missing the cornish pasty.

Without food, we cannot survive. Food makes up our existence, giving us strength to move from home to the workplace; to blog; to plant kisses on our boyfriends and wrap our arms round our children, and (of course) to whip up our next meal. We are, (in every sense of it) what we eat.

One of my favorite food movies of all time is by directors Campell Scott and Stanely Tucci. Like most fans of Big Night, my favorite scenes (hands down!) are the Timpano making scene and the Timpano serving scene. I've watched it over and over again, each time hoping that a slice of that layered goodness would burst forth from my flat screen, and right there and then, I could spoon my way through al dente cannelloni, juicy meatballs and hardboiled eggs, complete with tomato sauce dripping all over my chin.

image from: http://www.webomatica.com/wordpress/2007/09/04/movie-notes-big-night/

As I was pondering the effects a Timpano would have on me, I dug up a 2004 episode of the BBC food program - 50 things to eat before you die, and was thus inspired to blog about each type of food on the list in relation to my own experiences or lack thereof.

Starting from today, there will therefore be a series of food posts!

Going by the adage "save the best for last", I shall begin with the number 50 -- the humble Cornish Pasty.

I first came face to face with this pasty on my second visit to London in 2006. My friend, Au and I had not eaten anything the whole day (apart from a toast-with-jam-breakfast, compliments of our little backpacking hostel) as everything was too expensive - then, the pound was formidable against any currency.

For three pounds only, Au and I shared an "original-flavored" large-sized cornish pasty that was dinner.

Sinking into the crunchy-soft dough, my first bite revealed huge chunks of potatoes, thinly sliced onions and generous pieces of steak. We were ravenous and gobbled up even the unassuming folded crust.

That day, the cornish pasty and I created a sweet, lasting memory.

Today, there are often moments (especially when work is overwhelming) when I yearn to recapture this moment. Certainly one of the most enjoyable 'meals' I had in London!

I've often wondered if the Cornish Pasty had anything to do with the equally humble (but also equally delish) Singaporean (it arguably originated in Singapore; known also as the epok epok) curry puff. Each resembles the other and comes attached with a folded crust. Tucked firmly inside the crust is a chock-full of delicious ingredients waiting to be devoured. In terms of size, the cornish pasty is slightly larger and eaten as a meal while the curry puff as a snack. Unlike its British cousin, the origins of the curry puff are quite mysterious. Perhaps the Malays in Singapore were inspired by their colonial masters? Yet this could not be so as cornish pasty was eaten by miners who were obviously of the working class.

Old advertisement for cornish pasty
image from Wikipedia

Curry Puff
image from keropok.com
notice the similarity in texture and shape?

No.49 Coming up!