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| Tom likes these “wienie wraps!’ These are SGD 1, US $.74. |
Breakfast is an easy meal to accommodate my restrictive diet in most countries when eggs, vegetables and bacon of some sort or another are readily available. For this reason, we’ve been having breakfast each morning over these past few days since we arrive in Singapore.
An evening meal is more challenging. Having perused menus from many restaurants both while out walking each day and online, the pickings are slim for my way of eating.
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| Three long rows like this one shown here at the Maxwell Road Hawker Centre, a short walk from our hotel. |
There are dozens of local restaurants that would be able to accommodate my diet, but most of these would be in the range of SGD $269, US $200 for dinner, drinks and the always included 17% taxes and service fees.
There’s no meal that’s worth that type of expenditure for us. Subsequently, I’m left with being creative with more modest options at mid range establishments. Tom’s picky taste buds also limits his choices when he’s adamantly opposed to unfamiliar spices and seasonings. He almost gagged over a cardamom roll he purchased in the open market.
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| Many vendors were selling unique items used in Asian cooking. |
Last night, we decided to try the local and highly popular open food market, Maxwell Road Hawker Centre rated #38 of 8067 in TripAdvisors reviews for dining venues in Singapore. For the typical tourist and local citizen this is the place to eat.
Prices are unbelievably reasonable with a typical meal at SGD 4, US $2.97, although, there higher priced options. The huge draw for tourists in the popular establishment is the famous “chicken and rice” dishes which is often boiled or sautéed chicken atop a bed of tasty fried rice.
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| There are no chicken parts wasted in Asian cooking. |
Tom, off his diet over these next weeks, has no interest in boiled chicken and rice. He’s ravenous for starchy, fried Asian foods with minimal spices and sauces. That’s tricky in itself.
Last night’s boiled chicken, bean sprouts and steamed cabbage didn’t quite do it for me last night. The boiled fatty chicken (with the skin) without being able to include soy or oyster sauce, made it bland and uninviting.
Tom, unable and unwilling to try something new especially when he saw a number of dishes made with intestines and chicken feet, resorted to ordering several sausage stuffed rolls (kind of like “wienie wraps” of the 1970’s) and the cardamom bun that caused him to gag.
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| Had I not been on this way of eating, I would have loved most of these items. |
As we perused each and every stand in the enormous marketplace, there were no other dishes I could try when all were made using sugar and sauces made with flour with rice as a foundation.
Going forward, we’ll continue to experience the midrange restaurants located in Chinatown and see what we can accomplish. No, we don’t like it that we both have limitations; my issues revolving around health and Tom, the simple fact of his picky taste buds.
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| The prior day Tom had one of these shown blueberry muffins which were sold out when we returned last night. |
This reality doesn’t bother us. We seldom become frustrated or complain about our limitations. It is what it is. We enjoy perusing the wide variety of restaurants and dining venues, curious as to unusual products used, methods of cooking and presentation. It’s more visual for us.
Tom always call me a “food voyeur.” No doubt, this is true. I never walk past a bakery or candy shop without stopping for a look. Oddly, Tom, who could try something if he wanted to do so, seldom makes a purchase.
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| The central city, where we’re located, is filled with business centers. It was obvious many workers stopped here for lunch, returning in the evening for takeaway. |
Recently, the only time he expressed enthusiasm over food was when we drove past a Dunkin’ Donuts shop in Denpasar on Tuesday. We didn’t stop. Most likely, in Bali those donuts weren’t the typical US variety anyway.
However, I did notice him to be somewhat enthused this morning at a breakfast buffet when he buttered four pieces of white toast with his bacon and eggs. Yesterday, I dug out the scale and put it on the bathroom floor. So far, he hasn’t gained back an ounce which surprised us both.
Soon, we’re out the door once again to return to the Thai Embassy to collect our visas. As mentioned yesterday, we won’t be getting the Indonesian visa until we get to Hanoi next week, where we’ll have five days to get it accomplished.
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| Two days in a row, Tom ordered several of these hot dog filled buns shown on the center rack. They smelled amazing, reminiscent of a similar item I made for my kids in the 1970’s. |
After we’re done at the embassy, we’ll have the taxi driver drop us at the far end of Chinatown and we’ll walk back to the hotel in time to relax for an hour and then we’ll be off again to walk the streets of Chinatown at night hopefully finding a good spot for this evening’s meal.
We’ll be back tomorrow, with nighttime photos of magical Chinatown and the results of our dining experience.
May you have a magical day!
Photo from one year ago today, June 30, 2015:
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| At AUD 64, USD $49.26, all of these items which includes a huge Barramundi filet, two pieces of made-without-sugar smoked fish and two containers of crab meat which we used to make low carb crab cakes resulted in four meals.The cost per entree resulted in a cost per day of AUD 16, USD $12.31, not bad for such delicious fish and seafood. We struggle to be motivated to go out to dine when we do so well at home and have just as good a time. For more details of our trip to the wholesale fish market in Trinity Beach, Australia, please click here. |