Food Haunt That Needs No Accreditation

Located in the newly-renovated Cambridge Food Centre at the corner of Owen and Cambridge road is this noodle stall that needs no recommendation by food columnists, media, and the likes.

This is one of the dying breed of traditional food stallholders who take pain and passion in the preparation of food for sale. Because of his failing stamina, he has taken, of late, an additional day-off. The stall is closed on Monday, Tuesday and Friday for the time being.

The waiting time on Weekends can be as long as 30 minutes. There are 2 price-points: S$2.50 and S$3.00. He does not entertain request for any top-up. He does not sell his self-prepared fishballs and fishcakes (without noodle, I mean).

I like the fishcake best. His slicing is just right for one to savour the sweetness and beyond description texture of the fishcake. The deep-fried outer layer of the fishcake is crepe-like.

East Malaysia - A Rare Review

East Malaysia comprises both Sabah (formerly known as North Borneo) http://www.sabah-hotels.com/ and Sarawak www.borneo-hotels.com/sarawak/index.html.

Both were formerly part of the Straits Settlement under British rule, and merged with Malaya and Singapore to form Malaysia on 16 September 1963. Both share a common border with the remaining part of Borneo island under Indonesia rule and Brunei.

A local major newspaper carried an insightful review on Tuesday, 24 June 2008 about "The East-West Divide" of Malaysia.

More elaborate coverage by the media is expected as the political spotlight is trained on East Malaysia in view of the crucial support that both states contribute to the Barisan Nasional coalition after the general election in March 2008.

The late Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaya's prime minister then, had refused to consider merger with Singapore unless the 2 Borneo territories were part of the deal, so as to maintain racial balance.

The outgoing British went along with the Tunku's demands, and encouraged Sabah and Sarawak to join Malaysia.

At that time, such a move was welcomed by most in both territories as the neighbouring Philippines had laid claim on Sabah, whilst Indonesia was eyeing both Sabah and Sarawak. Besides, there was an on-going communist insurgency in Sarawak. But, both (commonly referred to as East Malaysia) have diverged much in their attitudes towards West Malaysia since then.

From hindsight, Sarawak would have "burst out in bloodshed" if the territory had not joined Malaysia as the Sarawakians were too diverse, restive and politically immature to fend off the communist threat.

In negotiating the Malaysia Agreement, Sarawakians had insisted on autonomy in the civil service, local government, land and immigration. They are proud to have kept the Big Brother, UMNO (the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional's biggest component party) out of Sarawak.

The negotiated autonomy and financial independence gained from exploiting vast natural resources have enabled the Sarawakians to maintain the status quo. Sarawak has been built up with the investments from giant oil companies such as Shell, and the capital's ( Kuching ) sophistication is evidence of the state's richness.

In contrast, Sabah's capital (Kota Kinabalu) is shabby; and many Sabahans drive second-hand cars bought from West Malaysia. Roads are rocky and unstable.

Sabahans and Sarawakians are about as Malaysian as they come. People in both territories have intermarried for generations, so it is hard to tell if one is Malay, Chinese or one among East Malaysia's many indigenous peoples (also officially classified as "Other Bumiputeras").

Often, they are all of the above racial backgrounds. But, the veneer of racial harmony is thin at best. The Dayaks (also known as Ibans) are resentful of the Chinese. Few Dayaks have the money to stand for elections, and champion for change.

Most of the political activities were funded by Chinese, which gives them a rather large say on important issues. In 1963, the Sabahan leaders then had insisted on safeguards for Sabah on immigration matters, religion, language, education, forestry and others.

As of now, the state has a voice only in forestry and land matters. All else requires consultation with, if not approval from the federal government in Kuala Lumpur (capital of Malaysia) located in West Malaysia.

Sarawak's Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud has been in office for 27 years, while Sabah has a rotation scheme (introduced by ex- prime minister, Mahathir Mohamed) for post of chief minister. This was meant to give each race in Sabah a turn at governing the state.

The need to change (every two years) the chief minister incumbent has scared off many Chinese businessmen in Sabah. Nobody knows if today's policies will be around tomorrow.

East Malaysians are not enamoured with West Malaysia's emphasis on Malay Supremacy and the Malay agenda. In fact, the federal government (also resentfully referred to as the peninsular by the East Malaysians as it is based on peninsular West Malaysia) often raises the hackles of East Malaysians.

For instance, the federal government will give aid to mission, Chinese and other independent schools in the state only if they signed over their land to the peninsular.

Ironically, in the recent general election, it was East Malaysia that voted overwhelmingly for the Barisan Nasional to continue ruling the country.

Possibly as a show of gratitude, the Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi announced a multi-billion-ringgit package of development projects for Sarawak. He also gave Sabah a generous package.

Note: Continue to look out for the latest development here.

An Excellent Match For A Change

We bought a bottle of Mango Salad manufactured in the Middle-east from Mustafa Supermarket for a try-out.

It was awful when taken alone, and we did not know what to do with it. It costs only about S$ 2.00, but we did not want it to go to waste. We thought it over for days for a possible fusion to mellow the highly sourish and salty ingredients.

On reflection, I remembered hearing someone sharing her experience in the Middle-east where she was asked to try the Arabs' way of eating french fries with vinegar..........

I decided to try it out with some deep-fried chicken nuggets instead. WOW ! What a good replacement for our usual chilli or tomato sauce.

Good Indonesian Cuisine

It's at the corner of Block 301, Serangoon Avenue 2 #01-344 Singapore 550301; and is owned by some Indonesian Chinese.

The below meal costs me S$ 3.50. Go for the Popiah ( Spring roll ). At S$ 1.20, it's very much more in terms of size and flavour when compared to others elsewhere.

They also offer takeway services for corporate, parties and other occasions. To place your order, you may contact Ms Ratna on 9630 2387 as well. Fax: 6858 2803

Transportation will be charged according to the distance. FREE delivery in Serangoon Neighbourhood Area with order worth a minimum of $20.

Look Out For Their LIVE Seafood and Set Menu (per person) too !

Click here for more halal delights.

One Of My Favourite Haunts For Lunch

Yes, it's No. 2 Braddell Road. Junction of Braddell Road/Upper Serangoon Road.

There is always a queue from the moment, Go.......... at about 9.30am every day.

The queue can be especially long on Saturday/Sunday. But, do not despair as the boss is swift in handling orders.

It is home-cooked food, teochew-style no doubt ! Boss is generous with his helping, and a meal ( 1 meat, 1 fish and 1 vegetable ) cost $3. A chicken rice meal could cost as low as $2.

The less than desirable ambiene does not deter the regulars !

I passed the outlet 2 years ago, and dropped by to enquire about the speciality. A man in the queue could not answer me about the apparent popularity of the dishes. I left without giving it a try. But, I decided to give it a try this time round; and I never fail to drop by for a meal when ever I am nearby ever since.

Parenting Licence In Singapore ?

Radio FM 95.8 had an interesting slot at 12.30 pm today. The host had started the programme by referring to some moves to introduce licensing arrangements for would-be parents in some countries such as China and Australia.

At the invitation of the host, 7 men and 1 woman had called in to express their views on the feasibility of such a scheme in Singapore. Views varied as much as they were diverse in details.

Majority were not in favour or sceptical about the practicality of such an intention. Along the same vein, they shared the desirability of some courses, both pre- and post-marriage for couples.

More interestingly, the sole lady caller had cited the poor participation rate by men in classes run by her organisation. Often, they were very happy and contented to see 3 or so men in a session.

Paradoxically, we had 7 men against 1 woman calling in for this afternoon's programme.

It now sets me thinking whether or not men/husbands actually shy away from programmes involving family affairs.

Could it be the methodology that needs review for drawing more men/husbands to come forward with their girlfriends/wives ?

Was the intention of the programme appropriately coined and conveyed to men so as to put them at ease in coming forward with their partners to share their experiences/predicaments ?

Did the scheduling consider the precious little time that many men have outside their working hours ?

Have sufficient efforts been made to understand men's absence from programme meant for wives and their spouses ?

Have sufficient efforts been made to change men's perception of such good intentions ?

Have spouses made adequate efforts to convince each other to go forward for self-improvement ?

You Could Be Paying For Others' Handphone Charges

Yes, I feel a strong compulsion to share this incident involving an aunty and 3 primary school children outside the school gates in Sembawang on Tuesday, 17 June 2008 at about 5.30 pm.

The exchange of words grew louder and louder that I could not avoid not hearing what had transpired between them. Two foreign girls had used a local classmate's handphone to SMS and make overseas calls.

Unknowingly, the aunty's daughter had allowed the foreign girls to chalk up a hefty bill of more than S$600. Aunty had threatened to complain to the school principal if the foreign pupils' parents continued to avoid making full settlement.

I listened with much disgust when the pupils countered aunty's demand by asking in a rude manner for the account number so that they could verify the details over the internet. I moved on, hoping that it was not the pupils' further attempt to avoid settlement.

Let This Father's Day Be A Day Of Reflection

Mothers' Day was a day of great and widespread celebrations both in the city and heartlands. Quite unabashed, I acknowledged in the presence of my wife and her friends that this Fathers' Day continued to pale in comparison.

It is not that I am trying to put up a "macho" front as a man, but I just wonder, WHY ?

Why is there a great disparity ?

What has gone wrong in portraying the equally important role of the father in a family ? Is it man's undoing that gives rise to the negative stereotyping of all fathers as the unlovable animal in the family ?

Is it the close proximity of both occasions that renders the misconception that Fathers' Day is uneventful when in fact faithful daughters and sons had already celebrated Mothers' Day as Parents' Day ?

I am SORRY if I had misunderstood you, all faithful future mothers and fathers. The commercial sector is seemingly indifferent to Fathers' Day, or is it a reflection of the realism in our society - fathers are not as lovable as mothers ?

Promotions lack depth and coverage towards Fathers' Day when in reality working fathers often ended up paying for the big tickets. Some fathers are known to have reprimanded their children for buying them presents.

Are the fathers to be blamed for their children's subsequent lack of interest in buying gifts or celebrating for their fathers ?

More importantly, is it time that fathers come together to correct any negative image that men have been unfairly drawn into ?

Do we have a negative image to grapple with in the first instance ?

Is it Real or is it a matter of perception ?

Are they isolated cases ?

What is the incidence ?

Last year, I chanced upon an interview when the interviewer enquired about a teenager's Fathers' Day celebration.

"No celebration" was his/her reply.

"Why ?" the interviewer interjected.

He/she shrugged his/her shoulders, while struggling for an answer.

"But, do you celebrate Mothers' Day ?"

"YES !" a resounding and prompt reply from the interviewee.

"Why ?" the interviewer frowned for an interesting reply. The interviewee reeled with guilt and embarrassment. No answer........

It is to the disadvantage of any retailer or restaurateur to ignore any sales opportunity.

But, why are they not advertising or promoting as fiercely as towards Mothers' Day.

Have they run out of their budgets after banking their limited resources towards Mothers' Day ?

Are ladies ( mothers and daughters ) more susceptible to impulsive buying that retailers and restaurateurs would not hesitate to entice them at every opportunity ?

Suffice it to say at this juncture that no one will have an inclusive reply to all those puzzles. But, let us continue to reflect on the issues at hand.

No immediate and all encompassing solution is likely to be forthcoming in the foreseeable future.

May the next Fathers' Day bring greater joy and more heightened mood of celebration to all fathers and their loved ones in a more tangible and significant dimension.

Note: This posting was published on ST Online Forum on Wednesday, 18 June 2008, captioned "Are Fathers Lesser Parent..."

The posting received 390 visits and 20 comments by 1 August 2008.


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"Clay pot Rice" Without Too Much Hassle

Yes, I used the electric rice cooker instead of the popular clay pot over charcoal fire. I may try it one day, but for now I am happy with the outcome within the confines of an HDB apartment's kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Thai fragrant rice ( your usual cup of measuring rice );
• 1 cup of glutinous rice ( optional );
• 400g, mixed vegetables ( from supermarket );
• 2 pcs, dry sausage ( add more, if preferred );
• 5 strips, chicken fillet ( add more, if preferred );
• 2 tsp, Chng Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice Mix ( add more progressively, if preferred );
• 3 Tsp, dark soy sauce ( add more progressively, if preferred );
• Dried mushrooms ( optional quantity );
• 3 Tsp, sesame oil;
• Fried onions ( home-made preferred ); and
• Pepper
  

Method:

1. Soak the glutinous rice overnight;
2. Marinate the chicken fillet with dark soy sauce or other preferred sauce;
3. Wash and put the rice ( both types ) to boil in rice cooker ( beware of level of water );
4. Heat up sesame oil in frying pan, and add in chicken and mushrooms to stir-fry;
5. Add sausage and mixed vegetables to rice when it starts to dry;
6. Add and stir in chicken rice mix, dark soy sauce, and chicken/mushrooms after 5 mins;
7. Add pepper and dried onion, and mix well after 15 mins to serve.

Bon Appetit !

Chilled Tofu Basking In Spicy Bailing Mushrooms

Basically, I love mushrooms - all sorts, and when I first saw this bottle of appetizing Bailing mushrooms.

I have grown accustomed to taking my chilled tofu with fine-cut red chilli and light soy sauce since young. For a change, I decided to try it with the preserved Bailing mushrooms, and my wife and I love it best ever since.

If you prefer yours to be more spicy, you could add in cut red chilli as well (Remember to remove the seeds otherwise some might get lodged in your appendix, and cause severe pain - not many aware of this danger).

Bottles of such mushrooms could now be bought off the shelves at some Fairprice outlets. Avoid using the mixed mushrooms as the gravy is tasteless, and does not add flavour to the chilled tofu.

Caution: For those with weak stomach, I suggest that you add both items together, and put them in the steamer for 15 minuties before consumption.

More Than Just Chicken Rice Mix

A celebrity chef does not fail to tuck along a bottle or two's when he has to leave for overseas engagement. He is more than happy to have it with his plain rice minus the chicken to satiate his crave for Singapore Chicken Rice.

I have tried it out, and am happy with the outcome (see my other posting on "Clay-pot Rice").



It works wonders on my stir-fried vegetables such as capsicums, shanghai green, bitter-gourd, chye sim and kai-lan. I have yet to try it with tofu soup. I suggest that you use it sparingly on your first attempt, otherwise the pungent ginger ingredient might overwhelm your taste bud.

Add according to your own preference. It has salt as an ingredient. So, add your favourite light sauce or oyster sauce with care.

There are other brands in the market, but I like this brand best because there is no MSG, artificial flavouring, and preservative.

Have Your Fish And Eat It

I chanced upon this stall unit 01-30 at Havelock Cooked Food Centre, off Old Havelock Road today at 2.30pm.

I was intrigued by the bowl of chunky deep-fried stuff on many tables, and stopped to take a cursory glance at the stall.

Oh, it served Fish with Tom Yam, Fish with Soup, Mian Fen Guo and Ban Mian. Two price-points, $3 and $3.50.

I ordered Fish with Soup at $3.50. Within minutes, my order was ready - Rice, Fish Soup, 2 different servings of Chilli sauce and, YES, that bowl of chunky golden-crispy stuff. I took a bite, and wiped out my handphone to take snapshots for my blog posting. The fish meat was fresh and succulent. The crispness was excellent. To refer them as fish nuggets would be a misnomer as they were rather chunky. For $3.50, it was a generous helping.

One slurp of the soup, I could say with certainty that it was fish-bone based with hardly any MSG, if any. It was rather wise of the stallholder to serve the fish and the soup separately, and allow the customer to enjoy the crispness of the freshly fried fish meat or to mix them with the soup as was commonly served elsewhere in Singapore. I am against the idea of mixing deep-fried stuff in soup as it defies the logic of basic cooking - the craved crispness of the stuff is lost in the soup !

There was no certificate of accreditation or recommendation by food columnist, etc. But, I believe that it is a matter of time when the stall would be recommended as worthy of recognition for its excellent cooking.

FoodXCulture

FoodXCulture is Coming Soon to this blog. I have tried all that my wildest imagination could think of:

• FoodXEperience,
• FoodXPeriment,
• FoodHeist,
• FoodCulture,
• FoodSense,
• FoodConcept,
• FoodBlog, even
• FoodQuack.

Other netizens beat me to it ( or them ? ).

From hindsight, I am happy to settle down with the label, FoodXCulture as it best captures my imagination on food fusion across cultural influences.

Basically, I am open to all local and exotic cuisines, and their unique ways of preparation and consumption. Many of us have the tendency to make comparison of others ( food and food-related aspects, I mean ) with what we are so accustomed to in our culture and experiences.

I have heard of instances when Singaporeans brought along their favourite preparation or brand of chilli paste when they went overseas. Every meal and every food preparation must be powered up by their favourite spicy condiment(s).

To me, some Teochew ( my dialect, incidentally ) food is best taken without any spicy concoction or pepper in order to appreciate the sweetness and freshness of the ingredients.

Others may exclaim, "Oh, this can't be better than my mum's way of cooking." Really ? For me, there is no universal way of appealing to all taste buds. Rather, we tend to have our individual preferences over the nitty-gritty of food preparation and combination.

Some ingredients are too pungent to put us off. Well, we can exercise our individual prerogative to do away with them, and enhance the flavours with others. Do not like the roast ?

Well, we can consider cooking it in another way. Well, that is precisely what I have in mind in sharing with others on my past experiences/experiments.

I may consider buying a better camera to enhance my photo uploading for this slot.

Look up for my first favourite on simple Chilled tofu soaked in mushroom gravy !

Meditation - How I Improve Myself Physically And Mentally

I was born a healthy child, but I always felt inadequate in my physical endurance. I loved participating in sports, all sorts; but never quite made it to the final, except for discus-throwing during my pre-university days.

I took part in all long-distance running opportunities - but I always ended up in the rear with the rest of the school weaklings ( physically ). Pushed myself ? I would faint, and caused a commotion !

You could always find my name in the namelist for IPPT ( Infantry Physical and Proficiency Test ) retest appointment. Tonics ? Vitamins ? Steroids ? Never heard of in my childhood days - Brand's Essence of Chicken, maybe; but only for those who could afford it ! Notwithstanding, I was adamant on improving myself - very typical of a Capricornian !

Not only was I interested in improving myself physically, I was very much into chinese kung-fu as a form of self-defence. After completing my national service with the Singapore Armed Forces, I decided to sign up for such a course. But, how ?

I felt that I was always in need of a mentor in all my pursuits. I had wide interests and high expectations of my pursuits. Most of my loved ones were either simple folks and/or devoid of the opportunities themselves. I had to reach out to other resources and guidance. Magazines !

I went on to sign up with South-east Asian 1978 Champion ( Master Cheong, well-known for his 'Iron-fists' ) for Shao-lin kungfu training at SAFRA ( Toa Payoh ) in 1978. Oh, I remembered that I almost fainted on my first night on shadow-boxing ( punching into the air ) session, and Master Cheong had to pull me to the sideline to take a rest - how embarrassing ! I never give up, Remember ?

Three months passed, and I was surprised with my own physique when I looked into the mirror in the changing-room ! To understand the martial arts better, I chanced upon a new local publication by another martial-art leader, Sifu Anthony Wee ( remember the kungfu master who offered his neck to be punched by former boxer, Mohammad Ali when the latter visited Singapore ? ).

From one of his issues, I realised that the master was about to start another class on Chi Meditation. I signed up without hesitation ( about S$400 for the first module, and another S$400 plus for the intermediate; big money in 1980s ).

Sifu Anthony Wee had explained to me on the first session that his was a modified version of a Taoist form of meditation. It was compulsory for all trainees to undergo some sequence of warming-up exercises before we got into our full-lotus or half-lotus ( to each his own ) position to meditate for the rest of the session ( about 30 minutes ).

Meditation basically involves deep breathing and focusing of the mind on selected acu-point of the human body ( For beginners, this would involve the acu-point directly below the navel ). Trainees were told to exercise good discipline relative to time of practice so as to facilitate the bodies to condition themselves for maximum effect.

Personally, I have developed over time a heightened level of stamina and internal strength ( it is a form of Qigong, incidentally ), which complemented my Shao-lin martial art training ( widely regarded as an external form of kungfu by martial-art circles).

Over the years, I have gone on to pick up other forms of martial-arts such as Pa-kua ( or hexagonal pattern boxing ), WaiTangKong, Divine Boxing to strengthen my internal strength.

I have abandoned my Shao-lin kungfu over the years as it is more appropriate for the younger enthusiasts.

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Why Do Husbands Always Get The Blame ?

The full question was " Why Do Husbands Always Get The Blame When Something Happens In The Family ? "

This was the question posed by a male reader who wrote to the forum page of a local newspaper recently. The reader claimed that he was dismayed by another male reader 's earlier suggestion on " Take Harsher Stand Against Errant Husbands ".

Other interesting posers include:

• Why are women always right ?


• What about men's rights ? and


• What do we call errant wives, and where should we consign such wives ?

To me, the stands posed by both men ( surprisingly ) involved serious and sensitive issues that many of us would prefer to delve on during private conversations.

I regret that nobody else picked up on the issues, otherwise we ( men and women ) could avail ourselves of the opportunities to better understand the current situation involving men's and women's rights.