Little India, Hats, Food, and Shaving

What's new in Singapore?

Little India:
Well, on Sunday we took a trip down to Little India, and it was quite an experience. There were many many people out, the streets and sidewalks were crowded. Also, it was a stark contrast from say, Suntec City (Singapore's largest mall), which, while busy, was not as exciting as Little India. Also the meal we had certainly seemed more "authentic" than the fast-foody places of Suntec City, although I think that big shopping malls have become a big part of Singaporean culture, and could be thought of as authentic, even if they aren't steeped in tradition or culture (other than pop culture).

Hats:
Yesterday I took a trip down to Orchard Road and looked for a hat, often known as a Tilly Hat in Canada, or an Angler's Hat in Singapore, or a mixture of the two. After shopping for hours, I still couldn't find one that fit my large, rather bulbous, head. All of them were two small. However, I did manage to find new sunglasses as I had lost my previous pair in IKEA.

Food:
Food is delicious here, but lacks some variety. There are several choices of rice, noodle, soup and wanton dishes, and they are all tasty and extremely cheap. An average meal from a Hawker stall (independent food vendors who all sell foods in the university canteens or mall food courts) costs anywhere from $2.00 - $4.00 Sing dollars, but it's usually around $3.00. A drink costs $1.00 for a total of around S$3.00 or S$4.00 for a full meal, which is only 2 or 3 Canadian!!

However, the only problem is that these dishes are loaded with grains/carbs, mainly rice and noodles. There is often also a sizable portion of meat, but unless you specifically order vegetables, they usually only come as sort of a garnish. So there are some deficiencies, according to the Canadian food guide, to my current diet:

1) dairy
2) fruits
3) vegetables

Luckily, the Hall I am at gives sizable portions of veggies and also a piece of fruit for dinner, which is nice. So I am getting on track. But dairy is still almost non-existent. I have yet to have a delicious slice of cheese here, or a real (fresh) glass of milk, although preserved milk is available if you look hard enough.

Below: Delicious pau.

But still, it is very delicious. My favourite food so far might just be pau, which is apparently pronounced "bow" (as in "L'il Bow Wow). It is a delicious food that has a kind of doughy outside (that is steamed) and delicious surprise fillings on the inside, from yam to chicken to honey chicken to egg and chicken to vegetable to bean curd. Apparently it also shows up as a dim sum dish, but here it is almost always available from a little cart that is often in canteens, and while I think it is more of a breakfast dish, you can get it 24/7!

I was happy to note that my meal plan at the hall affords me two pau in the morning, and a cup of hot drink. That's 2 free pau per day!!!

But more on food later as I have mostly eaten just at the hawker stalls and on campus.

Shaving:
I discovered the secret! To a smooth, close shave, that is. The pantry (aka kitchen) on my hall floor has a dispenser for cold water and near-boiling water. I tried shaving (for the first time while here) last night, using the near-boiling water, with some cold water mixed in because I didn't want to melt the plastic cup that was holding said water. To my amazement, it was a REALLY good shave, and I was excited because there was very little irritation.

If this is the case every time I shave with really hot water, I think I will have to boil water to shave all the time, as it really is much easier.

End:
Well I hope that has sated your appetite for all things Singapore. I should get more pix next time, and have other interested tidbits (tidWhats?) to tell.

(C)