Classic Egypt: a cruise down the Nile

20/04/201414/08/2018 by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 20th April 2014:

I remember reading about Egypt as a child; it was a place of pyramids and Pharaohs with a history that’s as ancient and as long as the Chinese.

Over the years I read books, watched films and visited museums that featured snippets of ancient Egypt but had no real concept of what Egypt was in modernity. Until the last few years that is, when media coverage gave us an Egypt filled with revolutions and terrorism. So widespread were these reports that I had all but forgotten the Egypt I first encountered.

But there is that duality about Egypt, of the ancient and the modern, as I discovered on a recent trip there.

Hunan cookbook now available

17/04/2014 by Qin Xie | 5 Comments

You may remember me talking about a cookbook project I worked on last year, earlier this year.

Well that book is now available to buy on Amazon (and obviously in all good book shops).

You can find a copy of Hunan: A Lifetime of Secrets from Mr Peng’s Chinese Kitchen here.

Words – March 2014

31/03/2014 by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published this month:

On the blogs:

Domaine Gayda, Brugairolles
Sourdough pancake recipe
Cheese and ham pie
Florence, the perfect Renaissance
Domaine Haut Gléon, Durban
Boiled leg of mutton with anchovy and parsley sauce
Domaines Paul Mas, Montagnac
Grilled sardines with ham and basil, and tomato relish

And some backdated photos:

How to stay safe while travelling in Egypt

29/03/201414/08/2018 by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 29th March 2014:

Since the events at Tahrir Square, many tourists have been reluctant to travel to Egypt. Each time a new incident arises, tentative travellers would cancel their plans with renewed concerns. The result has seen the country’s visitor numbers fall by some 90%.

With international press holding a dim view of safety in the country, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou has even spoke of promoting Egypt without Cairo.

But is Egypt too dangerous to travel to? And how can you stay safe whilst there?