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Jan 10, 2010
Love at first bite
<!-- by line -->By Rupali Karekar
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I am a big eater with a penchant for outlandish combinations of food. I can add sweet food to the bitter or hot food to the cold, and devour the mixture with great relish.
My university friends would gawk in disgust as I gobbled beriani rice mixed in chocolate syrup, or had potato chips dipped in ice-cream, and later washed it all down with a fuzzy cola and a hot cappuccino.
My quirky habit gained me the moniker 'dustbin' - the only other place where all kinds of food co-exist without prejudice.
However, when it came to venturing onto untested culinary grounds, I was surprisingly timid. I know many people who enjoy trying out new tastes from different cultures and regions. But I stayed with tried-and-tested dishes.
My timidity might have been a result of the restrictions imposed on me during my childhood years. Eating home-cooked meals comprising chapati (flat Indian bread), dhal, rice and different vegetables cooked in spices was a rule in my house.
Variety was provided by the kind of vegetable my mother cooked on a particular day - ranging from brinjal to French beans to spinach or just potatoes. The vegetables were the 'nutrition necessary for kids', my father would say, and were to be eaten (nay, swallowed) without argument. Anything apart from these traditional dishes was considered unhealthy and strictly prohibited.
Even universally popular fast food like pizza, noodles and burgers were introduced to my palate by friends much later.
When I moved to Singapore, looking for the staple dhal and chapati posed a big problem. Indian stalls in foodcourts rarely serve them, and prata and sambar are not exactly their alternatives.
I would desperately google authentic Indian food outlets around the island, and travel far just for my daily dose of chapati and dhal. More often than not, the journey would leave me disappointed, because despite the outlets' claims, the food in these places was never as authentic and as good as that in India.
During one such long journey, hunger got the better of me and I decided to try out chicken rice, the signature dish of Singapore. Needless to say, I loved it so much that it made its way to my dining table every day at least once, for the next one month.
Soon, I ventured out to try other eye-catching dishes, one at a time. Starting off with noodle soup and curry puffs, I moved on to murtabak and char kway teow, then to fried bee hoon, roast duck and laksa. Before I knew it, these dishes had become a part of my daily diet. Fish head curry and fish balls are occasional indulgences since I am not a seafood lover.
I have now graduated to trying out cuisines from other countries - rotating my choices among miso soup, cajun chicken or burgers, black pepper chicken, hummus and pita bread, Hong Kong-style steamboat and Tibetan momos.
For someone who was used to eating with my fingers, I can now use chopsticks with finesse.
I have transformed from just an Indian food lover into a global foodie.
Nowadays, the search for 'authentic' Indian food is limited to only once a week, when I eat vegetarian food for religious reasons. Instead, my daily food intake often looks like this: eggs and kaya toast with teh-C for breakfast, a bagful of Singapore satay while on the go, a lunch of chicken and pineapple sandwich at the neighbourhood library coffee shop, and noodle soup for dinner.
There is still a treasure of culinary delights out there which I have yet to discover (the Korean kimchi, for example). With the integrated resorts opening soon, more choices are in the offing.
I am ready for more culinary adventures... with chopsticks in one hand, a bib around my neck, and a dustbin for a stomach.
The writer is an assistant to the editor on the Straits Times Foreign Desk. She has lived in Singapore for the last 21/2 years.
Love at first bite
<!-- by line -->By Rupali Karekar
<!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar -->
<!-- story content : start -->
I am a big eater with a penchant for outlandish combinations of food. I can add sweet food to the bitter or hot food to the cold, and devour the mixture with great relish.
My university friends would gawk in disgust as I gobbled beriani rice mixed in chocolate syrup, or had potato chips dipped in ice-cream, and later washed it all down with a fuzzy cola and a hot cappuccino.
My quirky habit gained me the moniker 'dustbin' - the only other place where all kinds of food co-exist without prejudice.
However, when it came to venturing onto untested culinary grounds, I was surprisingly timid. I know many people who enjoy trying out new tastes from different cultures and regions. But I stayed with tried-and-tested dishes.
My timidity might have been a result of the restrictions imposed on me during my childhood years. Eating home-cooked meals comprising chapati (flat Indian bread), dhal, rice and different vegetables cooked in spices was a rule in my house.
Variety was provided by the kind of vegetable my mother cooked on a particular day - ranging from brinjal to French beans to spinach or just potatoes. The vegetables were the 'nutrition necessary for kids', my father would say, and were to be eaten (nay, swallowed) without argument. Anything apart from these traditional dishes was considered unhealthy and strictly prohibited.
Even universally popular fast food like pizza, noodles and burgers were introduced to my palate by friends much later.
When I moved to Singapore, looking for the staple dhal and chapati posed a big problem. Indian stalls in foodcourts rarely serve them, and prata and sambar are not exactly their alternatives.
I would desperately google authentic Indian food outlets around the island, and travel far just for my daily dose of chapati and dhal. More often than not, the journey would leave me disappointed, because despite the outlets' claims, the food in these places was never as authentic and as good as that in India.
During one such long journey, hunger got the better of me and I decided to try out chicken rice, the signature dish of Singapore. Needless to say, I loved it so much that it made its way to my dining table every day at least once, for the next one month.
Soon, I ventured out to try other eye-catching dishes, one at a time. Starting off with noodle soup and curry puffs, I moved on to murtabak and char kway teow, then to fried bee hoon, roast duck and laksa. Before I knew it, these dishes had become a part of my daily diet. Fish head curry and fish balls are occasional indulgences since I am not a seafood lover.
I have now graduated to trying out cuisines from other countries - rotating my choices among miso soup, cajun chicken or burgers, black pepper chicken, hummus and pita bread, Hong Kong-style steamboat and Tibetan momos.
For someone who was used to eating with my fingers, I can now use chopsticks with finesse.
I have transformed from just an Indian food lover into a global foodie.
Nowadays, the search for 'authentic' Indian food is limited to only once a week, when I eat vegetarian food for religious reasons. Instead, my daily food intake often looks like this: eggs and kaya toast with teh-C for breakfast, a bagful of Singapore satay while on the go, a lunch of chicken and pineapple sandwich at the neighbourhood library coffee shop, and noodle soup for dinner.
There is still a treasure of culinary delights out there which I have yet to discover (the Korean kimchi, for example). With the integrated resorts opening soon, more choices are in the offing.
I am ready for more culinary adventures... with chopsticks in one hand, a bib around my neck, and a dustbin for a stomach.
The writer is an assistant to the editor on the Straits Times Foreign Desk. She has lived in Singapore for the last 21/2 years.
