Sights of Singapore

 What started as a gloomy, rainy first day in Singapore seemed the opportune time to visit the Asian Civilizations Museum. The museum walks through the local history and folklore of Singapore and its waters, as well as other civilizations' influence on the region throughout time. For the size and location of this building compared to other museums, it has been done extremely well. It's divided into five main galleries with subdivisions, has hands-on activities for young visitors, and creates the atmosphere of actually being in the culture whose artifacts are displayed.

 

The museum is situated right on the river. When we had seen everything there was to see inside (Anyone who knows Chris would understand this), we took a look at the surroundings.

 

Heading north to the heart of the city is the Raffles Hotel. This is a luxury hotel that started its famous tenure as a 10-room bungalow in 1887. Over decades and through wars, the Raffles has been changed, updated, and remodeled. At $550USD a night or more, it is a far cry from what it once was. It's also the birthplace of the Singapore Sling.

From the Mer-lion (above) to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel (below), Singapore is full of unique things.

We went to one of the hang-out areas on the riverside and ate at a Mexican place called Cafe Iguana. It really had the best food and drinks I've had in a long time!

It had an awesome view at night, too.

Cuisine of Southeast Asia

Let's face it; I'm really bad at blogging about our trips. I'm going to try a new approach to writing about them, so let's see how it goes. The first of a few about our recent trip to Malaysia, Singapore, and the Island of Bintan will concern something that Chris and I are both passionate about: food. Nothing can tell you more about a culture than the types of food a person can eat. For example, here are some questions we ask about food.

1. Is it halal? ("Halal" is a term used for anything that is lawful in Islam. Pertaining to food, it mostly refers to the process of how animals are killed for meat, "dhabiha," or what has touched the food. The opposite of "halal" is "haram." Pork products, alcohol, and carnivorous animals are definitely "haram.") In our recent travels, most of our food was "halal" because Malaysia and Indonesia are Muslim countries. Singapore's Muslim population is about 15%. Everything in Kuwait must be halal-certified, especially if it's imported.

2. Is it local? Has it been grown/prepared/produced/raised/killed in this region and is it used in traditional foods? We don't always ask this question because it's often very obvious. In Malaysia, they use a lot of tapioca, which is a starch from the cassava plant. It made its way from South America all the way to Southeast Asia via the Spanish and Portuguese colonial periods. We ate slices of cassava fried like chips, and sweet treats that were made of tapioca flour and coconut steamed together inside hollowed bamboo shell.

3. Is it fresh? In third-world countries, freshness is everything. Especially in humid, hot weather countries, it is highly undesirable to eat food that has been sitting out all day. An opposing argument could be that some foods are most desirable after being cured for weeks, or that there is a risk of food-borne illness from eating fresh fruits and vegetables. I usually have only three strict rules to eating in other countries: no peels/rinds, no drinking tap water, or I see someone else eating it and s/he hasn't dropped dead. They're simple rules, really. On our visit, we enjoyed piping hot Singaporean noodles, super fresh sushi, and a buffet of tropical fruits prepared in snacks and drinks.

Valentine's Baby

None other than the spectacular Chris Freeman is a Valentine's Day baby. Ok, there probably are some other people that have the same birthday, but how many that you know? I tried to keep it low-key the other night since it was a work night, but we still wanted to do something out of the usual. Since it's Chris' birthday, I like to do the planning for this holiday, but he was sweet enough to pick up something I've grown to love- dried fruits.

First, we went to a piano recital that was held at one of the local library/concert halls. We left with what I thought was enough time to get there, but I didn't take into account the extra traffic for Kuwait's National Day month-long visitors. (In general, traffic during the entire month of February is awful, especially around dinnertime.) The concert started at 7pm, but we didn't arrive until 7:25pm, which is a major no-no for a musician. Chris didn't seem to be terribly affected by it though, so we had a really enjoyable hour listening to some amazing, young Kuwaiti performers who have been preparing for international competition. I found out about the free recital on a website that I follow called The Grapevine Kuwait, which gives notice for a lot of local social events.

After the recital, we drove over to a restaurant called Rangoli, which is at one of the seaside hotels. It usually serves Indian cuisine, but they had a variety of menus for Valentine's Day. We ate. A lot.

There was live music and funny little "love" decorations were worked into the appetizer display, making it a unique evening.

The restaurant is situated under a dry-docked boat, which actually houses another restaurant. Here's one of two Arabic bread ovens that are located near the entrance of the restaurants, serving both. The smell of "khubz" is near heavenly.

"underneath" the boat

We had a really great time on Tuesday evening, but it's nice that having a date isn't out of the ordinary for us. We try to have a "date night" every week, a habit we started early in our marriage at the encouragement of others. It has really allowed us a lot of face-to-face time over the years and respite in the middle of each busy week. We don't always do something formal; sometimes we just go for a walk along the seaside, but Chris has been really good at leading us to block out this time just for each other.

 Happy Birthday, Christopher,

my beloved, my friend.

an unusual week

I'm currently in the second day of my three-day vacation this week, which has been relaxing and eventful at the same time.

On the way home from work on Monday, excited about the 5-day weekend I was about to begin, Emily and I were hit by another car. Our scenario was not unlike many others in Kuwait, two foreigners in a small to medium-sized vehicle, generally obeying all traffic laws and courtesies of the road, when along comes a young Kuwaiti guy with a blackberry, an agenda, and a giant car. A Cadillac Escalade, to be precise. Here's some of the damage:

Driver's side rear (you can't see the loose things underneath...)

Driver's side front

Thankfully, neither of us are badly hurt, and we weren't hit again when the Escalade pushed us into other busy lanes of traffic.

We always get beautiful sunsets here, especially in the winter time. Often, the sun looks huge compared to what it looks like in most parts of the States, which is mystifying to me. Maybe one of you science types can explain that. You can't quite see the shape of the sun here, but this was a rare and gorgeous cloudy afternoon.

Yesterday, Chris and I drove down south to Mahboula to meet our friend Rasha for lunch. Afterward, we just drove around because we didn't have anywhere in particular to go. She suggested a little cafe to us, and we laughed when we found it, because we had never actually seen a "Nestle Toll House" cafe before. The coffee was good, and needless to say, the cookie was delicious. Generally, I'm not one for cookies, but who could resist? Besides Chris?

And, there were these cool, potted cacti outside. They looked a little out of place for Kuwait, but cute.

They just started publicity for the Parliamentary elections coming up here in Kuwait. In all of the neighborhoods, there are giant tents that come alive around 8pm at night, places for people to drink tea and "meet and greet" those running for seats. Sometimes I wonder why they have elections, because people always vote for family members or people from the same "clans." Since we don't vote, we westerners judge who has the best billboards with the nicest pictures. Here are a few samples:

This morning, I was walking outside when I spotted this guy in one of the car lots near our house. If I had a Ford Edsel, I don't think I would let it sit outside exposed to the elements, considering that they were only manufactured during a three or four year time period in the 1950s.

Well, those are my days off so far. We'll see what this evening and tomorrow bring!

Thanksgiving #1, 2011

I dare to say...I look like my mom in this picture! Thanks, Hugh.

I said I'd post about our trip to China during the Eid holiday, and I fully intend to, but I've become a little side-tracked. See, there are just too many fun things going on right now that I can't buckle down to write out what happened two weeks ago. While we're back to the full throttle busyness that characterized the first two years of our marriage (we're at 6?!), it's much more enjoyable this time. We're serving and being busy together instead of heading in different directions, which makes things a lot more meaningful and fun; that's how I'll start my official list of "thanks" this year.

We had our first Thanksgiving dinner on Monday night, and since we've already celebrated, I'm sitting here typing as I listen to Christmas carols. Did I ever mention that "O, Holy Night" is my favorite?

I organized a dinner that was originally intended for our Monday night bible study (life group) from church, with a few others that we are connected to from there. Well, in one of my emails I happened to use the phrase "the more, the merrier" and that's exactly what we got. Out of a group of almost 20 people, half invited one extra guest. You do the math. Interestingly enough, there has been a shortage of turkeys in Kuwait this year, the reasons for which I am still investigating. So, I set out on an adventure to get a real turkey, somehow have it cooked/roasted for dinner, and arrange for a location and food for 35.

Success came through one of our friends, who works at the US Embassy here in Kuwait. As she graciously opened her home to everyone, she also acquired a 20lb. Tom from Camp Arifjan, the US Army installation in the South (leave it to the Americans!), and even pulled out a few Chardonnays, Rieslings, and Pinot Grigios to go with it. It was a wonderful night of fun and fellowship.

We have a few more Thanksgiving invitations, two of which I think we'll accept. One is tomorrow night, the beginning of our weekend here in Kuwait, and the other is Friday afternoon. I've been alerted that one or both of these parties has also acquired a turkey, so I will definitely have my fill. I've requested for my mom to bake ham for Christmas.

Speaking of Mom and ham, did I mention that I'll be traveling to the States for the Christmas season? I'll be around for about two weeks, arriving shortly after we finish the school term and heading back to Kuwait on New Year's Eve. I hope to see a few familiar faces while I'm there, but I'll probably spend most of my time tying up loose ends with our newly remodeled house and chasing around my adorable niece and nephew.

Date Night Dinner

prepared by yours truly.

never a dull moment

We're finally back in Indiana, PA for a few weeks. After traveling around Europe, spending time with friends and family in the Boston area and in the state of Indiana, going to Chicago and driving everywhere in between, we can finally unpack our suitcases for a few weeks. Tonight, I brought a taste of Kuwait here with a dinner of fattoush, sambousik, cauliflower, rice, grilled lamb and chicken, hommos, and bread with zaatar. Here's a preview of our past 4 weeks.

Health Update

After about 50 days of trying to figure out how my body reacts to certain foods, I've narrowed it down to a few culprits. The types of products that cause my eczema include caffeine, tomatoes, or dairy. In fact, from eating different foods in a very isolated way, I realized I may have a more pronounced dairy allergy- which is probably also why I feel terrible after drinking milk. On a consistent basis, if I avoid the above mentioned items, my hands are free, clear, and soft (so I hear).

We are still trying to stick to the healthier life style, eating whole grains and brown rice, avoiding anything sweet, and upping the fruit and vegetable intake. I'm so glad that I don't have to eat as much meat anymore and can now enjoy toast! On the same note, I made vegetable quiche for dinner- with a crust- and it was delicious.

Photo: At a recent sleepover, no one though I would eat mayo straight.

new foods, new flavors

Generally speaking, I'm not much of a meat eater. I don't recall that I ever have been crazy about it, but I enjoy it every now and again. (Just ask my mom about eating plain spaghetti and jello when I was little.) Because I have been thrown into the world of proteins on my elimination diet, I have had to make a few big adjustments, fast, and they haven't been easy. This has sent me on the recipe hunt of a lifetime.

Let me rewind by explaining more about the diet. In order to have my body revert to its normal, healthy, food-processing self, I have had to cut out a lot of foods. Anything that will encourage the growth of yeast or bad bacteria in my digestive track is out, until I can figure out what foods especially trigger problems. To try to make it simple, once I can isolate/identify problem foods and the balance of healthy bacteria is greater than the bad, these will be avoided for a period of time and then slowly reintroduced to see if they will still bother me. There are some foods that I will probably never eat again, like white flour, white rice, or refined sugar, but only time will tell.

What CAN I have at this stage? Generally, these are supposed to all be organic or unprocessed, which are products easy for me to find here in Kuwait because of how they grow/butcher foods.
- meats (beef, lamb, chicken, fish)
- vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, lettuce, cucumber, onions, zucchini, summer squash, radishes, eggplant, spinach)
- eggs
- some cheeses (mostly white)
- nuts (almonds, macadamia, pecans)
- plain yoghurt w/ live cultures
- garlic, ginger, apple cider vinegar, lemon
- water, decaf. tea (my favorite treat has been Apollinaris sparkling mineral water)

What CAN'T I have? (At least for now)
- basically, anything with carbohydrates
- anything with flour, yeast, sugar, or artificial sweetener except for stevia
- any grains (oats, barley, rye, millet, etc.)
- corn and other high carb vegetables (carrots, potatoes, beans, etc.)
- Caffeine or caffeinated beverages (coffee, tea, regular or diet soft drinks)
- tomatoes/sauce
- mushrooms (they're a fungus!)
- milk
- fruits or fresh fruit juice (I've made an exception to have lemon so I am not eating plain salads. Some people say you can eat low-sugar fruits, like strawberries and grapefruit, but I'm not taking any chances.)
- anything pickled, containing regular vinegar, or having dried spices (i.e. garlic powder)

That said, I am eating a lot more meat and vegetables these days! One of the best resources I have found so far is a site called Elana's Pantry. She aims to create gluten-free recipes, using mostly almond flour in place of regular flour. I haven't yet attempted many of these because: a) almond flour is expensive, b) it's nearly impossible to get here, and c)I haven't had time; however, she has a lot of good ideas that I can work from. I don't 100% endorse her site because of some of the comments she makes, but you don't have to read them to look at the recipes!

Photo: Can you name that water by looking at the label? It's not Apollinaris.