Travel and Living channel

Included in the Educational Package I subscribed to on SCV is Travel and Living channel. It shows travelogues, cooking shows and lifestyle programmes. This was the reason why I subscribed to this package. The rest of the channels are really just given free, according to SCV.

Just like the programme Japan Hour, it binds the ties between my parents and I. We watch travelogues together, which allows us the chance to reminisce about our travels, since we have practically travelled the whole world.

We watched one which showcased different types of cruises. Disney Cruise is the best family cruise with entertainment for people of all ages. Oh, it is definitely expensive but its accolade will demand a high price to be paid in return.

As we were watching this, we talked about a cruise we took from Sweden to Finland. Though it was a one-night affair, it was still memorable. The huge spread at the buffet dinner, with lots of salmon, it being a Norweigian speciality, and the great shopping made it worthwhile. :) The cabin however, was small and tight.

Passport to Europe is also another travelogue that evokes memories in us. We have travelled to Europe 4 times already and when we see those places on the programme, it brings back fond remembrances of our trips. Samantha Brown, the host, manages to be so natural and familiar in front of the camera that I actually feel as if I'm enjoying the places with her!

In Destination Week, different countries are showcased and a recent episode I saw was on China. When Megan McCormick travelled to Shanghai, I was reminded of my own trip there. The Oriental Pearl Tower and Nanjing Road were familiar sights to me. Then she travelled by rail through Chongqing to Xi'an where the terrracotta warriors are.

I look forward to Fridays because that is when Jamie Oliver makes cooking seem really effortless. He cooks for his friends and family in Oliver's Twist and The Naked Chef. It gives me an epiphanical revelation of the reason why the most famous chefs in the world are mainly men.

There's also Kylie Kwong who cooks fusion dishes with her Heart and Soul as well as Nigella Lawson, the food gourmet goddess whose recommended recipes are extravagantly rich but ultra-delicious. Keith Floyd's culinary ventures in India and Africa seem like different foods thrown together in a wok filled with oil, just as easy as Jamie's whipped up dishes.

Bob Blum, the Surreal Gourmet, comes up with fanciful dishes which may require inaccessible ingredients but which look so enticing. He made hamburgers which had beef and foie gras making up the patties as well as forest mushrooms as the topping, before selling them for US$50 each on the streets in New York, in the most recent episode. People who bought them actually said that the burger was worth paying such a high price for!

The Christmas season was celebrated in a flamboyant way on this channel. There were programmes on the foods and special activities associated with the occasion. From them, I learnt that life-sized gingerbread houses are popular in American hotels and classes are even held for children to decorate those provided, in more practical sizes of course. Some Americans also choose to celebrate a sunny Christmas by escaping to Florida where they indulge in the water theme parks scattered across the state.

Disney World and Epcot Centre in Florida were the spotlight of one of the programmes. Samantha Brown made things seem so fabulous and fantastic with her natural charisma and childlike awe exhibited at each encounter she met with. The Christmas Parade shown on the channel brought me back in time to the one I saw last year. Sheer bliss!