About Me.
Hi! My name is Hana. I'm half-Japanese half-Malaysian. Thank you for visiting Lucky Lemons!
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Growing up, my family moved a lot so I've lived in 7 different countries: Thailand, the UK (England and Scotland so technically 8 countries!), Germany, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia and the US. I spoke only English at home (with some Japanese, Telugu and Tamil words here and there) and I was mostly educated in the British/English system.
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As a result, my identity has always been a bit of a crisis for me. I feel comfortable in a lot of places and have had the privilege to call so many countries home. But I've always felt that I've never fit in anywhere. I'm Japanese but I can't speak the language. I grew up in Singapore but can't really relate to the local lifestyle (which, as I discovered later on, is very different from living in Singapore as essentially an expat despite my dad's family being mostly Singaporean). I've never lived in Malaysia. So where do I belong?
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I can't fully relate to Japanese or Malaysian culture. But I do relate to significant aspects of it. Similar to how I relate to significant aspects of English culture having been surrounded by primarily English friends. I am privileged to have grown up the way I did with the opportunities and education that I did. Being described as purely 'Japanese' or 'Malaysian' or even 'half-Japanese half-Malaysian' doesn't fully encapsulate that.
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No matter what though, I have always found that food connects everything together. It has brought me closer to so many people and cultures. I feel at home when I eat my mum's chicken katsu, when I eat my paternal grandmother's chicken curry, when I have hainanese chicken rice at a hawker centre in Singapore. When I cook for others, it's like sharing a part of who I am.
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Lucky Lemons hopes to share that feeling of home with you. There will be a diverse range of meals and dishes to browse through. Some you may have had before, some you may have never heard of! I hope you experience the same joy and pride as I do when I share this food with friends and family. Enjoy!
Lucky
The 'Lucky' in 'Lucky Lemons' is for my dog Lucky who passed away on 28 June 2022. He was a big part of my life and I will forever miss him.
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As most if not all dogs do, he absolutely loved food. He would eat anything and everything if it was available to him. We once gave him and our other dogs a small bite of lemon (without skin). We saw it in a video and wanted to try. Our other dogs didn't like it. Lucky, of course, happily ate it.
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Every time I was preparing food Lucky would hear the sound of chopping and would enter the kitchen in the hope that either some food would drop or I'd sneak him a piece of carrot or broccoli. Every time I cook or bake I'm reminded of him.
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This website is in honour of my Lucky. I hope he has an endless supply of food wherever he may be.
Acknowledgments
A massive thank you to everyone who helped me with this website. I won't name you but you know who you are. Just know that I could not have done this without your help, patience and support.
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I also need to thank my family and most importantly my mum for feeding and caring for us all for more than 20 years. Some of these recipes on this website are hers and I would not be cooking the way I am if it was not for her.
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To my dad, without whom I could never even think about doing something like this!
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Finally, thank you to Lucky for bringing my such joy, light and happiness into my life even at times when I felt really dark and lonely.
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Because of all of you, Lucky Lemons is now published!