Welcome to my new world
A series of stories on my first two months in the Lion City
Part 1 Food
Food is a daily adventure for me here, which brings both fun and torture. The challenge is for me to have my fill everyday and feel just
good enough – not too full (or else, I’ll keep on gaining weight and will have to buy new clothes with larger sizes!), but not empty either (or else, I would look miserable!).
A multi-ethnic city of more than four million people, Singapore (SG) is steaming with wide variety of culinary pleasures – Indian, Chinese, Malay, Eurasian, French, Italian, Indonesian, Thai, Western, Vietnamese, Swiss...the list goes on. Burp. :-)
The best way to experience everyday life of SG (and I should say, to save money) is to eat in kopi tiam, a local term for coffee shops (that don’t necessarily mean Starbucks but open-air spaces with food stalls), which sell affordable food. With at least some S$3 (or about PhP90 plus) in your pocket, you can already have a decent meal.
Local food
Roasted chicken rice (roasted chicken served with fragrant rice cooked in chicken broth), a national icon in SG, is among my top picks. Roasted pork rice (the pork version of chicken rice), which is as shiok (delicious) as chicken rice, is another favourite. My housemate has to limit my chicken and pork rice meals for some obvious health reasons.:-)
Kaya Toast (left), and Roti Prata
(from the Internet)
Kaya toast is another local food for breakfast. It’s a jam made from eggs, sugar and coconut milk. It goes with toasted bread. Another breakfast choice would be Roti Prata, a South Indian flatbread that is dipped into a curry. Malay spicy food Rendang, made from chunks of lean beef is really hot, but fine for me.
Au should not live by bread/rice/meat alone
Bread, fruits, French fries, ice cream, chocolates, cheese, raisins, prawns, chicken, pork, beef, fish, rice, and pizza are among my comfort food. Generally, not much of veggies, please. But duh! My housemate bugs me to include veggies in my daily meal! Ugh.
I told a number of friends about this "veggies bug", hoping to have some sympathy but to my dismay, they all said it’s indeed good for me to eat veggies! So, I raise my hands in surrender. Au should not live by bread (or rice, or fries, or whatever) alone…but with veggies, too. :-) I am saying that with a smile. SG will not only help me in my writing and teach me in lay outing and photography, but even also teach me to eat veggies.:-)
...did i tell you I'm a bad cook? 
My food saga does not end there. My housemate and I agreed that we will cook at home, as long as we have time. But, err...I got a problem. I don't know how to cook! I mean, I can cook, but most of the times, it’s only me who’s happy about it. But well, it’s time for me to learn. So you can imagine me now spending more time in the kitchen. I laugh as I learn and see how desperate I am when it comes to cooking.:-) Look what I've done! I was supposed to make a sunny-side up egg!
I realised I can make big decisions in my life. I can travel to far places just by myself without feeling helpless, I can risk a lot – but I get lost and nervous in the kitchen! Soon, I shall learn. There’s always hope to those who don’t give up and to those that are supported. My housemate has been a great teacher and a patient friend.:-)
