Random 10 One2Two How Tos.

#10: Hong Kong style crispy oven roasted pork belly (English subtitles)

#9: Heartwarming holiday season cups of Eggnog

#8: A meal in Korea: Seng Bulgogi

#7: Surviving a Zombie holiday

#6: Coca-Cola Chicken Wings

#5: Vegan Black Metal Chef: Smoothie Alchemy!

#4: Mughalai cuisine: Mutton Kurma

#3: Frugal Chef: Homemade Barbeque Sauce with Apple Juice

#2: Chef McDang: Thai Green Curry Pt 1

#1: Chef McDang: Thai Green Curry Pt 2

Today's Top 10 Food 4 Thot Links.

They're all there - just click on the links and have a blast –

#10: Horsemeat May Become Available In US http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2100736,00.html

#9: Broke America to Live Off $2 Subway Sandwiches Now
http://eater.com/archives/2011/11/30/broke-america-to-live-off-2-subway-sandwiches.php

#8: Trouble with Dog Food http://www.newyorker.com/humor/issuecartoons/2011/12/05/cartoons_20111128#slide=9

#7: Intermission: Exploding Cocktails
http://www.good.is/post/intermission-exploding-cocktails

#6: What did Mark Twain eat?
http://articles.courant.com/2010-08-12/features/hc-twains-feast-20100812_1_mark-twain-house-samuel-clemens-local-food

#5: Cooking with Chef Art Smith and Lady Gaga
http://youtu.be/6gJ09lyJJxg

#4: The First Ice Cream Sandwich Android Tablet Surfaces in China
http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/30/the-first-ice-cream-sandwich-android-tablet-surfaces-in-china/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29

#3: Life-altering Tea Cup (Design) of the Day
http://thedailywh.at/2011/11/26/life-altering-tea-cup-of-the-day/

#2: "Pizza is a Vegetable" The Song
http://holykaw.alltop.com/pizza-is-a-vegetable-the-song-video?tu4=1

#1: Nigella Lawson – Edible Christmas Tree Decoration
http://youtu.be/tDB5ucJ30cM

Mooncake Festival.

Thanks to brilliant marketeers who have successfully turned Mid Autumn Festival into what is now more commonly known as the Mooncake Festival, most Chinese across Asia and probably all over the world have no clue as to why this day is one of the most important festivals on the Lunar calendar.

Back in the days, there were countless stories told and passed on in countless versions. The story I hear over and over again is the one where the leaders of the Chinese rebel troops took advantage of this festival to deliver military secrets, hidden inside the mooncakes, that eventually aided in the successful elimination of Mongolian oppressors in China.

Now I can't be sure if this is a true story or pure fairy tale. What I know for sure is, these fancy mooncakes currently sold in snazzy packaging at major malls and hotels, are generally too damn expensive.

But anyhow, here's wishing everyone a happy Choong Chow Jeet! Be careful with those candle-lit lanterns, and don't overstuff yourself with those lotus paste (and salted egg) filled pastries.

The Rice Dumpling and the Dragon Boat.

If you're Chinese, you'd be on your way home early for dinner this very evening. And the dish you're gonna be gobbling down will most probably be rice dumplings, or some call it the Bachang (in Hokkien dialect, which literally means Meat Dumpling).

But if you're just curious, you'd wanna know what's the story behind The Rice Dumpling Festival, or more commonly known as the Dragon Boat Festival. Here's a summarised version of the legend:

Way back when, in Chu Kingdom of ancient China, there was an important minister named Qu Yuan (pronounced simply as Chue Yuan) who was a loyal servant of the emperor.

The emperor however, is one who does not listen well to advice provided by Qu Yuan. This proved to be fatal for the emperor who got himself captured and killed in enemy territories.

Poor Qu Yuan, who was sad and angry with the corrupted kingdom, tied himself to a big rock and threw himself into the River of Puo Luo.

What happened next was the people made rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and fed them to the river. It was believed that this would stop the fish from eating Qu Yuan's body who was regarded as sacred. Then, some of the kingdom folks would row downstream on a boat, beating drums, screaming and shouting, to frighten off the fishes.

And so this was how the festival of glutinous rice dumplings with meat and scrumptious fillings, and the dragon boat, came to be.

It's strange, but true.

Just Heavenly Christmas Stollen.

"What's a Stollen?" I asked.

"The best way to describe a Stollen is, it's a half bread half cake," says a fellow one2two-er.

And that's not very far from how Wikipedia describes it: 'A Stollen is a loaf shaped fruitcake, powdered with icing sugar on the outside. The cake is usually made with chopped candied fruit and/or dried fruit, nuts and spices. Stollen is a traditional German cake, usually eaten during the Christmas season, when called Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen...'

Through further reading, you'll discover that a Stollen is made to look like a swaddled up baby Jesus. And the tradition of baking a Stollen dates back to the 15th century in Dresden, Germany.

These Stollens, however, are made by the 'Just Heavenly' duo of Allan Yap and Nigel A. Skelchy, right here in their Bangsar house at No 47, Jalan Terasek, Bangsar Baru, KL (Tel: 603-2287 9866).

The icing is a lemon zest glaze, and has an optional marzipan (almond paste) center. Priced at RM32 each.

Now you don't have to fly to Europe for extra Christmas cheer.

Warming Up Winter Solstice.

Winter Solstice. The westerners call it a pagan holiday. The Chinese, we call it Koh Toong, which is literally translated as 'the passing of winter'.

And, most 'westernised' Chinese around the world, will not know that Koh Toong calls for a bigger-scale celebration compared to the Chinese New Year.

Koh Toong is a day when family members return home for dinner, to celebrate the passing of a barren, freezing cold winter, (applies even if you're in an all-year-round summer place like Malaysia), and dig in to some homemade Tong Yuen (Glutinous Rice Balls served in light sugar syrup and ginger soup).

Intentionally named, Tong Yuen sounds like, in Mandarin, 'annual reunion'.

In fact, the hot, sweet, ginger soup and the hand kneaded, smooth textured, glutinous rice flour balls, will warm you up real good, in anticipation of the warmer, happier days of forthcoming spring.