Laksa Good

My first taste of the Singaporean laksa was at Jurong Bird Park. When we came in it was about lunch time so we went directly to the Hawk Cafe.

I was intrigued by the laksa on the menu so I ordered one. Good choice! Leni, our host and guide, made a thumbs up sign.

Laksa is a spicy noodle soup popular in Malaysia and Singapore and its origin can be traced back to the Chinese and Malays combining noodles and Asian spices. It has two varieties, the coconut milk-based and the tamarind-based. I usually go for the coconut-based varieties.

Since my first spoonful, laksa became my favorite Singaporean dish so that wherever I went during my Singapore trip, I would order one to see if there was one peculiar flavor for each restaurant.

Now that my Singapore trip has become a memory, my craving for laksa has become more of a want rather than a need.

I ordered a large bowl of that soup at Spice Fusion in SM City Cebu because they do not have individual servings. Despite its watery blandness I devoured the whole bowl.

My foodie friends told me to buy the best instant laksa in the market today- the Prima Taste Singapore Laksa La Mian. Indeed, their laksa is very near to the fresh laksa I have tasted in Singapore. The distinctive smell of the paste would bring me to outdoor restaurants in the streets of Singapore. The fusion of chili, dried shrimps, curry and other Asian spices kicking me in every dollop of this creamy soup. Incidentally, lamian in the Visayan language means delicious!

The Singapore Laksa La Mian I prepared

Another friend, Moni gave me Teh Tarik (milk tea) from Malaysia. Now that is a good complement to my laksa.

You can now call me Captain Hook.

Singapore's army is a softie

This picture of a maid, possibly a Filipina, walking behind a Singaporean army while tinkering a gadget in his hand has created a lot of debate in cyberspace. It even forced the Ministry of Defense in Singapore to issue a statement that the concerned soldier is remorseful of what he did in public.

I don't know how the Singaporean military operates but the picture would tell a lot, not just a thousand stories about the Singaporean army, and maybe will go down in the history as, uniquely Singapore. 

What's wrong with a maid bringing a rucksack of an army? There are a lot of wrongs here, and I can see a few-

I can deduce that Singaporean armies are pampered and spoiled brats. Brats could get worst. It could mean that a maid is doing the works of a military in a Singapore army camp- laundry, cleanup, shine shoes. Soon Singapore will be bringing maids when they go to war. Knowing their advanced technology, they could just sit in air-conditioned bunkers while their maids do the direct encounters with enemies. Isn't that cool?

Singapore's affluence, while worth for the green eye, has given us a picture of snobbery and aloofness. And like what its soldier was doing, Singapore could as well just be like its neighbors who could do nothing without helpers at their side. Maybe that is the main reason why a lot of Filipinos go there. That, aside from being a softie.

But in a way, bringing a maid to camp, is much much better than siphoning billions of pesos from the coffers of the military. The Philippine military could do well with that. Not the maid, of course.

More readings about the pic above:

Randy David: Every picture tells a story

David Boey (Senang Diri): Singapore's defence burden- Something no maid can carry

Picture from blog.omy.sg

Never mind Chinese products; beware of Philippines' BFAD

Fourth China product has melamine- BFAD

MANILA, Philippines -- A fourth locally available dairy product made in China was found to be tainted with the industrial chemical melamine, the Bureau of Food and Drugs announced Wednesday.

Lotte Strawberry Snack Koala Biscuit tested positive for melamine, which damages the kidneys when ingested in large quantities or over a prolonged time.

In a one-page advisory, BFAD also announced that 34 other products were melamine-free.

This brought to 144 the number of China-made milk and milk-related products that have been cleared so far for sale by BFAD.

The three dairy products found to be tainted with melamine and banned from sale were Greenfood Yili Fresh Milk and Mengniu Drink (both of which come in packages with Chinese characters), and Jolly Cow Slender High Calcium Low Fat Milk 1 liter.

October 15, 2008

Singapore finds 20 MORE tainted products

SINGAPORE -- Singapore has discovered toxic chemical melamine in 20 more products from China and Malaysia, taking its total to 33, authorities said.

Three Chinese products and 17 biscuit items from Malaysia were found to contain melamine, the industrial chemical at the center of a toxic milk scandal which has rocked China's dairy sector.

The affected items include popular products such as Lotte Koala biscuits and Julie's crackers, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said in a statement seen on its website on Saturday.

It was the first time Singapore had found melamine in non-Chinese products, the Straits Times said.

October 25, 2008

Source: www.INQUIRER.net (emphasis mine)