Out & About In Singapore: Tanjong Pagar

Text by Dolores Parker / Photos by Janine Ralph and Lianne Chilton
More photos can be viewed via the CAS photo gallery www.canadians.org.sg/gallery.php#OAS11

Happy Lunar New Year (a bit late, I know)!  With all the talk about ways to usher in good luck for the New Year and auspicious actions and omens, I wondered if spilling kopi all over my bright white T-shirt just before leading the Out and About tour was going to be a bad omen.  Lynda Sellars and I had planned this outing and I arrived early to go over my notes.  The iced kopi was very tasty.  Too bad so much of it ended up on my shirt.

After Lynda and the other 15 Out and Abouters arrived at our meeting place, we started things off with a brief talk about the history of the area before
having a good look around the Tanjong Pagar train station.  The station was built in 1932 for the Federated Malay States Railway company and it and the tracks are still owned by Malaysia, though the company is now called Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM).  It is a beautiful old building with arches, murals and relief statues.  It was also once a prestigious 36 room hotel, but now the only overnight option is a $15 bed in a dormitory.  Last September, Singapore and Malaysia came to an agreement that Malaysia would hand over the station and railway land to Singapore in exchange for some other parcels of prime land.  KTM will move its main station to a new facility in the north and stop operations at Tanjong Pagar in July of this year.  The station building will be conserved and there is talk of  turning it into a transport museum.   If you want to see it as a working station and experience a little bit of Malaysia in Singapore, you have only a few more months to do so!

Next we walked through the Spottiswoode HDB development, pausing to look at the posted “cleanest block” award.  There was a 5 minute rain shower while we talked about the award, but we were  under shelter and it soon cleared up as we moved on to our next stop.  The Sri Muneeswaran Temple is a Hindu “jungle” temple tucked between some railway tracks.  It was one of ten small shrines built by train repairmen and is now the last surviving such railroad temple in Singapore.  Who knows if it will still be there when the land is redeveloped.

We admired the shophouses along Blair road and had a quick look at Baba House, St. Matthew’s church and the Fairfield Methodist Girl’s school on the way to our next destination.  The Pinnacle at Duxton is a unique, award winning HDB housing project.  It is 50 stories tall and has 2 high level sky gardens.  With an EZ Link card, you can go up to the 50th storey sky bridge for only $5.00.  That’s much cheaper than the Marina Bay Sands or the Flyer and the view is very good.  We all went up to the top, and after getting through the tricky gates we enjoyed walking around and taking photos of the wonderful view.

We next walked through the Duxton Plain Parkway and stopped for a little while at the charming multi storied Tong Mern Sern Antique shop.  Their motto is, “We buy junk and sell antiques.  Some fools buy and some fools sell.”  From there it was only a short scurry through another brief rain shower to the Blue Ginger restaurant where a tasty Peranakan set lunch awaited us.

So, we mostly dodged the rain showers and saw some interesting parts of Singapore and had a terrific lunch spiced with chillies, friendly conversations and laughter.  It all went really well, so I guess coffee spills are a good omen after all.  I highly recommend them.

Eating Disorders Can Affect Your Dental Health

Contributed by Specialist Dental Group

Eating disorders are on the increase in Singapore. There are two main kinds of eating disorders – anorexia and bulimia nervosa.  Both of these disorders can be detected by a well-trained dentist.

With anorexia, a person suffers from an obsessive fear of weight gain and refuses food in order to achieve a weight that is lower than a healthy person’s weight. The constant refusal of food intake causes a significant reduction in saliva production, which is necessary for cleaning the teeth. It also results in a dry mouth with red and cracked lips.  In addition, a lack of nutrients can also result in osteoporosis, weakening the bones in the jaw that support teeth, leading to tooth loss.With bulimia, the sufferer usually goes on a food binge before using various methods to purge the food that has been eaten.  Bulimia sufferers are at risk for tooth decay, tooth loss and gum disease that result from frequent vomiting due to the gastric acid which corrodes the enamel of the teeth. Tooth erosion is hastened if there is frequent vomiting.

Changes in the mouth are often the physical signs of eating disorders.  Thus dentists can often tell if a patient is suffering from an eating disorder from the condition of the teeth. Regular visit to the dentists would help to prevent further damage to eroded teeth. Some solutions such as crowns, composite bonding (which is a tooth coloured material designed to replace enamel) or veneers might be recommended to protect the enamel of the teeth from further wear and tear.

Specialist Dental Group is a corporate sponsor of the Canadian Association of Singapore (CAS). CAS members enjoy a special rate for dental services. For more information on different types of dental treatments, send an enquiry via www.specialistdentalgroup.com or call 6733 7883.

The New Season Begins!

 By  Trish Dinglestad

The current Dragon Boat season is now in full swing.  Our coach, Nasiman, started practicing with the team this month and already we are working on perfecting our racing form. The practices on Saturday and Sunday help to prepare our team for competition and to build our team camaraderie. We continue to train up the new paddlers by having part of the session devoted to easing them into the swing of things with some technique practice. Learning the unique stroke used in Dragon boating is important not only for speed and efficiency, but also for paddling fitness. With this training strategy, new paddlers are welcome, and indeed are encouraged, to join the team at any time.

As well as normal training, there have been some exciting recent events to give us race practice whilst keeping everything light and fun. The American Team’s Mardi Gras Challenge was a hoot this year. Various challenge stations were set up all around the reservoir, to which we all paddled madly, completed the activity (not all of which required imbibing some form of ‘Liquid Paddling’) and then charged off to the next station. Lots of laughs, splashing and some very wobbly paddling!

On the horizon is a competitive race, the MR 500. This race takes place at the Bedok Resevoir on April 29th and 30th and is 500m in distance. This is a chance for local and expat teams to hone their racing skills while enjoying sun, water and the ever present lively music. This is a great event for new paddlers, allowing them to gain some race experience before the main event of this season: the Singapore Dragon Boat Festival in July.

So what are you waiting for?!  Come out and see what the Canadian Dragons are all about!

Kevin Cherkas, Chef at Shangri-La

Interview conducted by Janey Schueller.  

Quotes below by Chef Kevin Cherkas, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore.

1.     You began your career as an apprentice at the Metropolitan Hotel in Vancouver in 1998.   Although it was over 10 years ago, can you recall a memorable moment that has stuck with you over the years?
While I was there, I was fortunate enough to be a part of the team that went to France to compete in the Bocuse d’Or international culinary competition representing Canada. It is a great experience that I will always remember.

2.     We noticed your impressive resume includes some of the best Spanish restaurants on the globe.  The three-star Michelin Arzak Restaurant, the three-star Michelin El Bulli and the two-star Michelin La Broche.  What is your connection to Spanish food?
I love the Mediterranean diet and am deeply passionate about Spanish products and cooking. I learned a lot in Spain and have a great impression of its food, culture and people. My wife is actually from Salamanca.

3.     Your current position with Blu Restaurant & Bar at the Shangri-La Singapore is your second time with the hotel.  You previously worked as Chef de Cuisine at the Shangri-La in KL.  Which location gets the louder “Ole” and why?
Singapore is a fast paced and more dynamic city so I enjoy working and living here more. I do miss the originality of Malaysia, its rustic feel and cultural diversity though.


However, “Ole” goes to Singapore. 

4.   The MLT uncovered several postings on Trip Advisor that rave about the personalised tasting menus that you create for guests, which are based on a short discussion you have with them about their food likes and dislikes.  If I shared my dislike for anything-with-tentacles, bananas, liver, lamb and veal and my love of beef, fish, veggies, most carbs and dessert – what would your suggested menu be?
Come for dinner - I have just the thing. We personalise our menus because people are different. It seems so simple that if your menu only contains things that you really like, you will enjoy the meal so much more. 

5. At Madrid Fusion 2011, you were handpicked to be a speaker at the “Playing with Ingenuity”
Summit.  Tell us more about your selected discussion topic, “Humour on the Plate”.
It’s about incorporating elements of humour into our dishes by playing with ideas, memories and life. It can be a game from when you are young, a shape or a visual resemblance to things that make you smile. 

To give an example: how about calling a dessert “hand made” like hand made tiramisu and presenting it in the shape of a hand?
Another idea I have is “chocolate in the shade” where the plate looks like half of the dessert is in the sun and melting while the other half is solid and frozen. 


Basically it’s all about ideas that make for a memory and allow people to have fun.

6.     Tell us where the inspiration came for your infamous coconut and mango breakfast dessert that looks like an ‘egg’.
The shell was something we discovered in El Bulli, but the combination of flavours was something I came up with using local tropical fruits. The “egg” is just for fun.

7.     Tell us why you believe popcorn goes well with lamb.
It doesn’t. Popcorn goes well with Mexican food. We use popcorn for its texture. The dish is based on the flavors of Mexico: smoked chilli, corn, chocolate and lemon potato.

8.     What is the one kitchen tool you can’t live without?
Our food dehydrator. Singapore is high in humidity. Without the dehydrator, crispy food becomes soggy fast.