Making Plans to Travel

I am making plans to travel to Turkey for a holiday. 

It so happened that one of my friends traveled on the same package with the same travel agency last month. The feedback that I have received from her was:

-we may not like the cuisine served there (got a similar feedback from a friend who was there years ago)
-olive oil is used extensively in cooking and even in their salads
-lentil soups is served for every meal every day

As I am a picky eater, I did a search on the ingredients frequently used in Turkish cuisine and discovered from Wiki to expect eating these during the trip:

-lamb
-chicken
-beef
-fish
-rice
-eggplants
-green peppers
-onions
-garlic
-lentils
-beans
-zucchinis
-chickpeas
-tomatoes

My friend suggested that we bring medications for stomach ailments as, a few days after eating food there, some of them had bloated stomach and diarrhea. I did a research on it and discovered that it can happen if you are not used to eating oily food or food cooked with spices and herbs that can be a little spicy. Travellers with irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) should also be aware that legumes are gas-producing foods and lentils are recognized as part of the legume family.  Which is possibly why drinking lentil soup daily can cause some travellers to have:

-diarrhea with abdominal pain or 
-constipation and feeling bloated or 
-a combination of diarrhea and constipation

These are the medications some my of friend's traveling mates had to take to relieve their stomach ailments:

-Smecta(dioctahedral smectite):
Anti diarrhea and oral rehydration for acute diarrhoea

-Ural Effervescent Powder:
Helps relieve that irritation by working to neutralise acidic urine in your bladder. Helps soothe mild cystitis symptoms within hours.

-Colodium(loperamide):
Relief of acute nonspecific diarrhoea & chronic diarrhoea associated with inflammatory bowel disease. 

-Cetrizet Tablet:
Used to treat allergies associated with airways (allergic rhinitis) and Skin (urticaria).

-Stadeltine contains levocetirizine dihydrochloride
An antihistamine

-Eno:
Fast-acting effervescent fruit salts used as an antacid and reliever of bloatedness due to indigestion. Helps relief wind.

I checked with my pharmacist and he suggested that I take probiotics instead. So, I have decided to take his advise and bought OHMS Probiotics Gold as it can help resolve digestive issues and allergies. If you read this article from Dr Ben Kim you will see why I was so easily convinced. I will also bring some herbal medication for stomach ailments and nausea, since we will be on a cruise during our final trip back to Instanbul. Our tour guide advised us to bring any medications that we need as after reaching Istanbul, we will be traveling mostly to the outskirts and may have difficult locating a phamarcy.

If I do not the medication we need for our stomach ailemts, we can do this bowel massage when we are back at the hotel as it can relieve bowel dysfunction, like constipation or diarrhea.

 

I can also do this "I Love U" self massage treatment for pelvic abdominal pain and constipation while I am bathing.

I was also informed by another friend who had been there, that we will not enjoy the kind of food served at Canakkale. So, though kettle will be provided in hotels in Turkey, I will bring my multi-cooker along as I plan to bring some MREs (Meal, ready to eat).  This is just in case we really don't like the food there or our stomach cannot handle them. I bought this unit from Igozo recently as they had a promotion running. It has an automatic turn off feature for safety which I like as I damaged the unit in my bike shop as I forgot to switch it off and it overheated.

However, it does not have a button for high or low heat option, which will be useful if I want to leave my food on the steam rack for a longer period. 

I have been eating food product from Brahim's. I used to buy them from Lotus till I discovered that it is cheaper to buy them direct from Brahim's through their website.  So far, these are what I have tried and enjoyed eating:

-Nasi Lemak & Sambal Ikan Bilis

-Nasi Dagang

-Pulut Kuning

-Kuah Satay

-Kari Ayam Dengan Ubi Kentang

-Daging Masak Hitam  

-Kurma Daging  

-Sambal Sotong (sauce is good but sotong tough - may have to heat up for a longer period)

I will be taking with me a variety of rice to go with nine dishes I have selected. 

What should I be packing to wear for this trip? I have traveled overseas during winter but not in autumn. What will the weather be like during Autmn in Turkey? Will it rain?  This is what I discovered at Weather25, based on their 14 Days forecast:

Note:  According to NOAA SciJinks, accuracy of:

-a 5 day forecast is 90%
-a 7 day forecast is 80%
-a 10 day forecast or longer is 50%

So, nearer the date, it will be best to check the following links for a more accurate prediction:

Istanbul

Bolu

Ankara

Cappadocia

Pamukkale

Kusadasi

Canakkale 

So, now I have to plan how I should dress up for the weather. I discovered that Uniqlo has a link to Style Book which shares trend that is current for the season for:

Women
Men
Kids
Baby

As we have visits to some mosques in Istanbul, I will need a headscarf and make sure that I wear modest, loose-fitting clothes that is not too sexy to look at.

Here is a check list of things we must do based on the suggestions from our Tour Guide, David, at SA Travel:

-check our Immigration Travel Status Check
-convert ringgit to Lira  
-bring toileteries and an extra set of clothing in a hand carry bag as tour starts right after landing at airport
-bring swimming cap if we want to use the hot spring or thermal pools in hotels 
-have on hand, USD250 (that will be about RM1,170.00) per person and jacket or coat for hot air balloon ride at Cappadocia

Baggage allowed on Turkish Airlines::

-check-in luggage maximum 2 pieces and their total weight must not exceed 30kg
-hand carry luggage only 1 piece in cabin size of 23x40x55cm and maximum weight of 8 kg

A portable electronic digital travel luggage scale like this will be handy to bring along.

 These are optional:

-There will be wifi connection for internet access on the tour bus and in hotels but I rented ROAMING MAN pocket Wi-Fi which I can collect from the airport.
-apply for Big Pay card, a money app for better exchange rate over credit card 

These are hotels we will be staying at:

Have I covered everything I need for the trip?

P/S Now my children will know the efforts I put into planning our holidays overseas with them.

HOW TO CUT UP A WHOLE CHICKEN

I rarely buy a whole chicken. It is usually fatty and messy to clean up. Cut out discards must be immediately thrown outdoor or it will leave a stink in your kitchen. 

But I would like to share this "How to cut up a whole chicken" guide  from Eating Well. 

You can find many more of such guides that they pinned on Pinterest.

I also like the Chicken Cuts Chart that I found on The Nibble.

There is a link to food glossary which is listed in alphabetical order if you would like to know more about the ingredients you used in your dish.

 

Part of baking...

Before you can bake your cake, learn to make the cream, Callie.

Creaming - Home Economics

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Waste not why nots

I frequently hear tales of war from my mother and grandmother. They talked about not having enough rice to eat that they have to cook porridge with sweet potato added to fill the hunger.

I remember these stories and always remind my children never to throw their food with whatever reasons I can think of, like it is bad for their karma. Here is another "why not" reason to look at.

SOFRIMENTO / SUFFERING

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Eat healthy food, kids.

Remember to eat healthy food, kids. Study this list so I don't have to nag you about it, OK?

Healthy Food

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Getting Callie to eat

Callie is a small eater. I used to tell my friends that if they have lost their appetite, watch Calvin eat. He eats with such gusto that you would think everything he eats must be delicious. On a diet? Watch Callie eat. Lunch at 1.00pm can dragged till 4.00pm with her!

She loves eating sweets, tidbits and anything crispy, which can be too "heaty" for her. When she was younger, to encourage her to eat I used to name dishes after her and pretend that she has created it.

Here is one she "created" with corn flakes, cheese and bread which I have helped her record on a piece of paper.



She loves eating corn flakes. So, I suggested that she eats it with bread and cheese. That way, she can cut down on corn flakes. She calls this "Crispy bun with cheese".

Food we love to eat

I came across Cooking with Kai on YouTube. Kai is a Japanese chef who enjoys cooking Asian food. This is one that I love as a kid that I am sure my children will enjoy.



They do not cook Wonton Mee the way they used to with thick chicken broth for gravy. This video reminds me of the time when I was a kid. Each time I had a tooth extracted, my mom would take me out for a bowl of Wonton Mee. Callie loves Wonton Mee just as much. She likes helping me in the kitchen sometimes so she maybe interested to learn how to cook it on her own!



Oyster Sauce Honeyed Chicken is Calvin's favourite. I have discovered that there are many healthy recipes posted at Health Corner. He also likes the Teriyaki Chicken sold at Jaya Jusco. Maybe he will like it enough to learn to cook it with pork ribs himself.



If he does, this is a tip from Mummy. Why waste the broth? Boil more pork ribs in your soup of the day. Once the meat is tender enough remove some to cook the dish.

Where else can my children learn about healthy food and how to cook them? I have that covered at The World's Healthiest Foods.

And why am I so keen about teaching my children to cook? To reduce wastage! They are less likely to throw away food that they have taken so much efforts to cook, right?