Northstar

4 | www.travelweekly-asia.com Lee Xin Hui is the assistant editor of Travel Weekly Asia. Having a penchant for food and travel, she enjoys exploring a country's culture and history through its culinary finds – hidden gems privy to locals, weekend farmer markets and buzzy restaurants. Her favourite travel memory is driving along the quaint Italian countryside in end-winter and unwinding with a glass of red at sunset. THE (FOOD) WORLD IS MY OYSTER differently to food? Science says genes, smell and visual cues play a part. But what's also true is the experiences we build around it, and the memories we associate with it. Taste preferences can change over time. Before I was seen as a food-lover among my friends, I was a picky eater as a kid – just ask my parents. McDonalds and chicken rice were the only two things I really liked. Vegetables were no-go zone, as was anything that sounded foreign. But as I grew older, travelling changed my relationship with food. In Italy, I first discovered the divine sweetness of vine-ripened cherry tomatoes after a grocer offered me one. I've loved tomatoes ever since. In Hanoi, Vietnam, my guide from HanoiKids brought me to Giang Café for ca phe trung (egg coffee). Sounds strange, but I can assure you that it was truly amazing. In Mannheim, Germany, I developed a lifelong craving for doner kebabs from a non-descript corner stall on Burgermeister- Fuchs-Strasse, where I lived with three flat mates from my university. Thanks to travel, I've managed to venture beyond my culinary comfort zone; now wherever I go, I look for the food. This has also helped me to appreciate how food is integral to a country's culture. For instance, Spanish conservas, or food preserved in cans, is not just a form of basic nutrition; it helps to save gourmet produce for special occasions. Beyond the obvious pleasure derived from a satisfying meal, I've also realised that food, when enjoyed with a certain person/s, at a certain time, can have the power to create the most lasting travel memories. And isn't that the best takeaway from a trip? The other night, I was having a conversation about food with a gentleman seated across me. Aptly enough, we were gathered there for the launch of Shangri-La Hotel & Resorts' culinary loyalty programme, 'The Table'. He posed an interesting question: Why do you think different people have such different reactions to food? Like for instance, durian. Some abhor it. Others are crazy about it. Or mushrooms. We agreed that a bowl of intensely perfumed plate of porcini-infused risotto is heavenly. CONTENTS 4 VOICES The (food) world is my oyster 6 DATABANK Serve yourself 7 GW HIGHLIGHTS The best of Travel Weekly Asia's Global Wrap eDaily 8 CRUISE Cruise leaders talk awareness, pricing and distribution at CruiseWorld China 12 PRODUCT: FOOD & WINE Cookly knows how to open the best kitchen doors 14 DESTINATION: SINGAPORE A perfect fourth 18 DESTINATION: MALDIVES Outrigger makes fantasy island a reality 20 COVER STORY: SILVER TRAVEL There's no stopping silver travellers 22 GAME CHANGER From one competitive world to another 23 UNDER MY SKIN Eric Hallin, general manager of Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok 20 10 22 There's no stopping silver travellers. Asia's wine tasting trails. From gold medallist to hostel founder. VOICES The best porcini risotto I ever had, made by an inn owner in a small Italian town of Calamandrana, Asti, Piedmont. His daughter, on the other hand, simply cannot have it. He shared with me that during a meal the other day, she actually exclaimed, "Dad, can you stop moving your mushroom sauce around? I can smell it; it's terrible!" But what about Portobello, I exclaimed. It's the steak of mushrooms! Or how about enoki mushrooms when they're soaked with the goodness of Chinese steamboat broths? Nope, she just hates them, he said. Doesn't matter what cooking style or mushroom variety. So why do people react

• Cover