After sending off my "I-haven't-lived-in-Singapore-for-30-years-and-don't-recognize-anything-lah" tour guide (aka my mom) I decided to take a trip down to Joo Chiat Rd/Katong and borrowed an umbrella from my cousin to bravely walk down the streets of Singapore alone. I'm pretty sure this area is known for having the most restored shophouses in all of Singapore. Celebrated 2 weeks earlier so that my mom could be present. Lychees! Ok so maybe not exactly a "SEA" fruit, but definitely an asian one. Generally air flown from China. Generally brown-ness on the outside means it hasn't been stored at the right temperature and might be "se-kor" (spoiled) on the inside. Fruit should not have any dents visible from the outside. Try to eat one before you buy. Jumbu-- "Rose Apple" (tastes nothing like roses but is like a very airy apple)Where to buy these thingsThe market works well, but if you're really into fruit (and have a friend with a car in Sg) then you should go to the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Center.
And by exploring I really mean we were on a quest to find my grandma a new boom box and some new CDs with old Cantonese songs. We managed to find both in this gigantic place. (Didn't have to go to Chinatown, and pretty much stayed cool the whole time!) We were successful at finding everything we needed. Eating: There are 2 places to eat-- the 3rd floor at Food Republic or the basement. We've been to Food Republic before (it's not bad and has rustic decor) but as a senior citizen my grandma gets a 30% discount at the Kopitiam downstairs so we went there instead. "Gateway to the other island destination" I think I've mentioned before that the two favorite pastimes are eating and shopping. My maternal grandfather's side of the family made sure we did both! Observe: The massive amounts of food presented for lunch and dinner and tea. Shopping at Holland Village This guy makes his own batik dresses-- he taught himself how to sew after running a used-clothing shop for years in his mid-40s. My mom got a set of matching dresses for my sister and her kids and herself. (Phew, I got out of that one!)
There were a lot more ang-mors (red-heads = white people) here than I was expecting. Apparently, this is like the tourist hub of Singapore (it only took me 20+ years to get here). Another place you might think of stopping by at: Liang CourtNot terribly sure what the history of the place is, but it's a mall full of Japanese goods. The basement has a great supermarket, there's a Uniqlo on the first floor, and there's supposedly a pretty awesome bookstore on the 3rd floor (didn't get a chance to go up there).
Cendol-- the perfect appetizer, yeah? (In all seriousness, this is a must-try dessert that is basically Indonesian shaved ice and we were trying to cool off from the hot weather while waiting for my cousin to join us. Plus I have a family of dessert freaks who will eat dessert before a meal all the time.) My eating companions:
Seriously I didn't put on bug repellent for 1 day and I've now got like 13 bites. So here's some old-wives' tale/advice that my grandma told me (which google seems to back up).
My mom's cousins told me to use dragon balm as a repellent. Unclear if that really works, but her words were, "I dab only a little here and there, and then, the bugs fly away as fast as they can when they come near." The insect repellent I have been using is Repel's Lemon Eucalyptus one. All bug repellents stink and this one is no exception. Applying on a breezy balcony has been interesting (spraying when your mouth is closed is a good idea). It apparently beat out the 30% deet stuff according to Consumer Reports, and so far it's seemed to work pretty well. Good chance I might find more interesting things when we go to the Chinese medicine shop. (Update: there's citronella patches that you can buy from the pharmacy.) I first ate my first black pepper crab when I was 9 (I really loved that stuff more than chili crab, so I have no idea when my first chili crab was). I've learned to cook it (really time intensive) but nothing beats eating the Sri Lankan crabs down here (I've had to turn off my ocean-conscious-and-guilty-brain for all of this seafood indulgence). We have yet to try the salted duck egg crab, but we did order a black pepper and a beehoon crab last night. Yummy. This restaurant is apparently the place that created the beehoon crab dish. |
Adela WeeTraveling the world since 1994. Taking notes about the places I've been so that friends and family can go there too! Archives
January 2016
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