I saw these flags hanging at Bishan Community Club. I think I can identify the Korean flag, the Swiss flag, the Italian, a Scandinavian flag, possibly Greek? How many can you identify? Answers tomorrow.
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Thursday, June 14, 2018
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
East meets west in the Trump and Kim Jong-Un Lunch Menu
Problem
What could I learn, or try, from the menu enjoyed by Trump, and Kim Jong-Un, two top world leaders in the news? I'll give you my Western and British view of this meal choice. Although I have lived in the USA, and Singapore, and been to south Korea and Korean restaurants in London, England and Korea, I have my own biased viewpoint.
Answers
Starters
Prawn cocktail is an old favourite in the UK from the 1960s. Good. Avocado salad is a modern salad, with tasty and filling avocado supposedly having health benefits as well as tasting subtly good. Yes, that's ok by me.
I must pass on the octopus as I'm allergic to shellfish. Although I used to eat prawn cocktail, I got caught out by Pacific Prawns and crab.
Main Courses
Beef rib was served with Red wine sauce on the side because Trump doesn't drink. That suits me, too. I am not keen on alcohol in food. A waste of good alcohol. Masks the true flavour of good meat.
Desserts
Chocolate tart.
Ice cream. Vanilla - sounds a bit dull, but I bet it really tasted of vanilla. Cherry coulis. That means cherry sauce. Bright colour to contrast with white ice cream and sharp flavour.
Can't go wrong with chocolate and ice cream. (Any refreshing fruit - well, they did have the cherry sauce?)
Kim Jong-un is keen on Western alcohol.
For me, no wines. If I were him, I think I'd rather have a take home gift of alchol. When you are meeting a world leader on camera, discussing nuclear weapons which could blow up the world. getting drink, drunk, tipsy, is not a good idea.
It sounds like a good meal, with enough mixture of the familiar and the special and surprising.
Website
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44447714 - the menu from the BBC
Author
What could I learn, or try, from the menu enjoyed by Trump, and Kim Jong-Un, two top world leaders in the news? I'll give you my Western and British view of this meal choice. Although I have lived in the USA, and Singapore, and been to south Korea and Korean restaurants in London, England and Korea, I have my own biased viewpoint.
Answers
Starters
Prawn cocktail is an old favourite in the UK from the 1960s. Good. Avocado salad is a modern salad, with tasty and filling avocado supposedly having health benefits as well as tasting subtly good. Yes, that's ok by me.
I must pass on the octopus as I'm allergic to shellfish. Although I used to eat prawn cocktail, I got caught out by Pacific Prawns and crab.
Main Courses
Beef rib was served with Red wine sauce on the side because Trump doesn't drink. That suits me, too. I am not keen on alcohol in food. A waste of good alcohol. Masks the true flavour of good meat.
Desserts
Chocolate tart.
Ice cream. Vanilla - sounds a bit dull, but I bet it really tasted of vanilla. Cherry coulis. That means cherry sauce. Bright colour to contrast with white ice cream and sharp flavour.
Can't go wrong with chocolate and ice cream. (Any refreshing fruit - well, they did have the cherry sauce?)
Kim Jong-un is keen on Western alcohol.
For me, no wines. If I were him, I think I'd rather have a take home gift of alchol. When you are meeting a world leader on camera, discussing nuclear weapons which could blow up the world. getting drink, drunk, tipsy, is not a good idea.
It sounds like a good meal, with enough mixture of the familiar and the special and surprising.
Website
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44447714 - the menu from the BBC
Author
Carrot Cake - Singapore Style
Problem
It's not carrot and it's not cake. What is it?
Answer
The so-called carrot cake I was served in Singapore, is made from radish which is known as white carrot in the Chinese dialect called Teochew. Kway means cake.
You could get served this any time of day, breakfast time, as a side dish, or as a late night snack, at a hawker centre kiosk in a shopping centre or a fine restaurant.
It comes as a block cut into cubes, or a jumble of cubes, with a dark sauce. The sauce is a sweetened soy sauce, possible ingredients being savoury, garlic, or fish sauce, or molasses (dark brown sugar syrup).
You might be offered it or see it on the menu in Singapore, Malaysia, or Taiwan. If you are with people who speak English, they will probably call it carrot cake. If not, look on the menu or sign board for the name Chai tow kway. If you are ever asked if you like Teochew cuisine, you can respond brightly, "I love Chai tow kway!"
How can I remember the name Chai tow kway? I remember the three words visually by the letters. Chai is tea. Tow is the letters for two jumbled up. Kway means cake and sounds like cake k(w)ay (k).
Would you like tea for two? Ok - cake. Chai tow kway. Chai tow kway. Chai tow kway.
Useful Websites
visitsingapore.com
singaporeair.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chai_tow_kway
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English and other languages.
It's not carrot and it's not cake. What is it?
Answer
The so-called carrot cake I was served in Singapore, is made from radish which is known as white carrot in the Chinese dialect called Teochew. Kway means cake.
You could get served this any time of day, breakfast time, as a side dish, or as a late night snack, at a hawker centre kiosk in a shopping centre or a fine restaurant.
It comes as a block cut into cubes, or a jumble of cubes, with a dark sauce. The sauce is a sweetened soy sauce, possible ingredients being savoury, garlic, or fish sauce, or molasses (dark brown sugar syrup).
You might be offered it or see it on the menu in Singapore, Malaysia, or Taiwan. If you are with people who speak English, they will probably call it carrot cake. If not, look on the menu or sign board for the name Chai tow kway. If you are ever asked if you like Teochew cuisine, you can respond brightly, "I love Chai tow kway!"
How can I remember the name Chai tow kway? I remember the three words visually by the letters. Chai is tea. Tow is the letters for two jumbled up. Kway means cake and sounds like cake k(w)ay (k).
Would you like tea for two? Ok - cake. Chai tow kway. Chai tow kway. Chai tow kway.
Useful Websites
visitsingapore.com
singaporeair.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chai_tow_kway
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English and other languages.
Where To See Trump's Towers, Buildings And Sights In The USA
Donald Trump. From Wikipedia.
Problem
Where to see Trump's towers and hotels, stay there if you have the time and money to stay there or, if not, just take a look.
Answers
For a start, take a look at the internet to plan your next trip around cities of the USA.
Trump HQ in New York. Wikipedia.
Your major Trump building sites are also in two of the USA's big city attractions. Manhattan island, New York city, New York State is the big draw and first stop for many visitors. The Trump HQ is not just an ordinary oblong. Notice the stepped corner.
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA is a fun weekend away for Americans and a conference centre, an adult gambling centre, and a family centre, full of shows, rides, museums and novelties.
If you have a big win when gambling in Las Vegas, you could treat yourself to a meal or stay in a Trump hotel.
How do you spell Manhattan and how do you remember the spelling?
Manhattan two times (in England we say twice) letter t and three times letter a. No letter e - I checked.
Donald Trump star in the Holloyood Walk of Fame. Photo by Neelix released into public domain in Wikipedia.
The Trump Star
The Donald Trump five point star is in the Hollyood Walk of Fame, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA. The star was placed there before he becoma president when he was in the TV show The Apprentice.
Useful Websites
visitlasvegas.com
visittheusa.com
wikipedia Trump
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer, photographer, speaker and author,
Native British speaker, English teacher and tutor and speech coach.
Trump's and Kim Jong-Un's Visit To Singapore - see what they saw
Donald Trump, President of the United States of America. Photo from Wikipedia.
Problems
Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un met in Singapore, happily with a historic handshake and no security problems. Where did they go? What did they see? What did they eat? What did it cost!
Answers
I was delighted that Trump and Kim met in Singapore. What a boost to Singapore's image, spreading worldwide knowledge on the tourist scene.
Landmarks I expected and hoped they would visit. They missed Singapore Night Safari. But Kim saw the Marina Bay Sands hotel with its rooftop, infinity pool, and the riverside walk. Wonderful.
Triple tower of the Marina Bay Sands hotel, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
You can walk around the marina and look up at the hotel. The lower floors are a complex of shopping arcade, upmarket shops, and restaurants. For twenty dollars you can ride up to the observation deck, and the twenty dollars is taken off the price of a drink or food.
The North Korean leader's bill was picked up by Singapore and cost millions, but it put Singapore on the world tourists' map.
Journalists got to see the Fullerton hotel and, I hope some of the surrounding waterside statues which I have described and photographed in previous posts.
I have also shown the parts of the Shangri-la hotel where Trump stayed, not the private tower, but the public areas which you can visit.
Interior of the Fullerton Hotel, Singapore, where journalists stayed. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
The doorman at the Shangri-la Hotel, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
The grounds of the Shangri-la Hotel, Singapore, where Trump stayed. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
The lobby of the Shangri-la Hotel, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
The public areas of the Shangri-la hotel grounds in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
Sentosa island is another popular tourist area with a beach, a hotel, several attractions.
You won't be flying on a private US air force plane, but you can enjoy great comforts on the award-winning Singapore Airlines.
Useful Websites
visitsingapore.com
singaporeair.com
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Where your cashew nuts come from - and what cashew fruit looks like
Cashew nuts in Cashew Heights, Singapore. Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
Problem
Why are cashew nuts so expensive? Where do they come from? Can I grow them?
Answers
A cashew nut tree is in the Cashew Heights condo complex, on Cashew Road, leading uphill from Cashew MRT station. Many roads in this are are named after nuts.
What is a nut? A nut grows as a single item protected by a hard shell. Think of a walnut, a brazil nut, a hazel nut. Unlike seeds such as sesame seeds which are smaller and softer sand scatter.
I saw them lying on the ground. The nuts looked dark and dirty. I thought of picking one up, washing it off and eating it. But it was rock hard.
Looking at the cashew nut, what at first sight seemed to be a cashew nut hanging from a pear, turned out to be the hard shell of a cashew nut.
So you can grow cashew nut trees in Asia, in the tropics, in Singapore. The trees grow big. You need a lot of space. A smaller variety of tree produces crops faster, in three years.
Cashew nuts mainly come in quantity from Brazil, Vietnam, India and the Ivory Coast.
The fruit is also used in drinks and chutneys and jams. Both the cruit skin and nut casing can be astringent and cause allergic reactions, which is why the nuts are not sold in the shell. Now you know.
Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashew
https://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-cashews.html
Cashew nut and cashew apple, both of which are edible - with some warnings. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
Quotation on a bag from da Vinci
Everybody is a walking work of art. Bags and carry messages as well as goods. Baseball hats and tee-shirts impart motivational messages.People and their clothes turn travel by train into an entertainment.
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