https://www.scmp.com/rss/506825/feed Delle Chan is a Singapore-born, London-based writer and editor with over seven years of experience in travel and lifestyle media. She has contributed to publications such as The Guardian, CNN Travel, National Geographic Traveller Food, Wired UK, AFAR, DestinAsian and more. View her work at www.dellechan.com. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com In the UK, Chinese cuisine has had something of a bad reputation until recently, thanks to the ubiquity of dishes such as fluorescent sweet and sour pork, gloopy chop suey and oily shrimp toast. “In general, Westerners have had a tendency to think of Chinese food as either cheap and unhealthy, or terrifyingly weird,” says Fuchsia Dunlop, a Chinese food expert based in the UK. “But of course, this stereotype is derived from the kind of takeaway food that they love to eat – and that most Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3156320/authentic-chinese-food-thing-eat-london-think-roast-meat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3156320/authentic-chinese-food-thing-eat-london-think-roast-meat?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Nov 2021 07:15:11 +0000 In Hong Kong, the Mid-Autumn Festival is traditionally a calendar highlight. Every September (health pandemics permitting), the city’s streets and parks come alive with stirring dragon and lion dances, slick kung fu demonstrations and spectacular lantern displays, making for an awe-inspiring sight. For Simon Cheng Man-kit, it is a beloved occasion associated with many fond memories. When he was a child, his family would prepare paper lanterns and red candles, boxes of mooncakes, and an... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3148830/mid-autumn-festival-homesick-hong-kong-migrants-uk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3148830/mid-autumn-festival-homesick-hong-kong-migrants-uk?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Sep 2021 06:15:18 +0000 It’s not every day you find chilli crab being dished up in a restaurant outside Singapore – much less a hotel restaurant. Halfway around the world, however, the Pan Pacific London, which opened its doors on September 1, serves an array of classic Singaporean dishes. Housed in a glass, bronze and steel skyscraper in the British capital’s financial district, the 237-room hotel is the first European outpost of Singapore-based hospitality brand Pan Pacific Hotels Group. The hotel advertises its... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3148307/hainanese-chicken-rice-chilli-crab-pineapple-tart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3148307/hainanese-chicken-rice-chilli-crab-pineapple-tart?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Sep 2021 23:15:14 +0000 Many of us fantasise about boldly going to explore the final frontier but, despite decades of blue-sky thinking, space tourism has largely remained the stuff of science fiction. Now, though, the race for space is heating up as several aeronautical tourism projects near fruition. They promise to offer travellers an out-of-this-world experience.  In March, American start-up The Gateway Foundation announced plans to launch the first commercial space hotel by 2027. The Voyager Station will be able... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3129817/space-tourism-state-play-elon-musks-spacex-sending-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3129817/space-tourism-state-play-elon-musks-spacex-sending-first?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Apr 2021 02:15:11 +0000 Flying is costly, in more ways than one. For instance, each passenger taking an economy class return trip from Hong Kong to London is responsible for pumping 2.82 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent into the atmosphere, according to an online calculator. The massive environmental cost of air travel is largely because aircraft are powered by fossil fuels, which, during the extraction, production and combustion processes, emit toxins and greenhouse gases that hasten global warming. The aviation... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3126092/flying-terrible-environment-bio-fuels-offer-solution-air?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3126092/flying-terrible-environment-bio-fuels-offer-solution-air?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Mar 2021 10:15:13 +0000 Plant-based meat alternatives – from burger patties and sausages to minced pork and even shrimp – are an increasingly common sight on supermarket shelves and dining tables across Asia. Indeed, a recent study projects that the market for meat analogues in Asia-Pacific will grow by 25 per cent over the next five years. Most of these products are derived from mainstream ingredients such as soy, wheat, peas and gluten – and for good reason. For instance, the Impossible Burger is chiefly made from... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3123877/microalgae-meat-substitute-gives-singapore-food-tech-start?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3123877/microalgae-meat-substitute-gives-singapore-food-tech-start?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Mar 2021 18:30:05 +0000 Given the restrictions being imposed on people around the world during the Covid-19 pandemic, it can be difficult to stick to a regular fitness regime. Doing so at home is hard enough, let alone while confined to a tiny hotel room. But this is the challenge faced by many people, hotel quarantine now being mandatory for travellers arriving from overseas in many countries. With the average hotel room measuring around 20 square metres, running is out of the question, while online HIIT and yoga... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3120683/workout-equipment-rentals-people-quarantine-opportunity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3120683/workout-equipment-rentals-people-quarantine-opportunity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Feb 2021 05:15:04 +0000 In many kitchens in China you’ll likely find a bottle or three of Lao Gan Ma, a crisp chili oil infused with a potent mix of dried chili peppers, fried onions, peanuts, fermented soybeans and, yes, MSG. It is ideal for spicing up staple Chinese dishes such as dumplings and fried rice, delivering the perfect balance of heat and crunch, as well as a delightful hit of umami. It is also one of the bestselling condiments in the country, with sales of over US$770 million in 2019. Today, savvy foodies... https://www.scmp.com/food/chinese-chili-oil-taking-world-storm/article/3120690?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/chinese-chili-oil-taking-world-storm/article/3120690?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Feb 2021 09:44:17 +0000 In many kitchens in China you’ll likely find a bottle or three of Lao Gan Ma, a crisp chilli oil infused with a potent mix of dried chilli peppers, fried onions, peanuts, fermented soybeans and, yes, MSG. It is ideal for spicing up staple Chinese dishes such as dumplings and fried rice, delivering the perfect balance of heat and crunch, as well as a delightful hit of umami. It is also one of the bestselling condiments in the country, with sales of over 5 billion yuan (US$770 million) in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3120333/lao-gan-ma-or-chilli-crisp-chinese-chilli-oil-thats-hot-stuff?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3120333/lao-gan-ma-or-chilli-crisp-chinese-chilli-oil-thats-hot-stuff?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Feb 2021 21:15:08 +0000 There’s nothing quite as American as apple pie, or so the popular saying goes – but Stacey Mei Yan Fong begs to differ. The avid baker is striving to create a different pie for every US state (yes, all 50 of them), translating the identity of each into a distinctive flavour. It’s more than just a pie-in-the-sky fantasy for Fong, who has dreamed up 44 unique creations over the past four years and is well on her way to completing her ambitious 50 Pies/50 States project, documented in a blog of the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3118695/dolly-parton-george-washington-and-herd-bison-what-unites?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3118695/dolly-parton-george-washington-and-herd-bison-what-unites?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Jan 2021 12:15:15 +0000 Japan Airlines is the latest aviation company to join the fight in reducing food wastage - which contributes to more than six million tons of cabin waste globally. The airline is now asking travelers to make an “ethical choice” by skipping meals on board their flights in a bid to deal with the problem. Since the airline prepares a meal for every person on board, a passenger who would rather sleep through meal service, or prefers to bring their own in-flight snacks, results in an enormous amount... https://www.scmp.com/food/airlines-begin-war-flight-meal-waste/article/3117202?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/airlines-begin-war-flight-meal-waste/article/3117202?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Jan 2021 09:47:05 +0000 Have you ever skipped an in-flight meal – perhaps due to a lack of appetite or because you slept through the service? In doing so, you may have contributed to food wastage – which is as much a problem in the air as it is on the ground. According to figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), airlines generated 6.1 million tonnes of cabin waste globally in 2018, around 20 per cent to 30 per cent of which comprised of unconsumed food and drink. This largely boils down to the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3116767/airline-food-waste-no-meal-option-ai-identify-uneaten?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3116767/airline-food-waste-no-meal-option-ai-identify-uneaten?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Jan 2021 23:15:13 +0000 As with just about every other destination reliant on tourism, the economy of the Philippine island of Boracay has been devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic. In August, Patrick Cuartero, a managing partner at cocktail bar Prisma Boracay, told the South China Morning Post that he wasn’t sure how long business owners on the island would be able to survive. “I’ve already heard of many businesses shuttering. I’d only give it a few more months before things get critical,” he said. Since then, the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3114773/boracay-update-how-philippine-tourist-island-coping-covid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3114773/boracay-update-how-philippine-tourist-island-coping-covid?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Dec 2020 09:45:13 +0000 Many people around the world have spent much of 2020 trapped at home but are now beginning to contemplate post-coronavirus trips, and are perhaps mindful of the importance attached to spending time outside, in green spaces. Less has been said about the restorative effects of outdoor spaces that are blue. Nevertheless, researchers at BlueHealth, a research consortium funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, have discovered that proximity to water – be it... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3114526/power-blue-spaces-time-spent-near-lake-beach-or-river?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3114526/power-blue-spaces-time-spent-near-lake-beach-or-river?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Dec 2020 11:45:15 +0000 It was perhaps inevitable that as soon as the British government suggested throwing open its doors to Hong Kong’s BN(O) passport holders, real estate agents across the country would begin clamouring to capitalise on the potential housing boom. One marketing scheme in particular is trying to tempt Hong Kong migrants with a “taste of home”, declaring that Mill Hill, a suburb in the London borough of Barnet, is “London’s own unique take on Kowloon Tong”, referring to the affluent neighbourhood on... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3102839/london-suburb-mill-hill-british-version-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3102839/london-suburb-mill-hill-british-version-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Sep 2020 08:15:17 +0000 Boracay’s White Beach would ordinarily be thronged with people: bronzed sunbathers lounging on the pearly sand; children splashing about noisily in the clear, shallow waters; blissed-out couples posing for selfies beneath the swaying palm trees. But today the beach is largely deserted, with nary a tourist in sight. Its pristine sands lie undisturbed. No paraw boats, with their distinctive blue sails, line the shore. All is quiet – far too quiet, many locals would say. The eerie calm calls to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3096015/can-philippine-island-boracay-survive-back-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3096015/can-philippine-island-boracay-survive-back-back?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Aug 2020 00:45:10 +0000