Author: Bunny Eats Design

Slow Boat on the Mekong River – Day 1

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After watching and participating in the monks receiving alms, we returned to our guesthouse to pack and say goodbye to Luang Prabang. Our slow boat for the next 2 days on the Mekong (pronounced May-kong) River was one of these long wooden affairs. I would highly recommend a slow boat trip if you have 2 days to spare getting from Laos to Thailand. The boat had comfortable seating as well as tables and chairs, a toilet, beer and snacks. The open air also made the smokers happy. The smooth trip meant that I never felt sick (unlike windy bus trips). Run by the captain, his wife and 3 kids, it was a family affair and The Koala quickly impressed the kids with his drawing talents. We both did a lot of drawing while on the Mekong River. 20 hours of down time makes for good drawing time. Locals panning for gold at the edge of the Mekong River. The return isn’t very good, but during dry season, there isn’t a lot to do and panning …

I’m not overweight

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I recently discovered I am overweight according to an online BMI calculator. I figured I’d make some art about it, so this is a nod to 2 of my favourite typography based designers in the world: Marian Bantjes and Jessica Hische. Click on the image for a larger view. I’m not overweight, I have a food blog

Monday Bunday: Paul Shih’s JB

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Paul Shih is one of my favourite local artists with a cute badass style that transcends borders. His contribution to the world of bunny toys is bunny rocker JB. Isn’t she bad ass? JB was available for $50 but with limited edition of 20, this sold out. I’m also completely in love with is Maori Warrior toy but with limited edition of 20, it also sold out ages ago. Paul just released a limited edition of new design Maori Warrior t-shirts the other day so I was all over it like a rabbit on a hot cross bun.

A Mother’s Day Feast

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“God can’t be everywhere, so he created mothers.” I don’t think I am alone on this, but as a teenager I was always embarrassed when someone told me that I looked like or acted like my Mum. It’s funny how no matter what you do, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I inherited my mother’s mothering. I inherited my mother’s excellent organisation skills. I can see my Mum in many of the things I do and it doesn’t bother me anymore. I don’t see her in the mirror, but I do see her in photos of me. Mum is my eternal consultant and groupie. I love my Mummy. Both my parents are excellent cooks and can both cook and huge repetoire of Cantonese dishes and Western fare. Although I never cooked while I lived at home, I adore cooking now. I’m sure my adventurous cooking style came from my parents. My mother never made food aversions an option. Or maybe we tried it all with relish? I remember when I was 8 or 9 and sushi …

Luang Prabang – the working class

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We opted for a village tour with a local jumbo driver. The jumbo driver was great. He was lovely and had a great sense of humour. He had photos in his jumbo and one showed him and his wife at the Sydney Opera House. I found this surprising as so many people in Laos live on so little, it’s hard to imagine them not only being able to leave the country, but to spend time in countries where the living cost is so many times more than what they are used to. At $5US per head, the village tour was a fairly cheap way to spend the afternoon. Before the tour, we were told that the conditions would seem harsh to us because these are real working villages. The people we saw actually live in these villages and make things to sell. They actors in a museum, pretending to work for tourists. We visited a real blacksmith village, a real Lao Lao whiskey village and also saw the production of paper, silk and silver (tourist …

We Freakin Love Elephants

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The old name for Laos is Lan Xang which means the land of a million elephants. One of our fondest memories of Laos was meeting Mae San the elephant, her mahout (trainer) and her friends at the Elephant Village. “Elephant Village gives rescued elephants a new home where they are free from abusive work. Elephant Village provides local villagers a better livelihood, so they can stop their slash and burn tradition.” Many elephants in Laos were, and still are, used in the logging industry. They are mistreated, forced to pull loads that are too heavy for them, fed drugs to work longer and work in dangerous conditions. The sweet nature that elephants are know for are taken advantage of and some people use sharp hooks or knives to bend elephants to their will. It’s painful to learn about the lives these elephants suffered before being rescued. Elephants wear their hearts on their sleeves. It’s delightful to see them happy, but it’s also obvious when they suffer. How can people mistreat these animals? No one is that …

Fresh Food Markets in Luang Prabang, Laos

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Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s worth a visit to the fresh food markets in Luang Prabang. There are no supermarkets here and locals buy fresh food daily from the markets. Markets in Auckland are a weekend activity and even then, only a small percentage of the population actually do their shopping at markets. I love seeing all the ingredients in their uncooked state. Ingredients look so fresh and lovely in daylight. When was the last time you bough vegetables that hadn’t seen fluorescent lights? The tourists here are just touristing, people don’t tend to cook while on holiday. We eat out a lot instead. There were plenty of familiar things at the market and also lots of unfamiliar  stuff to concern yourself with. If you don’t like it, that’s fine, but where do you think the local restaurants get their fresh meat and produce from? Street Food There are plenty of snacks to be found at every corner. Fresh Meat This uncovered, tepid meat might horrify the NZ Food Safety Authority, but think about …

Hive Bar and Utopia, Luang Prabang, Laos

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Hive Bar and Utopia are two bars that we loved in Luang Prabang. It wasn’t suprising that while we were at Utopia with New Zealand friends O and M, we bumped into some lovely ladies from our Intrepid Travel group. Utopia is one of those venues that has many little areas and while it’s all technically outdoors, there’s plenty of covered and cushioned spots that feel very cosy indeed. The food is pretty good, they great cocktails, they have shisha and best of all, they were playing Fat Freddy’s Drop while we were there. If you don’t feel like relaxing, eating and drinking, there are plenty of other activities to do at Utopia such as foos ball and volleyball. Yup, the have their own volleyball area away from spillable cocktails. The Koala was very happy with his burger and chips but I didn’t feel like a proper meal so got a couple of dishes to graze on. Luang Prabang sausage and grilled tofu with pesto complimented my Bloody Mary perfectly. After that we head to Hive for …

BBQ dinner at Lao Lao Garden in Luang Prabang, Laos

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I’ve been so busy with cooking at home these days I realised I haven’t blogged about our epic South East Asia adventure in 2 weeks. So back to it. My last post was was on Vang Vieng so our next destination was a bus ride away in Luang Prabang. On our first night in Luang Prabang, after a quick tour (too quick) at the extensive night markets, we have a group dinner at Lao Lao Garden. Ranked #1 thing to do on the Lonely Planet for both Luang Prabang and Northen Laos, it probably doesn’t need much introduction if you have been in this area before. Lao Lao is the local whiskey and that’s probably all I need to say. With the fairy lights and glowing embers from the BBQ, Lao Lao Garden has a lovely ambience and a great range of both Eastern and Western foods. Bring a friend or a date because there’s a whole menu of 2 for 1 cocktails. I laugh now when I read back through my notes: “The Ombeyonce is off da …

Make Polenta

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I have this rule that I don’t cook anything that I haven’t eaten before. It generally works well. I eat, I like, I cook. But then I broke that rule. I don’t know why I decided that I’d cook polenta. I put it on my list of things to attempt this Autumn/Winter even though I hadn’t had it before, but I cooked it and ate it and I didn’t like it. I followed the package instructions, even adding cheese and butter (which was optional). It was really, really bland. The Koala likened it to watery custard and ate everything else on the plate. I guess it looks like a gritty custard. I would have much preferred mashed potatoes for dinner. In any case, I’ve got a whole package of polenta that I don’t know what to do with. Is there anyone out there that likes polenta? What’s your polenta recipe? Failing that, does anyone want a big bag of polenta? Minus 1 cup, but there’s probably about 10 cups in there still. You can have …

Fisherman’s Wharf

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Last Sunday was one of the warmest days we have experienced in a long time. At 25°C, Christchurch was the warmest spot in the whole country. Deep into autumn, this is my favourite kind of weather. The air is crisp and sweet and the days are warm while the nights are cold. We lunched with The Koala’s parents on the deck at Fisherman’s Wharf on Norwich Quay in Lyttelton. Any fish lover will be impressed with the promise that their fish is fresh daily from their own boats. Fantastic location and it’s a wonder why this kind of business hasn’t always been here. As one of the only restaurants still open for business they are doing pretty well post-earthquake. They were due to open a day after the February earthquake, but opened for business a the following Saturday after being given the all clear. I heard that they started using cardboard containers after their shipment of crockery was broken/delayed after the earthquake, but the locals loved it and the cardboard stayed. They may or may not upgrade …

Cook with Squid Ink

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In the novel The Snack Thief, Inspector Salvo Montalbano is invited for dinner by the police Superintendent. “My wife will prepare spaghetti in squid ink. An exquisiteness”.  Then the day before the dinner: “Superintendent? I am calling to say I am really mortified, but won’t be able to make it for dinner tomorrow.” “You are mortified because we cannot meet, or because of the squid ink pasta?” “Both Sir.” A few years ago, I read The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri. I’m not sure when my fascination with squid ink pasta began, but this novel could have been it. It’s a crime novel set in Sicily where the quirky main character, Inspector Salvo Montalbano solves murder mysteries but also tucks into lovely Sicilian feasts. Pasta dishes and seafood seem to be the gastronomic detective’s favourites and the feasts are described in enough detail to make you salivate. If you enjoy crime novels and you enjoy reading about food like I do, Andrea Camilleri is a name to remember. There is something remarkably cool about shiny black pasta. …