Grace and Wen

Even in Singapore, it’s impossible to find any public areas that don’t seem to be blaring remake upon remix of the same 20 or holiday songs.  Not to be a Grinch about this, as I grew up cherishing and caroling all of these tunes, but the above XKCD chart really struck a chord (hehe) with me.  Three or so odd decades later, my holiday experiences are still about the same.  But that’s not such a bad thing really.  I grew up loving the holidays – with the gift giving, family time, and stories of the good that people can actually be capable of.  So if once a year we’re stuck in some Bill Murray-esque time loop, I say bring on the egg nog, the Peanuts Christmas Special, and Frosty the Snowman!  May baby C grow up with the same joy and wonderment that this time of the year has brought for me.  Happy Holidays!

For me, the three F’s of any great Thanksgiving are family, friends, and food.  This holdiay, G and I were thankful to celebrate with a great group of friends and family – both old and new.  Food-wise, I was inspired by my own personal and professional changes to take a risk and craft a more modern menu that included some twists on traditional dishes.  With help from the always adventurous T & A and bro-in-law M, we served up a hopefully memorable meal for 16.   I’ll post details on a few of my favorite dishes later, but in the meantime, enjoy the menu and some photos of the more non-traditional creations from that evening.

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Singapore, where even the memes are imported, is experiencing a proliferation of underground dining/secret supper clubs.  A quick search for any of those word combinations results in enough quirky dining experiences to amuse the seen-it-all foodies for at least a few months.  Looking for something “different” is easy as most of these events have websites, meetup groups or Facebook pages.  Though some events are more “underground” (as in unlisted) and either being in the know or sheer happenstance are the only methods of invite. Which brings me to the topic du jour – an underground dinner ala Jimmy Chok.

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If you visit Singapore and don’t end up having crabs, you are missing out on an integral part of the food experience here.  Ask the locals, and chances are they’ll rattle off a half-dozen or more ways to enjoy this tasty crustacean.  But around this time each year, one crab in particular whips the island (and much of Chinese Asia) into a frenzy best described as hairy crab fever.  For G and family, it’s an annual itch that can only be satisfied with repeat visits to Capital Restaurant.  While every other chinese restaurant will have their own variation of crab and preparation, we’ve been loyal patrons for years there because of the consistency, value for money and a certain vinegar/ginger sauce.

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Did you know that a private lactation consultant charges about $150 for a home visit that will maybe take 1 or 2 hours at the most? That’s $150 I was considering paying when I suffered from nipple infection after being a little too enthusiastic about increasing my milk supply. The consultant herself was trying to discourage me from making the appointment and instead suggested that I attend their free mommy gathering at her place.

Or is it?

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As far as mid-range dining goes – B @ Rochester is competent though uninspired.  I’m still unsure what exactly “Modern Japanese” means here other than a carte blanche for the restaurant to toss western and Japanese-ish dishes together and call it a menu.  The upside of this approach is one could enjoy sashimi and pair it with one of the tastiest plates of french-inspired mussels G and I have tried in a long time.  While the food is reasonable for the price, other than said mussels, there really isn’t much else that’s compelling enough to make this place a must-try.

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Our sleepysaurus had also recently just “hatched” when we visited this cafe, an ode to all things eggy.  Hatched is a great destination for kids and adults alike and boasts a surprisingly varied menu despite the chef/owner’s singular focus on one particular ingredient.  The food here is generally good value for money and more importantly very baby and kid friendly.   Read the rest of this entry »

Pregnancy was a breeze compared to the breastfeeding saga. Not even the swollen cankles and gestational diabetes caused me as much grief as trying to feed my baby with breast milk (BM).

In Singapore, doctors are not supposed to distribute formula milk (FM) samples for newborns and there are many support groups for breastfeeding. As a result, the nurses would usually rather hold off feeding a newborn any formula unless medically required. In my case, Cayden needed to be fed FM because of my gestational diabetes condition. I must say that it helped give me some peace of mind when I couldn’t get my milk production up to speed because I knew he was getting his nutrients elsewhere. The nurses were very encouraging of breastfeeding and there was always a lactation consultant nearby if I needed help. But it got a little extreme when on the last day of hospitalization, I asked the nurse for a few FM samples so that my baby could try different formulas (they say baby reacts differently to different formulas) and the nurse gave it to me grudgingly while saying these FM are better fed to dogs. I kid you not.

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It’s been over three months since we welcomed our little bundle of joy into our lives on 28th June. Going back to work and not seeing my boy as much as before has been difficult. My 10 weeks of maternity leave went by so quickly and the remaining 6 weeks of maternity leave are taken so that I have 4-day work weeks. My plan of working half days every week was abandoned before I even tried it because it was just too much effort to dress up everyday for 1/2 an hour of work. The 4-day work week allows me to set aside one day for errands and future play sessions/classes with Cayden.

One of my largest challenge has been planning my work schedule around pumping sessions. Back when I pumped every 3-4 hrs, it often seemed like it was barely an hour ago when I was pumping before I am getting ready to pump again. Each pump session takes nearly an hour from the time I start to massage the breasts with a warm towel to the time where I place the storage bag of milk in the fridge. So each day I was spending at least 4-5 hours on pumping. That’s 4-5 hours of less time with Cayden and for sleeping.

Fortunately I have now moved to a 3-pump schedule so that I pump approximately once every 6-8 hours. That means I only lose 3 hours a day to pumping. Ironically, I’ve also been trying to nurse/latch more often than before. I think it’s because nursing is my special time with Cayden that no one else can replace. Not even the helper who spends so much time with him that his eyes follow her whenever she’s around.

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Duck confit is one of the most rewarding and versatile dishes to add to any cooking repertoire.  Not only is it delicious pan-fried or shredded and served as a spreadable rillette, it can also be kept for months.  Of course, who could forget about the wonderful byproduct of confit- duck fat.  Mmmm, tasty graisse de canard.  With a wonderful aroma and flavor more complex than butter yet just as versatile.  Confit is normally made by rendering duck in its own fats in the oven, but when done sous vide it not only produces a much more juicy and tender meat but also requires less upfront fat to start.  And did I mention how easy it is to make?

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