When I was in school (middle school?) we had a really famous noodle shop in our cafeteria. People loved the noodles so much that there was a huge outpouring of grief when the uncle passed away.

When school security got tighter and ex students (who were now adults) were not allowed to go in to the school to eat there, people were very sad.

Whenever there was a school reunion it was often a chance to eat ‘uncle’s noodles’ again, like we had giant tables and everybody just had the same noodles we had in our adolescence.

It was a legitimately good bowl for noodles compared to stuff outside of school, and it was god tier for school food.

His wife continued his legacy.

#Food #Singapore #TootSea

When I was in school (middle school?) we had a really famous noodle shop in our cafeteria. People loved the noodles so much that there was a huge outpouring of grief when the uncle passed away.

When school security got tighter and ex students (who were now adults) were not allowed to go in to the school to eat there, people were very sad.

Whenever there was a school reunion it was often a chance to eat ‘uncle’s noodles’ again, like we had giant tables and everybody just had the same noodles we had in our adolescence.

It was a legitimately good bowl for noodles compared to stuff outside of school, and it was god tier for school food.

His wife continued his legacy.

#Food #Singapore #TootSea

Some days I think I should go back to Singapore and then I see ridiculous headlines like these.

I would argue that anyone who has a college degree in Singapore and then chose a non-office job are probably people who have thought deeply about what they want to do. And who understand that ‘white collar jobs’ aren’t necessarily the path to success and happiness. If anything we need more, not fewer people like that.

#Singapore #TootSea

Some days I think I should go back to Singapore and then I see ridiculous headlines like these.

I would argue that anyone who has a college degree in Singapore and then chose a non-office job are probably people who have thought deeply about what they want to do. And who understand that ‘white collar jobs’ aren’t necessarily the path to success and happiness. If anything we need more, not fewer people like that.

#Singapore #TootSea

As a queer person, I sometimes think about cis straight people I know back home (Singapore) who truly think I had no reason to leave home. Even though my country doesn't recognize my marriage, even though there are no immigration benefits that accrue to my foreign same sex spouse, even though there are no anti-discrimination laws that exist to protect me, they think, I can still have a pretty good life as an out queer person. I can have money, and no one is actively wanting to beat me up or hurt me.

That's the problem.

The problem isn't the bigots (because at least I know what to expect), it's the people who think they are not bigots, who believe that I should be thankful and grateful because 'at least nobody is going to beat me up'.

Nobody will beat me up because I have middle class Chinese and cis privilege in that society. It's not the same for other people. It's not because I am accepted or tolerated. Also, that is a tremendously low bar. I expect more of my life. I expect to thrive, not just be grateful to survive.

#TootSea #Singapore #LGBTQ

As a queer person, I sometimes think about cis straight people I know back home (Singapore) who truly think I had no reason to leave home. Even though my country doesn't recognize my marriage, even though there are no immigration benefits that accrue to my foreign same sex spouse, even though there are no anti-discrimination laws that exist to protect me, they think, I can still have a pretty good life as an out queer person. I can have money, and no one is actively wanting to beat me up or hurt me.

That's the problem.

The problem isn't the bigots (because at least I know what to expect), it's the people who think they are not bigots, who believe that I should be thankful and grateful because 'at least nobody is going to beat me up'.

Nobody will beat me up because I have middle class Chinese and cis privilege in that society. It's not the same for other people. It's not because I am accepted or tolerated. Also, that is a tremendously low bar. I expect more of my life. I expect to thrive, not just be grateful to survive.

#TootSea #Singapore #LGBTQ

Jasmine rice - #Thai vegan curry - pad Thai with tofu & chicken - #Chinese spring rolls - #Filipino tapioca pudding with coconut milk - the #lunch #food #buffet provided at the summit.

#AsianMastodon #YYJ #ASEAN #GlobalSouth #SouthEastAsian #AsianDiaspora #AsianCultures #AsianDances #CulturalEats #CulturalFood #AsianCommunity #TootSEA #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #PNW #BCAsianCommunities #ASIAinVictoriaSummit

Fascinating video of what happens when you expose durian shell to 3300C / 5972F heat

https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/1olgp5i/durian_skin_is_so_heat_impenetrable_that_it_can/

#Food #Durian #TootSea

Fascinating video of what happens when you expose durian shell to 3300C / 5972F heat

https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/1olgp5i/durian_skin_is_so_heat_impenetrable_that_it_can/

#Food #Durian #TootSea

Where I grew up, we were expected to feed ourselves early: every neighborhood had these shops called ‘zi char’, which were ‘dudes with huge woks, with so much fire it sounded like a jet engine’. It was fine and safe to go get food on your own even as.. a 7 year old? I did.

In Malaysia they call it ‘dai chau’ (big fry) and in Hong Kong they call it ‘dai pai dong’ (big stall.. outside?)

It was very common to go grab something for yourself or for your family if no one was cooking that day. My dish of choice was ‘mui fan’. Simmered rice. White rice, topped with a light gravy made with soy sauce, eggs, vegetables and seafood or meat. (Or black beans) it was US$2 for a filling dinner when I was a student. Probably US$5 now. In any case, these were dishes we wouldn’t make at home. Because it was so easily and cheaply available.

While I can get some version of ‘dai pai dong’ food in SF Cantonese food, I make my mui fan myself. I’ve learned that with ginger, scallions, garlic, soy sauce and mushroom bouillon powder, birds eye chillies and an egg, I can basically make the ‘mui fan’ that I love and miss. The same gravy is also used to top ‘moonlight hor fun’, which is like a chow fun with wider noodles and with the same gravy, with a raw egg on top (raw eggs are fine elsewhere).

I miss the flavors of home so desperately and stuff like this keeps me going.

#food #cooking #ChineseFood #Singapore #Malaysia #TootSea

Where I grew up, we were expected to feed ourselves early: every neighborhood had these shops called ‘zi char’, which were ‘dudes with huge woks, with so much fire it sounded like a jet engine’. It was fine and safe to go get food on your own even as.. a 7 year old? I did.

In Malaysia they call it ‘dai chau’ (big fry) and in Hong Kong they call it ‘dai pai dong’ (big stall.. outside?)

It was very common to go grab something for yourself or for your family if no one was cooking that day. My dish of choice was ‘mui fan’. Simmered rice. White rice, topped with a light gravy made with soy sauce, eggs, vegetables and seafood or meat. (Or black beans) it was US$2 for a filling dinner when I was a student. Probably US$5 now. In any case, these were dishes we wouldn’t make at home. Because it was so easily and cheaply available.

While I can get some version of ‘dai pai dong’ food in SF Cantonese food, I make my mui fan myself. I’ve learned that with ginger, scallions, garlic, soy sauce and mushroom bouillon powder, birds eye chillies and an egg, I can basically make the ‘mui fan’ that I love and miss. The same gravy is also used to top ‘moonlight hor fun’, which is like a chow fun with wider noodles and with the same gravy, with a raw egg on top (raw eggs are fine elsewhere).

I miss the flavors of home so desperately and stuff like this keeps me going.

#food #cooking #ChineseFood #Singapore #Malaysia #TootSea

One time, I spent 6 months in the gulf / levant. The food was delicious and fresh, but lightly spiced compared to what I like. Then I visited a friend in Sana’a (before the war) and.. the food made me burst into tears. The presence of cumin and turmeric in vast amounts, the dishes… reminded me of food in Singapore / Malaysia / Indonesia.

As it turns out, many of my favorite dishes from home were of Arab origin.. specifically from Hadamawt, Yemen. So many of the dishes I tried were pretty much the same as what I might have back in my very specific corner of maritime SE Asia.

Spice is the spice of life!

#Food #TootSea

Decades after the government almost fully eradicated the use of Chinese ‘dialects’, they are now bemoaning the fact that most Chinese Singaporeans simply don’t have much competence in or passion for Mandarin.

For me, Mandarin is as far away a language as say, Korean. I speak Mandarin and read Chinese because I was made to do it, but it might as well be Korean.

Malay has much more cultural relevance to me than Mandarin. My ‘mother tongue’ is not Mandarin even though I’ve been told that it is (it’s Teochew).

Also we don’t have great Chinese teachers.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/today/voices/mother-tongue-difficult-chinese-language-education-schools-learning-students-5419631

#Languages #Singapore #TootSea

Decades after the government almost fully eradicated the use of Chinese ‘dialects’, they are now bemoaning the fact that most Chinese Singaporeans simply don’t have much competence in or passion for Mandarin.

For me, Mandarin is as far away a language as say, Korean. I speak Mandarin and read Chinese because I was made to do it, but it might as well be Korean.

Malay has much more cultural relevance to me than Mandarin. My ‘mother tongue’ is not Mandarin even though I’ve been told that it is (it’s Teochew).

Also we don’t have great Chinese teachers.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/today/voices/mother-tongue-difficult-chinese-language-education-schools-learning-students-5419631

#Languages #Singapore #TootSea

From the Economist. Presented without comment

#TootSea #ForeignPolicy