Food Friday 3: Heads and Feet

It's the post you've all been waiting for!  Not only is if Food Friday where I tell you all about the crazy things I ate this past week but this one especially include two dishes that will hopefully never be part of my diet ever again.

Let's start at the top.  Last Saturday I told you all how Ethan and I were taken out to a lovely authentic South Indian dinner in Little India.

3 Week Mark and Weekend Recap

It has been 3 weeks since I left the US.  Not technically 3 weeks in Singapore as I didn’t land until Wednesday August 6^th.  Whew just thinking about that flight makes me shudder.  30 hours of traveling with no leg room, no comfortable sleeping position, and airport food (well minus the delicious sushi from Narita Airport).  Don’t worry mom and dad, that doesn’t mean I won’t be making the trip back home in November and then February.  But until then I’ll treasure a good night’s sleep and a good meal. 

While I haven’t been extremely homesick these 3 weeks, I have been craving certain “Western” food.  Salads, grilled chicken, spaghetti and meatballs, pizza, mom’s homemade sticky buns, and Mexican food.  I think more of what I’m missing is the prices of such dishes back in the US.  Does Singapore have most of the items I listed?  Yes, with the exception of mom’s sticky buns, though most of these come at a cost and aren’t just on any corner.  Will I survive without these things for a while?  Most likely, though Mission Cantina in Amherst better have fish tacos, a margarita, fresh salsa, and guacamole waiting for me come next spring!

Why I love my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

For those who may not be aware, I am quite new to this whole blog writing thing.  I know that usually people will write reviews on products or companies in return for some type of compensation but let me assure you that the following are all my own thoughts and opinions.  Chase has no idea I’m even writing this but if they perhaps saw my opinion and knew that I have readers from 10 different countries (thanks by the way) maybe they would be willing to help support some of my travels while I’m here in South East Asia. 

Here's the good stuff:

Food Friday II

I've decided that every Friday will be Food Friday on my blog.  That means a post all about the interesting food I ate in the previous week.  Along with this weekly post, I've challenged myself to try at least one new food a week to make things interesting.  With that, let's get week 2 of Food Friday going!

Ethan lands in Singapore!

While I’ve had my share of #lonelylaura adventures (and there will be probably more to come in my future), one thing I’m super excited about for my final rotation here in Singapore is that I’ll have a friend in the program with me!  Ethan is another associate in the same program with me and we have been buddies since day 1 of orientation, so it’s only fitting that we’re ending this two year experience together here in Singapore. 

Let me first start by finishing my Saturday.  That night my Singaporean friend Glenn took me to a restaurant in the Somerset Mall called Marche.  It was such a fun place!  We took the winding stairs down to a surprisingly HUGE restaurant filled with inspiration of the Swiss Alps.  We were given our table then started to make our way around the market type restaurant to pick what we’d like for dinner.  It felt a little bit like being in Berkshire Dining hall with various stations offering pizza, veggies, crepes, stir fry, and other goodies.  Following my Polish roots, I opted for the potato pancake (legitimately a pan sized cake) and chicken sausage YUM! This is definitely a spot that you could go to many times and never get the same thing twice. It’s also a place that offers a change in the daily Singaporean cuisine which I don’t mind.

My dinner and a cow!

Saturday in the Park I think it was the...

...16th of August

Today's adventure had me off to Pasir Ris Park, only a few minutes away on the subway for me.  Of course my leisurely walk had me looking like I just ran a marathon.  You've really got to love that hot, humid, stagnant air that doesn't seem to have a breeze no matter how close to the ocean you are!  I did my best to ignore it and enjoyed the park.  Pasir Ris Park has lots of walking/biking paths that stroll through mangroves and along the shore.  Here are some views I came across:

Food Friday

Friday at work was a short day for me thanks to my afternoon appointment with the Ministry of Manpower to get my employment pass allowing me to work here.  Of course it did not mean I had to skip out on my groups two hour lunch!  This week for Friday lunch my group took me to the Bedok area and I had my first taste of Chicken Rice, one of the infamous dishes of Singapore.  We ate at an outdoor Hawker Center and had quite the feast of food to dig into.

From left to right: Bean sprouts, roast chicken, regular chicken, some animals liver (I didn't eat that) and tofu in the back right.  Everyone got their own plate of rice. 

Two Short Stories

I haven’t posted in a couple days mostly due to sending off the person I replaced here in Singapore,
checking out of the hotel, and getting moved into the condo I’ll be living in while in I'm here. So here are two short stories from the last couple days that I’d like to share with you.

Just like Popa Lake

One thing I love about traveling is finding little things that connect me to home even though I’m 10,000
miles away. At work I have been eating lunch at the canteen (cafeteria) with everyone in my group.
Lunch includes rice (big surprise there), a random green veggie (and yes, I literally have no clue what
kind of plant I’m eating), and some type of meat/protein. Now this meal doesn’t bring any reminders
of home or my mom’s cooking by a long shot. The part of the meal that puts a smile on my face is
the utensils. A fork and a spoon, no knives (well technically you can ask for one but I haven’t got the
slightest clue who/where to ask). And who does a fork and spoon remind me of? None other than Popa
Lake himself!

Popa Lake is my mom’s dad and someone who did things his own way most of the time including eating
meals with a fork and a spoon. To my knowledge my popa never traveled to Asia and I have no clue
where he picked up this Asian style of eating but low and behold that Vermont-born farmer boy knew
what he was doing! It’s taken only a few meals for me to realize how much easier it is to use your fork
like a rake to put food on your spoon and then the spoon is an excellent vessel to transport to your
mouth so you don’t lose everything through the cracks of the fork! It’s especially excellent when eating
rice. I mean come on, tell me you haven’t ever been frustrated trying to get those last few grains of rice
on a fork but surprise surprise they fall through the cracks!

As silly as it may sound, it’s a little connection to home and makes me wish I could tell my Popa Lake how he would fit right in with the locals of Singapore.

Cara Okay

To get home from work each day I will take one of the free buses work provides to a MRT stop and then
hop on the MRT for 1 stop and walk to my condo. It’s an easy way to get home after work and I have to
say its much more enjoyable than my previous traffic-filled commutes. Wednesday this week a woman
that works in another finance group here offered the empty seat next to her. As most people here do,
she asked about if I had been to Singapore, if I had siblings, if I was married (am I in Utah again??), how
old I was, and if I had any hobbies.

So in the mix of our conversation music was brought up and I asked if she enjoyed live music. She
replied that she liked to sing what they call here in Singapore “Cara Okay”. I had no clue what she was
talking about and figured it must be some local activity or maybe it was Choral Okay? So I admit I’ve
never heard of it and she goes on to tell me how she and her husband will go to Cara Okay and they play
music on a CD and sing-along. She then spelled out what it was because she was shocked I had never
heard of it. K-A-R-A-O-K-E.

Everyone here does speak English but with accents that have taken me a while to get used to. And not
to mention I’ve noticed Singaporeans will pronounce things differently than we do in the states. So I
explained that we pronounce it as Kerry-Okee (I’m not good with the whole phonetic spelling of things
so that’s as good as I got for this one).

Well those are my short stories for you all today. Tonight I plan to finally unpack my bags and get
settled into this new routine of mine. Pictures and recap of the condo to come once the hurricane of
unpacking has settled!

Gardens by the Bay

Monday I was off from work due to National Day falling on Saturday so they give you the following work day off. I spent the beginning of the day reading by the pool, walking around and finding a spot for lunch, and just relaxing.  Later in the afternoon I hopped on the MRT and headed to the Marina Bay area to meet up with friends.  I have to say not having any form of contact when I'm outside of the hotel doesn't phase me until I have to meet up with someone in a place I've never been before.  Luckily, I was able to meet my friends right at the MRT stop with no problem.

Gardens by the Bay is a beautiful place where you can walk around outside or go into the two observatories.  Our main goal was the observatories on this trip.  First we went into the flower dome.  I'll let the pictures do the talking:

 Marina Bay Sands in the background

After making out way through the flower dome, we went to the taller Cloud Dome. Upon walking into the dome we were greeted with a huge waterfall.

We then slowly but surely made our way up to the top of this "mountain" to the lost world.  It definitely felt like a mix of Peter Pan and Avatar in here.

We walked along that upper walk way and it was a bit shaky at times!

We took a nice walk down to the food court of the gardens for some dinner.  It was my first experience in a hawker-esk food court in Singapore.  A hawker center is basically a food court with all local vendors where you can have a variety of foods to eat.  The three of us shared chicken and beef satay with a peanut sauce (sorry Niles!), fried rice, bbq squid, and a green veggie.

Our meal, all very good!

To drink I tried a Singaporean beverage of sugar cane.  At first I figured it would be just like drinking sugar but it wasn't too overly sweet and had almost a mild kiwi flavor to it.  Though it's definitely a treat to be enjoyed in moderation while I'm here!

I will definitely be making a trip to Gardens by the Bay again as there is so much to see and it's such a beautiful spot to walk by the river. 

No Stop and Shop or Kroger prices here

Hotels are great when you're looking to vacation and not have to worry about making your bed and get fresh towels daily.  However, when you move to a new place and have to stay in a hotel for a week living out of a suitcase filled with clothes for 6 months its not as relaxing.  I had the same type of feeling when I went to Indy.  By the end of my time in the hotel I was just so anxious to unpack and settle into the apartment I was staying in and I'm getting the same feeling here in Singapore too.

Another part of hotel life that can get old is eating out all the time.  It's especially tough in a new country where you can't just walk outside knowing you'll find something you'll like.  So yesterday for dinner I was not in the mood to eat anything too heavy and figured I would stop at a grocery store and just pick up something little. This would also be my first time actually taking a look at Singaporean grocery stores.  

Let's just say it took me about 2 minutes from walking into the store to realize that I was not in the aisles of Stop and Shop or Kroger anymore...Everything was so expensive!!  Produce, dairy, staple foods, all of them were so expensive!  What happened to the 10 for $10 deals or Big Y's buy 1 get 2 free deals?!!?  Whew it'll sure be a change getting used to these prices and I'll probably have a very plain pantry while here.  I mean we're talking Annie's Mac&Cheese was $5!  And toiletries are mighty pricey as well.  I bought shave gel for $8 and I took a quick peak at other prices for when my TSA approved 3oz run out, $7-11 for shampoo or conditioner.  (Maybe their shave gel has a secret ingredient that keeps legs smoother longer, yea that's GOT to be the reason why its so much more expensive!)

Ok rant over, and of course I'll suck it up and end up buying these things out of necessity.  And after 6 months it won't even phase me to spend so much.  Though I'll probably become one of those crazy coupon ladies when I get home who doesn't pay for any groceries with money, only coupons.

To end on a positive note, something I have enjoyed here are fruit juice/smoothie stands.  When you ask for watermelon juice they puree actual chunks of watermelon and its just so refreshing to have in the hot, humid weather.  All fruit and no random additions.  Last night I got one with kiwi, pineapple, and green apple yum!  

Happy Birthday Singapore!

Singapore celebrated their 49th birthday on August 9!  This also happened to be my first day exploring Singapore as well as my first glimpse at the intense heat this country has to offer.

Saturday started out meeting up with the other two people in my program here as well as a Singaporean friend of theirs.

This is what the MRT looks like, instead of open platforms there are barriers so people can't fall onto the tracks.

Our first stop on this long day was the zoo!  The zoo here is unlike any I have been to before.  They have a huge range of animals but what's almost more fascinating is how little barriers there are between you and the animals.  In the jungle-esk feeling zoo, there are tall trees around you with lots of rope swings and platforms for monkeys to freely climb on.  As in they are hanging around right above your head and if they wanted, could just drop right down next to you!!  Something you would see back home but not here are tall barricades and cages separating you and the animals.  Not here!  The cages are set up so the animals would have a hard time getting to where you are but if they wanted and if they tried hard enough they could run and jump out at you!  The white tiger below was pacing and definitely sizing up who he wanted to eat for breakfast.

We spent a good 2-3 hours walking around the zoo which was fun but hot!  I wasn't sure if it was just me getting used to this heat or if it was actually a really warm day, but I was sweating bullets!  Stopping in to see the polar bear was quite a relief as we got to stand in the cool air con (a/c) and cool down a bit.

For lunch we had Korean food.  We had a variety of side dishes and then each got a different type of bbq meat which our waitress cooked for us.  It was a good filling meal to help fuel us through the rest of our long day.

From lunch we stopped in Chinatown to meet up with another Singaporean and her two friends (one traveler from Beijing and an exchange student from Denmark).  We didn't see much of Chinatown but from my first glimpse I will definitely want to stop by again!

Chinatown

Our afternoon consisted of lots of walking around, getting fake Singapore flag tattoos, and trying to find the best spot to watch the fireworks.  Along our way we stopped for a drink and I had my first taste at Singapore beer.  Our stop was also a great spot to watch the Singaporean skydivers jump out of a plane and one by one land down in the main area where the parade was going on.  It was neat to watch them all come down through the sky!

Tiger Beer

Finally after a long day of walking around and sweating in the Singapore heat, we were able to see the fireworks and wish Singapore a happy birthday before parting ways and getting some rest.  Luckily this busy day wore me out enough that I was able to sleep through the night without waking up once!  Beat that jet lag!

Marina Bay lit up at night

Lunch...at the airport and routines

One of the different lifestyle habits to adjust to is that everyone goes to shopping malls and even the airport to eat and shop all the time.  Back home, if you asked someone if they wanted to grab lunch at Logan airport they'd look at you like you had 5 heads.  And lets be honest here, no one wants to go to Logan more than they have to because of the headache it is to drive around there.

Biscuits from a lady at work:

Friday's at work mean 2 hour lunches (and yes that's a full 2 hours) for religious observations.  This week was extra special because it was Keri's last day.  When I asked my group where we were going to lunch they said, "Changi Airport T3"  (terminal 3).  I looked puzzled but went along. Upon arriving at the airport they informed me that most people come here for shopping and eating on a regular basis.  In fact they are currently building terminal 4 and it is basically a shopping mall with a couple gates for airplanes.  Changi is a HUGE airport which makes eating there great because there are so many options.  So we enjoyed a filling lunch of sushi and Japanese style dishes followed by strong green tea ice cream.  It felt a bit odd sitting there for so long because I am not used to taking 2 hours for lunch!  However, it does make Friday pass by quicker :)

After work Keri and I both agreed that lunch was still holding us over and dinner was out of the question.  So we took the free work bus to Tampines (pronounced tam-pan-eeze) and walked around the mall there.  This will be the way I go home from work every day once I am moved into my condo.  So Keri showed me the grocery store that I will use, where I will pay the internet bill, and the MRT station.  We stopped and grabbed a cup of coffee at a Parisian style cafe.  Then took the MRT to Simei, the area I will live in and I was able to grab a taxi from there back to my hotel.  

Yumm latte (I think the PB stands for Prescott Batchelder) haha

I'm not sure why but this night was the first time since being here that I felt a bit of relaxation and assurance that I can do this.  Starting out in a new country where people do things differently than you can be daunting.  I was feeling a lack on confidence in knowing how to find a place to eat and how to navigate around.  Starting a new routine is always exciting but a tad stressful for me.  I like to get to a new area and immediately get my bearings for where my amenities are, how I get from one place to another, and just get a sense of how my regular routine will go.  I am quite a routine person when it comes to my during the week activity and then I am more capable of letting loose and adventuring on weekends.  My love of routines is probably part of the reason I feel in love with line-dancing in Indy hah!  But last night seeing the area I'll be spending most of my time in and understanding the way I'll get to and from work helped me realize that I will settle into my basic routine here and I will be able to find things I need on a day to day basis.   

One step at a time! 

View from my hotel room in the morning:

My $47 breakfast and $2.10 lunch

Let me start off by explaining that on Wednesday for breakfast I somehow managed to have my bowl of cereal and orange juice at the hotel and no one ever came and asked me to pay.  Well this morning was a totally different story.  Turns out the breakfast at the hotel is not complimentary and instead they charge a flat fee of $47 per person per day for use of the breakfast area.  Granted its a huge amount of breakfast but when you only eat cereal and juice $47 is a bit over budget.  In US dollars its about $38!  I will not be making that choice again!

Lunch was a different story.  Today I ate from the Muslim side of the cafe and got rice (per usual) some green veggie thing, and a chicken wing for a total of $2.10.  Not too bad eh?  However choosing lunch is quite tough when nothing is marked and you have no clue what anything is or what it might taste like.  I haven't had anything too exotic or that I really didn't like at lunch yet which is good.  Though, I have a feeling I may start getting cravings for a hearty salad or sandwich for lunch soon...

After work Keri and I went to Bugis Junction (basically another mall).  We took the free bus from work right to Bugis.  We ate at a restaurant called Nando's and had chicken on top of salads and a side of sweet potatoes.  Things to note about restaurants in Singapore, since tips are included in your meal the service isn't the same as what you'd see in the states.  Instead here you have to flag down someone to take your order and then do the same when you want to get your check, otherwise you'll be sitting and waiting for a long time. And of course you never add a tip to your bill.  

What's different here than in the states is that everything seems to be located in these expansive malls.  Since it's so hot and humid here, people want to be inside and out of the sun.  (I must still be in the honeymoon stage because I love every second I can get outside).  The malls are packed with stores and restaurants and it can definitely be intimidating just walking into a mall and hoping you find something.  What I find so interesting is that they are packed all the time, every day!  I feel like back home you would see this many people at malls on weekends closer to Christmas.  

Once I arrived back at my hotel last night, I decided to try my luck by going to ION mall across the street from my hotel to find something I could keep in my room for breakfast.  Of course there isn't anywhere I could see to cross the street so I went into the mall on my side of the street and then somehow made my way downstairs and followed signs to the underground tunnel to take me to ION.  Did I mention how intimidating it is to aimlessly walk through these malls??  Well luckily I saw a little bakery where I could grab a croissant for $1.30 and then quickly made my way back to my hotel before I could get really lost.

This is the view of ION mall from my hotel room.  ION is the bright lit place on the left.

 View from my hotel looking down Orchard Rd.

 My hotel is this tall building on the left.  It has a Chinese theme to it.

View from right outside my hotel.

And for those who want to know what my durian experience was like:

Durian.  You eat the yellow bit on the inside.

 Keri took the first bite...she was braver than I with the amount she ate.

My face after eating my tiny bite.  What you can't see are all the shop guys laughing at my reaction.  They love watching westerners eat durian. 

Happy Friday!

That feeling you get after traveling for 30 hours...and my first 24 hours in Singapore

I arrived in Singapore at midnight on Wednesday morning and made it to my hotel by 1 am.  So what does it feel like to travel for 30 hours?  Lets just say I'm happy I only have to make the round-trip twice in the 6 month period.  My long leg was just over 13 hours and for most of the flight it felt like we would never actually land anywhere.  Upon landing in Tokyo, I found out very quickly that the airport is barely air conditioned and seeing as it was 93 degrees outside when we landed, I was sweating the second I stepped off the plane.  In the 2 hour layover I had, I went and freshened up in the ladies room.  Who knew that flushing a toilet could involve so many buttons?!  The first one I pressed said Flushing Sound, which literally meant that when you hit it it makes a flushing sound...but doesn't actually get anything done.  No worries, I was able to make the toilet do its job after a solid 5 minutes.

My last flight from Tokyo to Singapore was just over 5 hours but at that point getting on a plane for any amount of time was too much.  I was able to close my eyes and get some rest on the flight but when you're stuck in the tiny middle seat of coach you can't actually get any good sleep.

The first 24 hours-

After getting a few hours of sleep Wednesday morning, I woke up at 6am, made a quick facetime call to Niles and then got ready for work.  I saw that there was a Dunkin Donuts just across the street from my hotel and figured it be a good starting point.  Newsflash - it doesn't open until 9am!!  Singapore definitely doesn't run on Dunkin.  Thankfully, the hotel had a plethora of options for breakfast and in my sleepy-jetlagged-daze I was able to get orange juice and cereal (such authentic Singapore food right?).

The taxi ride to work took about 30 minutes and on the way I was able to soak up more of this city.  It's a busy city yet I am shocked at how much lush greenery there is all around.  The best thing I can describe it as is somewhat like Florida with palm trees and tropical like plants.  All of the buildings are so unique, yet it all seems to work together as opposed to the various decades of styles you see in some cities back home.

Day 1 of work went well.  Mostly just setting up my computer and access as well as getting a quick tour of the facility.  Lunch is in the cafe or canteen and there are two options, Muslim or non-Muslim.  I opted for the non-Muslim offerings and ended up with a plate of rice, sweet and sour pork, and some random green veggie (legitimately have not a clue of what it was).  The whole plate cost me $2.90 (beat that cafe's back home)!  And Chinese tea is free everyday with lunch.  In the afternoon, the plant was holding a Singaporean fruit bazaar.  Thank goodness it was held outdoors because the main fruit being offered was the terribly aromatic and pungent smelly durian. There is a reason most Westerners do not know of this fruit and consider yourself lucky to have not had to smell, let alone try it.  Singaporeans love to watch westerners try their "King of fruits" and my boss took no time in getting me to try a piece.  Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me so I don't have pictures of what it looks like but its a big coconut-like sized fruit with a spikey tough outer shell that needs to be cracked open with a sharp knife.  Inside you find this weird yellowish looking stuff surrounding the seeds and you eat the yellow stuff.  I took a small pinch and it was this slimy, gooey, weird texture.  One bite was enough for me.  It has a pungent garlic like taste and is very bitter and just plain yucky.  Many people loved watching my reaction as I made quite the face when eating it.  But thankfully there was mangosteen, rambutan, and cherries to enjoy after.  Needless to say I won't be eating durian anything every again.

After work, Keri (the associate I am taking over for) took me to City Hall downtown.  On our way down I got a quick glimpse of Marina Bay Sands Hotel (Jack Greene- it's even more unbelievable in person).  For dinner we ate at a restaurant called Nam Nam and had pho, yum!  After dinner we parted ways and I headed back to the hotel to get some rest and try to get onto a regular schedule.  Seems that it'll be tougher than I thought to get over the time difference as my body is still not capable of getting a full nights sleep.

Hopefully day 2 in Singapore won't require as much adventure eating and will include a bit more sleep.  Pictures to come!

"Do one thing every day that scares you" - Eleanor Roosevelt

Today I board a (or three to be correct) planes headed to Singapore.  What an adventure that lies ahead of me. I’ve been a mixed bag of emotions the past few weeks.  Friday, I left my position in Indianapolis and said goodbye to some wonderful people, then headed on a 15 hour roadtrip back home with my sister.  Now less than two days after arriving back home I’m back at the airport ready for the next leg of my journey. 

The hardest part for me in this journey is not having a clue what to expect of the new country I’m going to.  While I’ve gotten lots of advice from previous travelers and ex-pats in Singapore, it still is such a foreign place to me and I have no clue what to really expect.  Ok well I guess it’s really the 2^nd hardest part because leaving Niles, my family, and friends is most definitely the hardest part of this journey.  Luckily, I will not be alone in Singapore and will have another associate of the program (and good friend), Ethan, with me.  I’m looking forward to having a travel buddy and just to have someone around to hang out with when I’m missing home.

\Alright so enough with the sappy “lonely girl traveling across the world missing her boyfriend, family, and friends” story. Today’s funny happened as my parents and I were getting ready to walk over to the security line.  A nice TSA lady noticed me crying into my mom’s shoulder and kindly informed us that my parents could go through to the gate with me!  So we get back in line and patiently wait to get them their gate passes.  Of course once we ask for them the attendant looks at me and asks if I’m a minor because parents can only go through if their child is a minor.  So I guess I either look quite young or the TSA lady figured only young kids cry so hard leaving their parents, Hah! 

Here goes!  Next time I check in I’ll be 10,000 miles away from home.  (If I look at it with a finance perspective its really only 10 miles because most times we look at things in thousands, right?)