St David's Day, March 1st 2019: Welsh Foods To Buy or Bake and Welsh Music

St David's Day is March 1st, a Friday in 2019. An opportunity for a family gathering or club meeting on a Welsh theme. Here are some foods to try or buy.

Welsh Cakes
Welsh cakes are small thick pancakes. I first tried them at Fishguard in Wales at the Fishguard Bay Hotel. Lovely served hot with melting butter.

Tea time at Fishguard Bay Hotel, Wales.

We were served them at tea time in summer. You might find them on the a la carte menu in the restaurant or bar. If you are organising a conference, or a wedding, or staying for several days, you might ask the chef to make some for you and your group.

I think one of the station cafes had them and served them hot, maybe on request. However, I was too scared of missing my train to risk buying anything requiring heating.

I tried Welsh cakes again on a train back from Fishguard to London, from the trolley. They seemed dry and cold and nothing special. I think the same applies to scones. And pancakes.
(More pictures and text later.)

Lava Bread
Made from edible seaweed. To the Japanese it makes perfect sense. To a Londoner like me, it is totally offbeat. But that is part of the attraction, to try something you have never had before.

Photo from Wikipedia.

Welsh Rarebit
For breakfast or tea. Not a rabbit but a rarebit.

Welsh is a lovely sing-song language. You might want to play plaintive Welsh harp music, or the robust sound of a male voice choir. this is the country renowned for the Eistedfodd, a music contest and celebration.

Welsh Songs
Suitable and enjoyable songs would include the Welsh national anthem, and Men of Harlech.
All through the night is a public domain song with a Welsh language version.

Welsh Poetry and Quotations
Perhaps a reading of a quotation from Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood.

To practise Welsh words, listen to Richard Burton in the film version. Or use the free Welsh language learning system Duolingo.

Useful Websites
To visit Wales
www.visitwales.com
To learn Welsh
duolingo.com
To cook Welsh cakes
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5569/welsh-cakes
For public domain songs: eg All through the night
https://www.pdinfo.com/pd-song-list/pd-song-list-best-a.php
to hear the Welsh National Anthem on YouTube with male voice choir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtCOprRDUm8
With a band and subtitles in English and Welsh

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

My fish burger with seaweed sauce in Singapore

See the Sea Weed at MacDonalds in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

At MacDonalds in Pasir Ris Elias, the seaweed condiment looks a bit like green pepper. My Singaporean companion who bought it for me described it as seaweed sauce so I was expecting it to be liquid like the dollops on the right. However, it is dry like ground up pepper. Shake your fries inside a large paper bag with the seaweed until each piece of potato has a scattering of green dots. 

We went in just for a coffee but I saw salmon burger and had to try it. Then along comes the seaweed powder. I am always game to try anything new.

Useful Websites

visitsingapore.com

singaporeair.com

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Advantages and Disadvantages of MacDonalds in Singapore

Problem
How do I get food I recognize, with marked prices, and local flavours?

In the East many countries have local variations of MacDonalds food. In Singapore next to Pasir Ris Elias Community Club, having arrived early we went into MacDonalds for a drink. When I saw the meals included Salmon I had to try it.

Let's look at for and against eating in this MacDonalds.
FOR
1 Local food. Salmon in a bun.
2 Seaweed sauce to go on the French fries.
You empty the packet into a paper bag and toss the French fries around in it. Not much flavour but it adds a bit of crunch and variety. Different from at home in London. You feel you are abroad.

I have to admit to being disappointed on two counts.
1 Toilets and handwashing are not within the restaurant but outside in the mall. So when my food arrived fast - it's fast food! I wanted to wash my hands but not to leave my food on the table and leave the restaurant.

2 The salmon cake in the bun was a bit dry and tasteless, nothing like fresh salmon cooked at home with no more cooking skill needed than adding water and sticking the salmon in a microwave. You could also do this in a rented studio with a kitchenette or microwave.

On the plus side:
1 We had a choice of round or square tables, nice for a conversation between two, boy and girl, social chat or even a business meeting.

2 Bottomless coffee or tea at breakfast time.

3 Ample seating and nobody hassling you to order more nor move on.

You can even get your MacDonalds meals delivered.

Useful Websites:
visitsingapore.com
singaporeair.com
https://www.mcdelivery.com.sg

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See next blog post for photo.