and
:)
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so guess where we’ve been this week
Category: traveling
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ice cream-sandwich time!
lonely planet (aka, the tourists bible) said we should taste the ice cream sandwich in the streets of singapore, and of course, as prompt and faithful tourists, we were eager to try it.
it’s basically a big block of wall’s icecream (or olá for the portuguese readers) between two thin waffles or slices of pink bread. mango and coffee were pretty good, and they even had it in durian flavor… we were not brave enough to try it out but i wonder if the ice cream smells as bad as the fruit (which is actually forbidden in singapore’s metro).
really missing the visual stimulation of islamic architecture. walking down the streets and noticing all the colors and geometric details in the facades.
(by comparison, shanghai is so bland and grey…)
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the most important meal
every country has its particulars about coffee. singapore coffee? it is different.
the clear coffee mugs of the hawker centers are lined up in shelves, ready to be used. when you look at them you can see a thick white layer sitting on the bottom of the mugs. so we walk up to one of the vendors and say we want some coffee. a chinese lady fetches a couple of these mugs, pours hot coffee on them and hands them over. the white layer persists, mysteriously. we stir our spoon around, until it solves, making the coffee slightly lighter in color. as it turns out, the white layer is condensed milk (i can see my mother grinning in shock, mentally calculating the calories in that) and the coffee is sweet. sounds strange, but it’s not that bad actually, and when in rome…
besides, we found some amazing coconut filled pancakes that go just great with it!
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buka puasa, breaking fast
so there we were, in the middle of rows of tables. kampung baru, the same area that was deserted during the whole day is now busy with life. people all around us, sitting on these tables, food steaming in front of them, colorful plastic glasses filled with iced colorful drinks. but no one is eating, not even the kids who stare at the food with hungry and impatient eyes. there is rain outside the improvised tents that cover this canteen and it is getting darker.
at 7:15, a chant on tv, subtitled in arabic. on the radio as well, a man prays in a mixture of praying and singing. and as soon as they stop, the feast starts. in the whole country.
