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Best Taipei Night Markets & Must Try Michelin Bib Gourmand Food Stalls 😋
Shilin Night Market is the most famous of all Taipei night markets. It is a tourist destination but is also popular with locals. Shilin cannot be beaten for its sheer size and variety of food and goods...
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Walking with Raffles at the Singapore River in 1819
Image credit: The Bute Archive at Mount StuartThis was the Singapore which Raffles saw when he landed at the mouth of Singapore River on 28 Jan 1819. We take a walk with him using the Bute Map*, the...
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Worst Riot in Singapore History. Five Catties of Rice Riot, 1854
Image credit: National Archives of SingaporeWhile researching the origins of Singapore food, I stumbled upon a little known or forgotten episode in Singapore history - the Hokkien-Teochew riots of...
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Jackson Plan. History Walk of Singapore Food & Architectural Heritage
Image credit: WikipediaIn 1822, Lieutenant Philip Jackson drew up a Singapore town plan according to Stamford Raffles' instructions. The resulting Plan of the Town of Singapore is also known as the...
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History of Youtiao & Why I Only Call it You Cha Kway or Yau Cha Kwai
When I was a child in primary (elementary) school in 1960s Singapore, I remember my teacher told us about the legend behind you cha kway 油炸粿. It scared me a little when I was small.I cannot remember...
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History of Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre & Best Hawker Stalls
Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre is one of the most famous in Singapore with many popular food and market stalls here. It is also one of the oldest and historic of Singapore hawker centres.Image...
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The Source of Singapore River is Boh Beh Kang - No Tail River 无尾港
Most people know where is the Singapore River mouth* - it is at the heart of Singapore's Central Business District and a world class entertainment hub. Fewer people know where is its riverhead, where...
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History of Ellenborough Market. Lest We Forget Singapore River's Teochew Market
The site where the gleaming Central Mall @ Clarke Quay now stands over the shimmering ripples of Singapore River, once stood the heart and soil of the river. Boat Quay and Clarke Quay were where people...
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History of the Lost Island Pulau Saigon in Singapore River & the "Bak Kut" in...
Pulau Saigon 1905. Image credit: National Archives of SingaporeCan an island disappear in Singapore? Well, one did - Pulau Saigon 浮罗西贡 (in Chinese). Have you heard of such an island in Singapore...
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Origins of Mooncake and Mid Autumn Festival
The Mid Autumn festival, also called the Mooncake festival, is one of the most important festivals celebrated by Chinese communities around the world. The Mid Autumn festival is the second most...
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Good Hotpot Lunch @ Imperial Treasures Steamboat in 111 Somerset Singapore
Today, met up with buddies at Imperial Treasures Steamboat @ 111 Somerset for lunch. This was my first dining out since Circuit Breaker* was imposed on 7 Apr 2020.*Circuit Breaker was a set of social...
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Where Do Opeh Leaf Wrappings Come From? It is not a Leaf
When I was a child, hot hawker food was often sold wrapped in a light brownish wrapping known as opeh leaf or opeh hak.Char kway teow, fried Hokkien mee, chai tow kueh, char hor fun, fried crab bee...
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Oyster is the Best Part of Chicken, Duck, Goose & Turkey?
The best part of a chicken, duck, goose or turkey is supposed to be its oyster.Recently, I asked my Facebook buddies what is their favourite part of a chicken. Of course, everyone has a different...
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History & 10 Best Hawker Stalls @ Old Airport Road Food Centre
Scroll straight down to the pink section below for recommended food stalls 👇Old Airport Road Food Centre is one of Singapore's most popular and famous hawker centres with over 100 hawker stalls open at...
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Warming the Cockles of Singapore Hearts 💗
Cockles, see hum 螄蚶 (in Chinese) or kerang (in Malay) have a special place in Singaporean tummies, and therefore our hearts.See hum or ark clam. Image credit: WikipediaActually, the blood cockle which...
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99 Years of Singapore Food History under the 5 Kings of the Lion City (1299 -...
I try to sketch out the possible food of Singapore during the 99 year reign of the The Five Kings of Singapura (1299 - 1347). This is just the beginning of an exploratory culinary journey to our long...
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Singapore Four Heavenly Kings of Pineapple 🍍 Tan Tye, Lim Nee Soon, Tan Kah...
Image credit: Hockkien Huay KuanSingapore was in the early 1900s, the world's largest cannery and exporter of canned pineapples. If you go to Clarke Quay by the Singapore River, you can still see two...
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Hokkien Bak Kut Teh First? or Teochew First? Son of Singapore River or Son of...
Lau Ah Tee Bak Kut TehIn Singapore, idle men chilling over Nanyang tea and bak kut teh, sometimes argue over whether it was Hokkien first or Teochew first, especially on slow news days.Image credit:...
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Tasty Secret of MIMI Restaurant @ Historic Clarke Quay River House 涟漪轩的秘密
We had a nice dinner at MIMI *秘密 Chinese restaurant at historic Riverhouse which is the oldest restored building in Clarke Quay by the Singapore River.*秘密 means secret in Chinese.The dishes were...
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Pioneers of Singapore River. History of Tamil Muslim Biryani in Singapore
Bollywood Biryani SingaporeGrowing up in Singapore, I am accustomed to and very fond of the briyani here. While tracing the origins of Singapore hawker food, I was surprised that briyani in Singapore...
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