational TV, media, and ambassadorial work for the Singapore Tourism Board. Life in Sweden In 2002, moved from Singapore to Sweden in order to pursue a PhD in Gothenburg, where a number of international corporate head offices were located that all had a substantial business presence in Singapore and also Asia in general. In 2009, graduated with a PhD in applied critical linguistics from the faculty of humanities at the University of Gothenburg, with a cross-disciplinary thesis entitled, Swedish management in Singapore: a discourse analysis study, looking particularly into the concepts of assimilation, integration and hierarchy, at top management levels of Swedish-Asian corporations in Singapore. 2013, as research fellow at the Centre for International Business Studies (CIBS), School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, researching the future implications of increasing Asian-Swedish cooperation within the field of international business. The project is entitled Gothenburg in Asia, Asia in Gothenburg, funded by the Anna Ahrenberg Foundation. The project is aligned with the 400 years anniversary of the city of Gothenburg in 2021, and falls under the broad category of Kunskap Göteborg 2021 initiated by city representatives of Gothenburg, Göteborg & Co, University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology. 2015, was granted the Flexit post-doctoral scholarship by Bank of Sweden Tercentennary Foundation (Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, RJ) for a three year project together with the Swedish-Swiss multinational enterprise ABB. From 2015-17, the research will take place at ABB Corporate Research Sweden HQ in Västerås, and at CIBS during 2017-18. The research focus of the project is how new technologies are perceived and accepted by users and customers, using linguistic methods of data analysis. More information can be found at RJ’s website, at Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (RJ) Felxit 2015. Life in Northern Norway (2018-2022) 2018, late summer. I acquired new work as Market Scientist at Nofima. Having moved to the county of Troms in August, I’m currently enjoying myself, exploring the island city of Tromsø. From the 1900s, this city became known as Paris of the North due to how the people of Tromsø were exceptionally stylish and sophisticated in contrast to the fishing village preconception that many might have of a city located in the Arctic Circle. In my years in Sweden, I have known Sweden to be called the land of the midnight sun. During the long summer mights, it was beautiful to sit and watch the sun’s languid pendulation between east and west, touching the horizon out at sea before going up again. Northern Norway takes this languid pendulation of the sun to the extreme. It is not only known as the land of the midnight sun, but it is also the land of polar nights and the northern lights. This is my new adventure. And in these lifestyle blog pages, you’ll find my personal thoughts, insights and musings. Cheryl Marie Cordeiro | PhD MSc MA ACADEMIC REFLECTIONS | CV LIFESTYLE BLOG

Mushroom crepes, it all begins with a béchamel

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Mushroom béchamel, white sauce, French crepes

Mushroom in béchamel sauce, wrapped in Swedish crepes.
Photos © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro-Nilsson, 2009

The kitchen wafted with the smell of crepes frying in butter, and I couldn’t help but linger to watch, as the ladel, filled with a generous helping of light yellow batter was distributed evenly over the black enamelled surface of the cast iron pan; the batter, to cook but a few minutes on each side.

The Chef was making, Swedish crepes.

Swedish crepes? I enquired, as they looked rather French to me. And there I was told that, well, perhaps there was not much difference in recipe, except that this specific recipe was handed down from a line of great Swedish Chefs – great grandfather to grandfather, grandfather to father and then father to son. The key to making these crepes, was to make the batter so thin, that you wouldn’t think it could hold together.

There was a round of bemused expressions in the kitchen, but the efforts proved original enough. And they tasted good, whether eaten with homemade strawberry jam or with ice-cream wrapped inside.
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Chantarelle, symbol mushrooms of autumn in Sweden

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Golden chantarelles, kantareller, autumn 2009

Chantarelle are prized mushrooms of autumn, where the adventures of plucking a handful of these would make for any dinner conversation, except the revelation of their location.
Photos © Jan-Erik Nilsson and Cheryl Marie Cordeiro for CMC, 2009

Elegantly formed with a smooth capped top and a ridged funnel shaped body, the long stems of the golden Chantarelle proves pleasantly distracting to the eye when seated next to the plumper and more rotund white button mushrooms at the store.

More familiar with Shitake mushrooms when growing up in Singapore, and having grown to dislike its pungent taste in stir-fried noodles, thereby associating all mushrooms with pungent tastes, I grew up never really caring for mushrooms, until I was introduced to kantareller in Sweden.
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Autumn visit

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In Sweden, autumn is here and with that comes a new set of sounds and smells in nature. Autumn seems to carry an aura of thoughtfulness for the animals in the relatively safe haven along the Swedish West Coast, where it seems like their fear for humans is not at the top of their mind. Perhaps they feel that there is a new season coming on that might bring other hardships, maybe worse to overcome then casual brushes with humans. And distracted, rather thoughtful creatures are what I encountered just yesterday morning when I looked up from my breakfast table and noticed two deer prancing through our garden.

Deer in autumn, Swedish West Coast

Deer in the garden, at dawn.
Photos © Jan-Erik Nilsson for CMC, 2009

One of them looked at me point blank when I opened the door, curious. And I looked right back at it, just as curious, wondering what it was doing in our garden.

We looked at each other for a while and it occurred to me that maybe it too was hungry for breakfast. The summer’s harvest of salad leaves and apples have just been taken in for the winter, and there can’t be much to eat out there now for these delicate creatures who have been marauding people’s garden patches all summer.

Luring deer with salad leaf, Cheryl Marie Cordeiro

Enticing Bambi with a leaf of salad.

It felt like a natural thing to do, to offer them a leaf of crisp salad for breakfast. My guinea pigs used to love crispy greens, so why not these doe-eyed creatures? The fairytale animal just looked back at me. Thinking. Considering the offer but, no.

And just like in a fairytale, the animal took off, without touching the ground, as mist flowing over a meadow. It took off as quietly as autumn settles, not as much as a whisper, preferring to forage our neighbour’s garden instead.

Holstentor, the old City Gate of Lübeck, Germany

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Under Holstentor, Museum for City History, Luebeck, Germany

Holstentor, the symbol of Lübeck, the old City Gate that is today a Museum for City History.
Photos © Jan-Erik Nilsson, Cheryl M. Cordeiro for CMC, 2009

Like a chubby and sombre looking Cinderella castle, the most striking landmark that draws your attention in the Hanseatic town of Lübeck is its City Gate or Holstentor, which is today the Museum for City History.

Cheryl Marie Cordeiro at the Holstentor, Luebeck, Germany

A view of Holstentorplatz, the garden, beyond the arches of the Gate

In front of Holstentor, which is today islanded by two asphalt roads going into the heart of town, is a beautifully preened garden with a display of cannons.

Walk a straight line from Holstentor, along Holstentor street where you can enjoy some of the town’s larger shopping malls, and you’ll find yourself promptly at Marktplatz , a cozy place for a languid cup of coffee.

The entrance to the museum of Holstentor is almost inconspicuous, with its small arched doorway built in a heavy stone frame. One could feel the personality of the place, its aura, what it was meant to do when it was built, as one walked into the cavern, to the ticketing counter.
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Dining at Zimmermann’s Lübecker Hanse, Germany

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Zimmermann\'s Lübecker Hanse, Luebeck, Germany

Zimmermann’s Lübecker Hanse, Kolk 3-7, Lübeck.
Photos © Jan-Erik Nilsson, Cheryl M. Cordeiro for CMC, 2009

Walking distance from the Marktplatz of Lübeck, Germany, right in the middle of the An der Undertrave and An der Obertrave, about a hundred meters into the Old Town or the Kolk, you’ll find one of the most romantic coves of the city. The buildings in this historic spot are conserved in their original form from the Medieval times. It is here, along the narrow, charming cobbled streets of the Old Town that you’ll find Zimmermann’s Lübecker Hanse, a restaurant with warm dark wooden interiors and service captains that will bend the menu backwards for you, if you so wish it.

Kolk, Luebeck, Le Trou, Lübecker Hanse and Theater Figuren Museum, Germany

Kolk, a cozy part of the city with heritage merchant houses.

The restaurant is located along the same street as the city’s Theater Figuren Museum, a puppet museum that houses more than a thousand theatre pupppets from 3 continents. Puppets from Europe, Africa and Asia are displayed and more impressive, they have been collected from different centuries.

Luebeck, Theater Figuren Museum, TFM Kolk 14, Germany

A few meters ahead from Lübecker Hanse is the Theater Figuren Museum (TFM).

Just a quick note and digression from the Lübecker Hanse to the theatre puppet museum across the street; the puppets on display were fantastic to behold, everything from glove and finger puppets, to stick puppets and marionettes. Shadow figures, the kind that I’ve become familiar with whilst growing up in Southeast-Asia were also on display.

Merchant house of the Theater Figuren Museum, Luebeck, Germany

400 year old merchant houses line this street, where the Lübeck Theater Figuren Museum is found.

What I found most interesting with the puppets was how the puppets reflected each country and its culture in its make, with culture specific facial features, clothes and expressions, where it is known today via behavioural research that facial expressions are hardly global in nature, even though we are all humans. Chinese theater puppets were more than distinct and distinguishable in dress, make-up and style of make, from an Italian carnival puppet, and African stick puppets, I thought, came absolutely in their own world.

Menu, Zimmermann\'s Lübecker Hanse, Luebeck, Germany

Outside the door, to the right, a display of handwritten menus from Zimmermann’s Lübecker Hanse.

When it comes to Zimmermann’s Lübecker Hanse that sits in this idyllic quarter of the medieval town, the first tantalizing eye candy is really the hand-written menus, written in German and displayed in a signboard against the rustic white painted walls, outside of the restaurant.

Front cover, menu, Lübecker Hanse, Luebeck

Front cover of the menu, Zimmermann’s Lübecker Hanse.

And if anyone wondered if the cozy tavernous interior of this restaurant is as warm and personal in service as the hand-written menus, then they would be delighted to know that, it is.

The weather was uncertain on the day of our visit, with a brief downpour that got us all drenched. What I really wanted was a steaming cup of hot chocolate when I first settled on a cushioned seat at the restaurant. But they had no hot chocolate listed on the menu.
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Harley Weekend 2009, Lübeck, Germany

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Lotto King Karl and the Barmbek Dreamboys, Luebeck, Germany

Lotto King Karl and the Barmbek Dreamboys at Marktplatz Lübeck, Germany.
Photo © Jan-Erik Nilsson for CMC, 2009

The city of Lübeck isn’t large, which is why it’s mind blowing for exploring tourists to witness the 250,000 inhabitants of this city put up this splendid, attention drawing show of Harley Davidsons over the weekend, complete with a search for a Miss and Mr Harley-Lübeck on Sunday night!

Big Harry und die Schlosserband, Lübeck, Germany

Performing on stage, Big Harry und die Schlosserband for the Harley Weekend, Lübeck, Germany.

It seemed the entire city of Lübeck was decked out and planned for hosting the Harley Weekend, with events taking place in different corners of the city, from Schrangen / Ecke Karstadt in the middle of the city to its waterways at Walhalbinsel, An der Untertrave and An der Obertrave. Events began as early as 1 pm on Friday the 21st of August to 5 pm on Sunday the 23rd of August, 2009. Most roadshows and motorbike demonstrations took place at Wahlhalbinsel, a spacious area located near the Media Docks building on the Northern Peninsula Wall in the port of Lübeck.

Bratwurst on grill, Lübeck, Germany, Marktplatz

Your choice of bratwurst on the barbeque grill.

At 6 pm Friday evening in Marktplatz, the crowd had already begun to gather for the evening’s open air concert beginning with Big Harry and the Schlosserband who played mostly country covers for the evening and Lotto King and the Barmbek Dreamboys, who had fans singing along and swaying from side to side with their rock music. The atmosphere was mostly friendly, nothing too punkish or rockish about it, giving you a chance to rub shoulders with tough looking leather clad bikers and get to know their softer side.

Fruit punches in bowls, Marktplatz, Luebeck, Germany

Fruit punches in bowls, Marktplatz, Luebeck, Germany.

The Marktplatz location was great for this particular outdoor Harley concert because it had so many peripheral cafés such as the Niederegger in the arcade not more than 300 m from the main stage, where those who prefer coffee and dessert can sit and listen to the music. Pints of beer can also be had at the Niederegger or other cafés around the same area.

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Niederegger Arkadencafé: history over coffee, in Lübeck, Germany

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Niederegger Arkadencafé, Luebeck, Germany

The Niederegger Arkandencafé in Luebeck, Germany.
Photo © Jan-Erik Nilsson and Cheryl M. Cordeiro for CMC, 2009

The Niederegger Arkadencafé in Lübeck makes for the perfect place to sit, relax and soak in the impressions and history of this cozy town. The café itself has a long standing history, beginning in 1806, founded by Johann Georg Niederegger.

Niederegger Arkadencafé, Lübeck, Germany, Marketplace

A view of the Niederegger Arkadencafé, from the market square looking in.

The café is located right at the Markt or the market place, which is a large buzzing square lined with cobbled stones, next to the Town Hall. The market place itself is ancient in terms of existence and use, where excavations of the site as recently as in the 1990s showed that the square had been in continuous use since prehistoric times and might have even been considered a sacred place of worship in times before Christianity.

Niederegger Arkadencafé, Lübeck, Germany, Marketplace, pillar

History as it shows up on the pillars and walls of the arcade and market place.

The buildings surrounding the square feature architectural designs from eras gone by, the copper roofs, concrete pillars and bricks all marked by moving in history, through time.

Niederegger Arkadencafé, Lübeck, Germany, Marketplace, inside out

The outdoor section of the café that faces the market square.

Our visit to Lübeck coincided with the Harley Davidson weekend in the small town, so the café was filled with people waiting in anticipation for the Harley concert that was to begin at about 6 pm that evening, in the square.

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Freshwater crayfish to a kräftskiva, 2009

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freshwater crayfish 1, kräftskiva

Freshwater crayfish from Turkey, voted best in taste by the newspapers, Göteborgs Posten and DN, Sweden. Despite an ever present crayfish plague that began around 1985, the end of the 1990s saw a gradual increase in the production of Turkish crayfish from 320 to 1500 tonnes annually (Harlioglu, 2004).
Photo © Jan-Erik Nilsson for CMC, 2009

The month of August in Sweden is mostly dedicated to the Crayfish Party or kräftskiva, where tons of crayfish are consumed. We’ve already had our first batch of crayfish earlier this year around Midsummer, the difference being that the ones consumed around Midsummer, came from the sea and these pictured here, with a lovely deep orange-red, are of freshwater origins.

I can’t help but compare crayfish eating in Sweden with crab eating in Singapore. Eating either of them would be considered a social event of sorts in both countries, because the meat of the crustaceans are rather inaccessible and getting to the meaty bits is a complicated, time consuming, if not frustrating affair that is preferably done after you’ve eaten something else.

freshwater crayfish in bowl, kräftskiva

Crayfish eating, much like eating crabs in Singapore, is a social activity that definitely calls for good company, as the event can stretch over several hours.

Crayfish eating is a lot kinder in many ways. In Singapore, you have a mortar pestle to help break open stubborn crab claws; in Sweden, no such tool is needed for the crayfish, fingers will do. In crayfish eating, you needn’t have to spend half an hour peeling the shell to get to the meat. In Singapore, a half hour’s effort into the compartmentalized body of the crab renders less than enough for a crab meatball, like the ones you find in the Straits Chinese soup, bakwan kepeting.

Of all crab varieties found at the wet markets in Singapore, I find Flower crabs (portunus pelagicus) considerably hopeless to gather meat from and would be tempted enough to opt out of the crab eating session if they were served. The body of the crayfish, meatier than the average crab claw, is accessible in just about a single snap of the shell over the main section.

In Sweden, freshwater crayfish are relatively less expensive compared to those harvested from the sea. And in a test that proved that cheaper was better, these freshwater ones were voted best in taste in Swedish newspapers, GP and DN. GP had a panel of eleven persons ranging in age from 24 to 83 years old. The group tasted about ten different versions of cooked crayfish, ranking their favourites according to colour, taste and freshness.

After having tasted crayfish from both sea and lakes, these freshwater crayfish though smaller in size than the sea faring ones, tasted wonderfully full in flavour, excellent with some mayonnaise or aïoli, atop a piece of good bread.

Cut of lamb with rösti

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Pan fried lamb with rösti

Lamb with a sprig of rosemary, served with rösti on the side.
Photo © Jan-Erik Nilsson for CMC, 2009

On our meny today is a cut of lamb, not too overdone, which is the way I love it and rösti on the side. Rösti is fairly fast and easy to do, giving an interesting variation on how potatoes are served with a meal.

Cuts of lamb in the grill pan

Cuts of lamb in the grill pan.

The cuts of lamb for this meal were marinated uncomplicatedly in some garlic, salt and rosemary. I think these three ingredients complement the flavour of the meat well and allows you to enjoy lamb as is.

If however, you’re looking to something more adventurous, then perhaps you could try this recipe for marinade:

Ingredients
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon mustard

Enjoy!

Pickings by the sea, the Swedish west coast

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, wild apples, Swedish west coast

Wild apple picks along the beach, the Swedish west coast.
Photo © Jan-Erik Nilsson for CMC, 2009

Some early autumn leaves are already hitting the ground, hinting at the upcoming fall. The weather however, is still warm for an explorative outing to the beach along the Swedish west coast – and I took the opportunity to enjoy the seabreeze, coming upon some surprise finds!

Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, landscape Swedish west coast

Against some dramatic rocks by the beach. I’m wearing a purple knit top purchased from Liang Court in Singapore, more than a decade ago. Bay Trading white shorts and a brown knit shrug from DKNY, New York, strewn and camouflaged on the rocks to the right.

As a first time visitor to Sweden a few years ago, I found it surprising that there are very few white sandy beaches, ones that stretched for miles. What characterises the Swedish west coast rather, are large boulders that create a dramatic sand coloured landscape, moulded by weathering in time.

Rock formation, Swedish west coast

An example of a dramatic rock formation found along the Swedish west coast. How much time will pass before the little one gives in to the weight of the larger, if ever? The formation was assembled here for us to ponder, by a melting glacier at the end if the last ice age some 10,000 years ago.

Instead of dismay, I found myself embracing the unmistakable rocky shores of the Swedish west coast! A most wonderful sight in summer is people laying down their blankets atop a boulder and enjoying the sun. At high summer, you’ll witness these sturdy and a lot of times grey boulders come into a burst of life and colours, with people wearing striking beach wear and swimwear, carrying with them their sunglasses, floats for children and wicker baskets that contain the simplest but what looks like the most enjoyable picnic meal.

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