Things I like About Singapore #1

There are many things that I have enjoyed during my time living here and over the next month I shall from time to time record those that have stood out for me.

Starting with the more mundane, I must sing the praises of a local dessert - Chendol (pronounced "chen do").

As with most things that are pleasurable, copious consumption of this treat would without doubt be ruinous to health.  It is rich in both coconut and cane sugar.

The biliously green 'worms' which adorn the creation are green bean flour strips.  It has shaved ice as a base and also contains cooked red beans.  It is the pandan leaf that provides the distinctive under taste.

Some claim that this dish, which is also known as 'cendol', originated in Thailand which may well be true.

The second thing that has impressed me has been the willingness of many Singaporeans to support good causes.  Every weekend there is a roster of school children in the malls or thronging Orchard Road collecting for some charity or other.

But charity does not remain at home and yesterday in the Straits Times there was a rare piece of very good photojournalism. This traced the story behind the recent death of a girl from a remote part of North eastern China who became an escort in Singapore.  An escort is a title that covers a range of activities; anything from a plutonic social escort to a prostitute.

Whatever her motivation or vice, this young lady was found drowned in swimming pool of an expatriate and the Coroner's Court has still decide on the cause of death.  Her family, who are poor peasant farmers, were devastated by the news and sold up their farm to get enough money to come to Singapore and collect her mortal remains and return them to China.

Their story touched the hearts of Singaporeans who rallied around and provided free funeral services as well as collecting a large sum of money to give to the family.  The outcome being that the donations have enabled the parents to buy back their farm.  Even though they have lost a daughter, at least they now have the wherewithal to provide for themselves through the land.

Such acts of generosity are not uncommon in Singapore.

Today's Print

Three Stone Jars

I neglected to mention in early postings that some of the best food options in Singapore can be found in the least expected places.

When I worked at the British Council in Napier Road we were extremely lucky to have one of the best lunch cafes in the city within the complex.

The Three Stone Jars serves very good western and asian fusion food. in a cafe surrounding and the prices are much more reasonable than the nearby Tanglin Mall.

Peter the proprietor is an effervescent personality and not only does he serve good food, he also has an excellent taste in music (at least to my ears) with golden oldies from the sixties playing quietly in the background.

An example of their menu are the large chicken thighs (affectionately dubbed 'dinosaur legs' and imported from South America I believe?), mashed potato and two selections of vegetables for around $7.

I also enjoyed their beef rendang which is very distinctive with an acidic accent, unlike the normal creamy varieties one gets throughout Singapore. The recipe is more of an Indonesian style.

The only word of advice I have is to try and avoid the 11am and 1 pm rushes, when the students and staff have a hasty meal before classes and the queues are long.

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The Quest For Pop Immortality

This is a band called The Quests who had their first hit, an instrumental called 'Shanty' in 1964.  As with many bands at that time they started playing cover versions of The Shadows (video below).

The name of the band was derived from the school magazine of the Queenstown Secondary Technical School, located in a part of Singapore where I now live.

They were joined for a while by an Ex-British serviceman Keith Locke on lead vocals.  I still enjoy their musicianship although the songs are nearly fifty years old.

I Wanna Eat Economy Rice

Let me take you on a little and typical domestic journey in Singapore.

Each non working day we dine locally which to all intents and purposes means the Economy Rice stall (pictured), opposite the Queenstown MRT.

We exit from the rear gate of Queens condo past the ever slumbering security guard (so I use their title advisedly).  The standard of security personnel seems to have dramatically declined in the thee plus years we have been here.

Then there are two choices; wait for the "green man" and cross over Commonwealth Avenue or hug the shade on our side of the road and go past the Methodist Church, crossing over the dual road via the MRT overbridge.

Today we took the latter.  The sounds of the Beatles "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" was booming out of a small set of speakers above the Queens Bubble Tea shop.  It was a somewhat incongruous juxstaposition of sensory delights.

Bubble Tea originated in Taiwan in the 1980's according to some sources.  The introduction of  tapioca pearls into a cold tea product was all that it took to start an Asia-wide fad.

Past the new lift access for the elderly and disabled which had been a work in progress for months and never seems to get completed and then it is downward on the concrete steps, noting that this earlier version MRT station only has an ascending escalator and never a descending one.

On the right is a view of a building that seems to be morphing into some sort of education establishment but it is decorated in a perfectly hideous combination of colours.

On the left is the queue of walking wounded and the infirmed waiting for the free shuttle bus to Alexandra Hospital.

We pass the first food court and head for the second where the Economy Rice is of better quality and more generous in their helpings.

Shooing of the Mynahs and ever vigilant sparrows we select a couple of plastic stools placed under a slow beating fan.  The air is oppressive as the rains have still to come.

Dogs are know to mark their territories and there is a similar custom when reserving a table in a Singaporean food court.  Not that one cocks a leg; an umbrella or packet of tissues left in full view will suffice.

A plentiful dollop of rice and a 'meat and two veg" are to be had for a mere $2.80.  Replete, we retrace our footsteps stopping off for dessert at the Walls ice-cream cart.  A thick slice of Macadamia ice-cream between wafers (or two slices of bread which is a local custom) costs a further dollar.

I note that the Beatles CD is still playing up in the MRT interrupted only by the canned announcement for the station staff to "please mind the platform gap".

I am old enough to remember the original version of this song when it came out in 1962 (below).  What better way to finish a walk in the noon day sun.