We had the opportunity to learn some cooking tips from a Zapotec woman, a Mexican indigenous group who settled in the area of Oxaca, Mexico. We were shown the true meaning of slow living, loving and eating. For Fine Dining Lovers, 20 Nov 2015. At Teotitlán de Valle, 25 kilometres outside the colonial town of [...]
Chennai market A return to the Motherland - Chennai, India. For TASTE Magazine. It dawns on me at the Georgetown market in Chennai, that the locals find me perplexing. Amid ox-drawn carts piled with fresh vegetables, the vendors sit cross-legged in front of their tidily arranged wares, offering me a smile and a [...]
Featured in the SAA Sawubona inflight magazine Across an enchanting landscape of mountains, plains, rivers and ancient ruins, Ishay Govender-Ypma feasted on the flavours of the Alentejo, the breadbasket and wine barrel of Portugal. Written for SAA Sawubona inflight magazine, 21 July 2015 Acorns and Pastries “At one time we only fed acorns [...]
Walking into the Record Books - Graham Hughes Adventurer and videographer Graham Hughes is the only person to have travelled to every known country without taking a single flight. Ishay Govender –Ypma caught up with him via Skype from his home in Panama What does it take to travel to every country in the world, [...]
Bharatanatyam in Chennai, Rhythm City The ancient art of classical Bharatanatyam dance has undergone a revival. Ishay Govender-Ypma returns to her ancestral roots in Chennai, India to explore further. For Singapore Airlines Priority Club magazine. Her dark eyes are lined thickly in kohl, intimating the drama of a doe trapped in tragic light. She is [...]
The Durban Curry - Kwa-Zulu Natal Spice Pot The cuisine of the Indian descendants, whose forbears arrived in Durban to work on the sugar cane fields under British rule in the late 1800s, has remained and grown to represent a significant culinary contribution to both the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal and the food of South [...]
A new Way for Blacks to Travel in Africa - Group Tours are In Parties with locals on a luxe rooftop in Accra, a fashion show in Nairobi and a rap concert in Marrakesh, learning a traditional recipe from your friend’s grandmother in Dakar. Ishay Govender-Ypma looks at a new breed of group tours, a [...]
Vila Madalena - Street Art and More Vila Madalena in São Paulo has been drawing visitors like bees to an abundant hive. It’s an old charming neighbourhood that’s embraced the transition into white-hot cool. Ishay Govender-Ypma reports on the buzz. For SAA Sawubona magazine. I’m staring squarely at Batman. He’s skinny with angular features, [...]
How Travel Bloggers Influence your Travel Decisions - The New Guard Lola Akinmade - image provided Travel bloggers have long replaced the travel agent and guidebook as the go-to source for travellers today. Ishay Govender-Ypma chatted to some key players* This was written for Mail & Guardian 28 March 2015 If you are a [...]
Returning to your childhood home - my journey Ishay Govender-Ypma reflects on her returning to your childhood home, the changes that make visiting difficult and the constant pull to return. For Visi Magazine. Each year I return to our family home that rests at the bottom of steep road. The suburb has faded somewhat into [...]
Honest Café – Crowdfunding in Cape Town, a Success Story Honest Café - image supplied A Cape Town raw chocolate café is the first of its kind in the city. It’s a crowdfunding success story. Ishay Govender-Ypma explores the concept for Business Day. The People’s Choice “Have you tried our banana bread bunny [...]
Chennai Food Guide Formerly Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu, Chennai is known for its conservatism, fiery Chettinad curries, vegetarian thalis and milky Madras coffee. For Fine Dining Lovers It’s in Chennai that I start to appreciate the Asian preference for not just the savoury breakfast, but also the spicy one of idlis (fermented rice [...]
Peru Travel Guide - Highlights and Delights Highlights from the glorious Sacred Valley of the Incas to often overlooked high-paced Lima and tranquil Arequipa and surrounds. An introductory guide by Ishay Govender-Ypma, for Travel Ideas Magazine, Dec 2014 Kingdom of the Mighty Incas Machu Picchu It’s here that you start to believe that [...]
I gave up Law to Travel the World The Road Less Travelled. For www.changeexchange.co.za 20 Dec 2015 Strange things happen when you give up Law to travel and write a blog (www.foodandthefabulous.com), I discovered five years ago. Even stranger, when the blog wins a national award. A world not accessible to civilians, which is what you were before, cracks a [...]
Machu Picchu & the Sacred Valley of the Incas - An Easy Walk looking over wayna picchu There is a lazy way for the less ambitious traveller to enjoy the architectural splendour of the industrious Peruvian Incas without breaking into too much of a sweat. According to Grisel Gamarra Vasquez who has lived her entire [...]
Lima, City With Heart. Reflections on Gastronomy Today After years of political and economic strife, Lima, Peru’s capital is in the limelight and basking in the glow of the culinary renaissance. For Woolworth's Taste Magazine Dec 2014 Raw Fish for Brunch It’s 11 am and I am tucking into a large bowl of [...]
Goat Cari and Garam Massalé – Feasting in Réunion Island Linguistics, culture and feasting in Reunion Island. Tamils on the Island Carol & Frederika “The desire to identify as Tamil is important to us because it was denied in the past,” says Frederika Ramaretty when I ask about the peculiar nomenclature on Réunion [...]
Rėunion Island – Land of Spice and Coffee, And Cultural Overlap sunset Reunion 700 km from Madagascar, Réunion Island, land of spice and coffee (formerly Île de Bourbon) a French outpost, is a small volcanic mass in the Indian Ocean. Réunion displays a mixed Asian and African heritage, while maintaining a distinctly French [...]
VUSI KUNENE - Meet the Sushi King of Maboneng image by MARTIN RHODES Vusi Kunene, entrepreneur and owner of The Blackanese Sushi & Wine Bar in Maboneng Precinct, had a first encounter with sushi that would stop most in their tracks. *For Business Day* Working as a car guard at one stage and [...]
Ishay Govender - House & Leisure Magazine This spice-loving Cape Town travel, food and culture blogger keeps sriracha on hand for ‘flavour emergencies.' Ishay Govender-Ypma. For House and Leisure Magazine, August 2014. Her background might be in commercial law but wanderlust and a deep love of food led Ishay Govender-Ypma to turn these affections into a full-time occupation. The Cape Town-based [...]
