Have you spotted them?! The bamboo steamers?! We’ve had one for years and I’ve never really thought much about it. We learned how to make steamed dumplings when we lived in China. In fact, going to work I used to buy mantou. It’s steamed bread and I think it’s really nice. I used to buy it from the stall on the corner. Then I would walk past a woman at a building site, wearing a handbag at all times, whilst shovelling sand through a big sieve. It looked like a really hard job and I’m not sure the handbag was ideal for the job. I guess she just wanted to make sure her things were safe. Next I would cross a motorway with 6 lanes, hardly any cars, occassionally cows.. and a lot of bikes. Nobody really understood the traffic lights, so you just had to go for it..! I should really write a book about it. It was a crazy time of our lives. It was such a culture shock. I know China has changed a lot since 2002. It was an experience and a half! I would love to go back one day to see what it’s like now.
Now, back to the bamboo steamers! I keep seeing them in interiors and not just in the kitchen like you might think. You can get a basic steamer for around £7 or a steamer with more layers for £22. I already mentionned steamed dumplings, but the bamboo steaamers are also great for cooking fish and vegetables. It’s nice to see something both inexpensive and practical used as decor. Light wood is very on trend just now. I have a pale wood board on Pinterest if you want to have a look. The board contains a few DIY projects I would like to do too.
Who would have thought bamboo steamers would look good in the living room too.. Well, they do. Here’s proof on the top shelf. The pale wood colour adds a bit of colour to the all white space.
photo by Fantastic Frank