Frequently Asked Questions
WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
I am currently based in Hong Kong, and I’ve lived here for the majority of the last 15 years. However, I was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan for 15 years, and I’m Indian by blood! I have also lived in New York, London, and Singapore. Check out my About page if you have more questions on my origins and diverse background!
WHY DID YOU START THIS FOOD BLOG?
The simple answer to this question is that I LOVE food (especially spicy food!). Nothing gives me greater pleasure than creating recipes and cooking food! Call me weird – but I love the chopping (you would too if you had this gorgeous set of sharp knives!), testing what works and what doesn’t, and most importantly, I love feeding people delicious food! My goal through this blog is to inspire you to want to cook, to show you how to make every bite of food super delicious, and to make you want to make it count!
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF CHILI?
Bird’s Eye Chili, hands down! It’s pretty hot and great for Asian food cooking – especially for Thai food! ❤️ But I tend to use it in even for Western dishes.
IS IT TRUE YOU HAVE MAGIC COOKING BOOTS?
Cooking boots – yes. Magic – not so much. Well, unless you count giving me three inches of extra height as magic so that I can see every angle of what I’m cooking in the pan on the stovetop! 😉 I was unfortunately not blessed with the tall person gene and am about 5 feet 5 inches tall. My countertop in my kitchen is a bit high, so I wear my cooking boots whenever I need to cook anything!
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING TO COOK?
Oh good god, this is unfair! Cooking is not a hobby to me. It’s my true passion and I really do live to cook! So I love to cook EVERYTHING! But if I had to pick, I’d say Asian stir-fried recipes because they are usually quick and easy to execute and are always full of bright and bold flavors! (I’m currently obsessed with this Stir-fried Pork Sukiyaki in Black Pepper Sauce, and readers are extremely fond of this Peanut Sauce Ground Pork Stir-fry.)
WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR COOKING EXPERTISE FROM?
I’m a self and Internet taught home cook for the most part. But I have learned a few Indian dishes and techniques from an awesome and helluva home cook – aka my Mom! I, of course, always end up manipulating her recipes and make something else inspired by her food. But aside from her teachings, the web is where I’ve learned cooking styles, techniques, and about foods from different cultures!
HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH YOUR RECIPES?
Inspiration sometimes strikes when I eat at a restaurant, or when I travel and eat something I like from another cuisine or culture. When I really adore something, or eat something particularly delicious and memorable, I Google it and find out more about how to make it. Then, the rest of my recipe is developed by adjusting what I learn to cater to my taste and also taking into account what is available to me (i.e.: what resources I have locally or what is possible for me to execute at home).
CAN I USE YOUR RECIPES OR PHOTOS ON MY WEBSITE OR BLOG?
- Recipes – No. I currently do not allow republication of my post or recipe text without prior written permission. If you copy and paste any part of of my recipe and blog post, it negatively affects how That Spicy Chick gets displayed in search results on search engines. Plus, it also causes copyright issues. If you make a recipe inspired by one from my blog, awesome! I’m super happy you did! 🤗 But please link directly to my blog post as the recipe source and ensure that nothing has been copied. Please make sure to rewrite the recipe in your own words.
- Photos/Excerpts without full recipes – Yup! Thanks for sharing! 🙂 But please do ensure to credit the photos with two links: one back to the direct recipe post and one back to thatspicychick.com.
ARE YOU AVAILABLE TO HIRE?
Yes! And I’m absolutely thrilled that you want to work with me to assist you with meeting your marketing objectives. Check out my Work With Me page for some of the ways we can collaborate. For more information or details on partnership opportunities, Contact me on lavina{at)thatspicychick{dot}com or fill out the form on my Contact page.
