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

Beauty Pageants, a peek behind the scene
4 – Crowning and After-Party!

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The bartenders were not about to be upstaged by the girls; they offered a brilliant show of their own bartender tricks, juggling bottles, glasses and blenders.
Photo JE Nilsson CM Cordeiro-Nilsson © 2009.

Around 10 pm the crowd started to pour in. The photography crews settled in and representatives from print newspapers as well as on-line journals started to appear and introduced themselves. The lights flashed and the sound checks punched holes in the ambience once in awhile. Girl friends, boyfriends, talent scouts and the hot and successful of the clubbing crowd milled around, settling in the VIP areas and the bought tables.

It wasn’t before long that the music was pumping to a vigorous dance beat and the DJ created new sound waves that got the crowd on their feat before the event began. Everything with the show was rehearsed and planned by now. The second stylist crew was on site and they were busy re-tangling any hair that the rehearsal could have untangled. Continue reading “Beauty Pageants, a peek behind the scene
4 – Crowning and After-Party!” →

Snowfall in march, on the west coast of Sweden 2009

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By a Juniper tree with a cerise cashmere scarf and wonderful vintage mink fur coat.
Photo for CMC by: Jan-Erik Nilsson © 2009.

In march in Sweden the weather is temperamental and just when you think that spring is on its way and that the snow has all but melted and gone, comes a sudden gush of snow so thick that you think you are in mid-December again, waiting for a white Christmas.
Continue reading “Snowfall in march, on the west coast of Sweden 2009” →

Winter casualty: how do you save a hotbod?

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A ladybug hotbod or warming buddy, filled with natural wheat, from Australia.
Photo for CMC by: Jan-Erik Nilsson © 2009.

As the temperatures dipped for this winter season in Sweden, I’ve been using or rather, abusing this little ladybug hotbod. These hotbods or warming buddies are Australian made and are filled with natural wheat.

They give off the most wonderful scent when heated in the microwave and can stay warm for up to 3 hours at at time. I find them absolutely perfect to have on my seat when working or having them between blankets to warm the blankets.

This little bugger though, has suffered quite some this winter season. Instead of giving off a wonderful scent of wheat, it has now started to smell of burnt popcorn when microwaved. I think it needs saving of some sort but I don’t really know how to save one of these hotbods.

Any ideas?

A cheese burger inspiration

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A burger of our own, inspired by a visit to New York
Photo for CMC by: Jan-Erik Nilsson © 2009.

You can spend a lifetime exploring the culinary offers in metropolitan New York where there are endless food choices, but I would recommend anyone visiting New York to make a pit stop at Michael Jordan’s, the Steak House to grab at least a burger. They also serve quite simply the best steaks in Manhattan!
 
The Grand Central Terminal is exactly as its name describes, central, and is conveniently located in the middle of most everything in New York. The Steak House inside occupies the north and west balconies of the terminal and overlooks the big clock featured in the DreamWorks movie Madagascar (2005). A visit to the restaurant is effortlessly combined with a visit to the MOMA, a look at the Rockefeller Center and it could also be combined with all kinds of shopping sprees. So, from a Bite of the Big Apple point of view this is pretty much as good as it gets.
 
It took two seconds for me to decide that I would settle for a burger when I stood just inside the entrance of the Grand Terminal, two steps from the amber-glowing ambience of Michael Jordan’s, the Steak House restaurant; its entrance elegantly flashing a sign telling of their Specials of the Day – a choice between a 12 oz broiled burger or a 14 oz steak. Continue reading “A cheese burger inspiration” →

A photographic journey through the Schönenberg Church in Ellwangen, Germany by Kevin D. Cordeiro

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The interior of the catholic Schönenberg Church in all its baroque glory. The lengthy and massive carpted aisle to the altar greets both faithfuls and visitors alike upon entering the church.
Photo for CMC by Kevin D. Cordeiro © Singapore 2009. Portfolio at modelmayhem.com. Kevin’s portfolio includes weddings, fashion shows and portraits

In this previous post, Kevin took you on a photographic tour of the outside of the Schönenberg Church in Ellwangen, Germany. In this post, he’ll take you through a photographic journey inside the baroque Catholic Church. Continue reading “A photographic journey through the Schönenberg Church in Ellwangen, Germany by Kevin D. Cordeiro” →

A mix and match of office wear: Patrizia Pepe, Karen Millen, Mango (MNG) and Wolford

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Short grey wool coat from Patrizia Pepe. Red cardigan by Karen Millen.
Photo for CMC by: Jan-Erik Nilsson © 2009.

Outdoors today is as much grey as what I am wearing in this post, though my mood is distinctly chirpier than the frightful weather outside.

In this office mix ensemble, I am wearing a short grey wool coat from Patrizia Pepe over an intensively red, short cardigan by Karen Millen.

Patrizia Pepe is one of my favourite designers, especially for outerwear such as coats and jackets. The clean lines in the design and the crisp, clever cutting of material allows for Patrizia Pepe’s outerwear pieces to sit well on the shoulders – details in design and make that I much appreciate when it comes to outerwear.

The cardigan can be worn in a variety of styles, unhooked and open in the front or hooked closed and the tassels tied twice around the underbust to produce a kimono effect.

In this ensemble, I’ve tied the tassles short on their own on each side and hooked up the front. I’m into all things draped at the moment, not being too much a fan of squared-off, stiff and padded shoulders, so the soft slopes and ruched shoulders of this short cardigan suits my look mood perfect.

The red short cardigan is on top of a grey bodysuit by Wolford and the pants belong to part of a pantsuit by Mango, MNG, purchased in Singapore. This pantsuit is something I’ve owned for several years now since I began executive work. A quick browse through my wardrobe also indicates that I’ve so far favoured pantsuits over skirt suits.

Entrecôte alla Fiorentino, a personal interpretation

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Entrecôte garnished with maïtre d’hôtel (butter creamed with chopped parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper). Salad with a light vinaigrette dressing and hasselback potatoes.
Photo for CMC by: Jan-Erik Nilsson © 2009.

Entrecôte with a Tuscan twist

The thing is, we really enjoyed our brief stay in Northern Italy and Florence last year and we miss it. After we came back home, we have been cooking things inspired by the region, we are enjoying the wines and some food we brought back and we make plans on places to see when we will be back. Rarely have we been so certain about going back to a place we have visited than to Tuscany. So when preparing an entrecôte dinner recently, it was nigh impossible not to put a Tuscan twist on the meal and for fun, we don’t mind sharing the recipe.

So here goes, Entrecôte alla Fiorentino.

The ideology behind Florentine cooking is basically to take great care when selecting the ingredients. The artist and genious Michelangelo came from Florence. If you have seen his Pieta in the St Peters Basilica in Rome, or his statue David in Florence, then you know what what a Florentine artist can make out of a slab of marble. Then imagine what a Florentine chef can do with a piece of meat! So, if we take Michelangelo’s and the Florentine spirit to our hearts and celebrate that in our own cooking, then wouldn’t we delight in the results?
Continue reading “Entrecôte alla Fiorentino, a personal interpretation” →

Semla in a bowl of warm milk, a northern Swedish tradition

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Our homemade semla which has chopped almonds with a marzipan filling in a cardamon bun. This is topped with a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Photo for CMC by: Jan-Erik Nilsson © 2009.

It doesn’t matter if Fettisdagen was just over and that we’ve been eating semlor for about a month now. With the exception of high summer, I think I pretty much could enjoy a semla any day in the year, though of course enjoying one particularly on Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras would be double the fun and delight! Continue reading “Semla in a bowl of warm milk, a northern Swedish tradition” →

A visit to the Schönenberg Church in Ellwangen, Germany, by Kevin D. Cordeiro

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The Schönenberg Church, also the Wallfahrtskirche in Ellwangen, Germany.
Photo: Kevin D. Cordeiro.

The Schönenberg Church is a pilgrimage church that is also known as the Sanctuary of Our Lady. It’s a major church in the region of Ostwürttemberg in the southern regions of Germany. In years past, people made their pilgrimage voyages by foot in order to reach the churches and their sanctuary of prayer. These days however, pilgrims are more likely to arrive at their respective churches via buses. Just as well too since this particular church sits atop a 530 m climb.

Photo: Kevin D. Cordeiro.

The foundations to the church were laid in 1682 by Johann Christoph von Freyberg who was then the Bishop of Augsburg. The building’s architect was Michael Thumb Vorarlberger Munster whose design template for this church had great influence over other important buildings of Baroque design such as the baroque pilgrimage church of the Holy Cross built on Gottesberg hill in Bad Wurzach in 1709. Continue reading “A visit to the Schönenberg Church in Ellwangen, Germany, by Kevin D. Cordeiro” →

Sjömagasinet’s team proves their metier beyond all things piscatorial. Gothenburg, Sweden 2009

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Restaurant Sjömagasinet in Gothenburg, Sweden in early spring 2009, housed in a building, originally an 18th century ship’s furnishing storage.
Photo for CMC by: Jan-Erik Nilsson © 2009.

The restaurant Sjömagasinet in Gothenburg, Sweden, is well known, as is its iconic owner and Chef de Cuisine Leif Mannerström.

What might be less known is that the restaurant’s odd looking building at the immediate waterfront of the Göta River was originally an 18th century magazine, built by the Swedish East India Company (1731-1813) to house spare equipment for the huge sailing “East Indiamen” ships.

These frigates went on their yearly voyages to China and back for tea, silk, spices and porcelain during the best part of the 18th century, departing from just outside this building around February each year. They usually arrived back in the late summer after a voyage that took almost two years for each round-trip, if everything went well. If not, the arrival could be delayed. As a matter of fact, there are cargoes that still haven’t arrived as yet, but that’s a different story. Today we were just here to eat.

Luckily our careers give us the opportunity and occasion to travel quite some. Valentine’s Day last year was spent at the Peninsula Hotel in Bangkok, overlooking some fantastic fireworks reflecting to double effects in the black waters of the Chao Phraya River. This year we visited Sjömagasinet in Gothenburg, Sweden, immediately overlooking the near frozen Göta River. The differences in climate and temperatures could not have been greater.

Gothenburg is located at 57°43′ North latitude and 11°59′ East latitude meaning about three hours of flight northeast of London and much too far north for comfort for anyone preferring the tropical climate of Singapore. Luckily there are things here to compensate the endeavours.

The gourmet restaurant Sjömagasinet is one of them.

The history of the restaurant’s building is somewhat reflected in the menu but most of all, it shows to tell of Leif Mannerström’s great interest in gourmet preparation and serving of various piscatorial delights. What we chose for our Valentine’s day dinner was of course only a sample of what could be had at the restaurant.

The menu for the day is set on the day itself with not much advance notice. The availability of first class ingredients settles what the Mannerström team will work with for the day, so you can simply pop in and enjoy. If you like, you can discuss with the forthcoming staff, anything you’d like to have served from what is available in the kitchen for the day.

On the menu you can expect to find weever, plaice, pollack, halibut and herring served in classic and creative conconctions. During the Christmas season, the julbord or Christmas smorgasbord, serves up to more than sixteen types of herring.

The dishes we decided upon were what we felt right for the day. As we sat down at our table ready to enjoy ourselves, we brought with us three distinct impressions: that of the ice-cold weather of the Nordic climate, the ever present Göta River that flows just outside this restaurant and the warmth from the burning log fire that greeted us at the entrance of the restaurant, when we first came in.

Today I initially felt like the Fish Classic, a deep fried cod tail with sauce verte, lemon, asparagus and boiled potatoes. But while settling in and warming up to the mood of the place I started to feel somewhat more adventurous.

Contrary to my expectations the meat dishes seemed just as interesting as the fish and my curiosity was really aroused when I found elk among Mannerström’s Husmanskost.

I have only ever encountered a live elk once in my life, in a national park here in Sweden. These large creatures wander the vast forests of Sweden and are freely hunted for food. About 100 000 elks are shot in Sweden every year and at an average weight of about half a tonne (1000 lbs) each, it’s a lot of meat. With elk meat, the inherent problem I find is how to cook them. Apart from that they don’t exactly fit neatly into the oven, the meat is usually tough and gamey. My previous experiences of eating elk were not encouraging. But if there ever was going to be a chance I’d eat elk again then this would be the place. So elk, it was.

Fried, salted brisket of elk with potatoes and cream

Fried, salted brisket of elk served with beet roots, capers and potatoes cooked in cream.

The elk briskets were tender, warm, juicy and inviting on a bed of beetroots and potatoes cooked in cream sprinkled with parsley leaves. The flavours combined and blended splendidly with one another to give a robustly warm and accommodating meal. The dish was also testament to what could be produced with basic ingredients that were none too fancy. Continue reading “Sjömagasinet’s team proves their metier beyond all things piscatorial. Gothenburg, Sweden 2009” →