What’s with Asians and MIXING the strangest things to eat? Or eating flowers? Having tea made from the weirdest ingredients?
The day I landed in Singapore, my relative offered me aloe vera juice that I gulped in out of courtesy, stifling the tears back in. Few days later, on campus, I tasted the weirdest, sourest lime juice I had ever tasted, so different that I went to the stall guy and asked him if it was vegetarian (I know, I know, but I was just 17 and paranoid – I had just seen a ‘vegetarian’ stall selling pork). Soon, I saw that people had cucumber + aloe vera juice, and that fruits called honey dew, dragon fruit, DURIAN and longan existed. That people have juice made from celery, while all juices I had had till then were made of the traditional apple/mango/orange/carrot/grapes. And then there was bubble tea - never mind the jelly-shaped things that float into your mouth as you sip the juice through a thick straw, the juice itself was probably made from ginseng. Soon, I had grown used to chrysanthemum tea, jasmine tea, and horrors, until a friend recently gifted a box, got to know that there was something called Turkish Delight where the chocolate was stuffed with rose (I nearly lost my appetite for chocolate, I tell you – and that means that Turkish Delight had tasted terrible). And just a couple of months back, I ate fungus – not even mushroom, mind you, but bamboo shoots with fungus. Braved fungus once more yesterday, and survived.
And today, I have braved myself to a challenge and made myself a cup of hot green tea. It looks a muddy light green and I’m doing everything to not drink it though I brought it upon myself. I took one sip gingerly and it tasted like I was chewing leaf. LEAF.
Singapore is a foodie’s paradise, and for a vegetarian not too keen on trying new things, it’s nearly hell. But well, I have braced myself for the challenges and have learnt how to eat things I am just too sure will bring tears to my eyes.
Well, it’s 31 December and while everyone in the office is sending each other thank you notes for the year that it has been, I should probably thank this weird city I have lived in for 4 1/2 years, in whose honour I have dedicated dozens of posts in this blog, for making me steely, giving me courage and confidence, and most of all, to take things in my stride and laugh at one and many a thing.
Happy 2009, everybody! May this year be healthy, peaceful, prosperous (with all signs of the credit crunch disappearing) and joyous!
8 comments:
People in Singapore live to eat; it’s almost a hobby. And Singaporeans will eat anything! Yuck!
Whenever I go back for a vacation, my family will keep stuffing me with all kinds of irresistible goodies, and they get upset when I try to restrain their enthusiasm, so I usually cave in! And my sisters are such good cooks…
And a Bonne Année to you too!!!
We know that people in East Asia especially Chinese, Koreans and Japanese eat almost anything.
But here in New York city, I was once handed a small box of free candy samples and what did it contain? - roasted crickets !!!
There is a candy company (i think near Boston) that specializes in insect flavoured candy. You'll have the usual orange, strawberry lollypops, except that they'll small insects at the center.
I just couldn't stand even watching that on TV.
;) food, people, new year.... any reason is valid. and as another year upon us... another excuse to celebrate life.
Happy 2009 & beyond.
Wish you and your family a very happy & prosperous new year!
Yes, you are true. For people from India, suddenly move in here, or even though used to stay long term, they can experience (including myself) that all the Indian food available here is hopeless. They use the bloody coloring, only god knows what the hell that contains of. And the localized versions which they label as Indian food is total crap. Eg: Rojak etc.. My blood really boils. But what to do, I dont know cooking. These are the only places to eat. But the food at little india, especially race course rd, buffalo rd, quite not bad. Angappar Chettiar Biriyani rocks, though the prices a bit above average. And yeah, those highend restaurants mostly north indian ones also are there. Hmm.. But going there just for eating wasting of transport cost. As you know, each and every damn thing is costly here. But during weekends I do go there to buffalo rd komala vilas, the first shop of theirs. Not those komalas lah, they literally suck trying to be like fast food combo meals etc. Who likes vadai with coke? lol. Horrible. Complaints, complaints and further complaints only I got when it comes to the Indian food scene here. Plenty of things to add, eg: chutney aint nice at all. Nothing here same as the true India taste. Hmm.. Missing Mom's food badly. Since october 13th, my tongue is dead.
Loved your explanations of food scene, beverages.. those kinda beverages suits for those born and raised here. We all definetely feel those drinks as yuck. Confirm agree with ya.
East or west, India is the best!
Your back to singapore? currently working here? How long you stayed in chennai after course?
and oh yeah, forgot to tell ya that its true for veggies its pretty hopeless situation down here.. i am a brahmin, but i whack just anything.. as long as the taste is nice..
but then, for veggies nothing much is there unless just plain rice, some toufu, provided some shops sell it, then egg curry puffs, if can take egg, then green veggies.. no taste, no nothing.. eeewww.. pity on vegans..
think its better and high time for me to learn how to cook.. lol
Happy New Year Vani :-)
Random browsing got me to this blogspot of yours, just read one of 'em and stopped after i finished all.
Love your style of writing.
Cheers!!!
erm, when i read your post, i laughed :D
bubble tea is not made of ginseng! it's made of tea +milk. haha :D
and it's actually quite easy to be veg in singapore (i'm a vegetarian!)
the 'pork' you saw at the veg stall was probably mock pork made of gluten/tofu/ soy. it's quite unique and yummy :)
a bit disappointed that one of my fav. drinks didn't make it your list ... ever tried having soya bean mixed with grass jelly ... positively yummy ... and how about bandung or teh tarik or ginger teh ...
don't really fancy bubble tea thou .... a bit too sweet for my liking, i am afraid even thou the sago beads crack me up every time u get a big mouthful of them ... sorta like a party in ur mouth ... all gooey ....
chrysanthemum is nice and i am a big fan of green tea ... s bit bitter it might be but its good for you and since when does things that are supposedly good for you tasted good ... ever tried kashyam (think that's how it sounds ... hope u know what i meant ) and u are sooo wrong about not enuff vegetarian stuff ... the chinese vegetarian stuff might need some getting used to ... still not a big fan of it ... too oily and way too many mock meats (duck, chicken, fish, pork etc ... what's the point of being vegetarian if u are juz gonna eat the mock version .... makes no sense to me ... ;->)
anyway happy 2009 ... and hopefully u make trying new things one of you new year resolutions ... u know there are italian veg or mexican veg restaurants ....
p.s. it seems like you hardly comment on the comments any more (pun unintented) ... and that ram narayan chap cracks me up ... is it just me or he juz sounds way too over-enthusiastic ...
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