Fish Tales

New apple "juice drink" at my office

Sugar, water, MILK SOLIDS, conditioners, flavoring, coloring.

What’s all that doing in my juice!?!?

Oh, that’s right. It’s is a “juice drink”.

Silly me.

Since arriving in Singapore, I’ve learned a few things. And one of them is this… if the words “juice drink” appear anywhere on the container, keep shopping. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a watered-down, artificial drink the manufactures attempt to enhance with additives.

Sometimes the words are difficult to see. So, look carefully.

What got me thinking about this? Yesterday, my office switched (hopefully temporarily) juice brands. From a real juice to a “juice drink”. I think I must be getting what I pay for from the pantry refrigerator stocked with free beverages.

Not my kind of juice.

This must not be an isolated occurrence, because the supermarket shelves are overflowing with “juice drinks”. They look so deceiving with their band names. Peel Fresh, Fruit Tree, and even Sunkist. I’m not fooled. They look tasty, but I see those two words.

There's a reason it's only $2.55

This whole situation makes me miss my all-natural, not-from-concentrate, no-additives, inexpensive Florida orange juice, with pulp. Sure, it’s available here. But, for an arm and a leg.

Great price @ $7.50. Normally $9.10.

View from sidewalk

It took several months of passing by the stacked shipping containers between my apartment and the neighboring construction site to realize something.

People live in them. Piled three levels high.

A closer inspection reveals all the normal associations of home. Laundry drying on the front porch. A sportscast glowing from the television. Dinner cooking, filling the air with delicious curry aromas.

Everything you’d expect from home. Except for living in a dirty shipping container with several other guys right next to a construction site stocked with heavy-duty equipment!

Not the typical, idealistic American middle-class home with a white picket fence, that’s for sure.

Far from it.

In clean, almost sterile, Singapore these living conditions feel out of place. It doesn’t fit the stereotype. But, it must be tolerated in the name of progress.

Often the entire city seems to be under construction and that can get expensive. So concessions must be made.

View from above

In fact, the average Singapore boom-town construction worker makes less than USD 16-18 a day. That’s less than 5000 dollars a year.

Contrast that to the expensive high-rise condo they are building, where a single unit could sell for as much as USD 2 million.

Assuming 100 workers are employed for an entire year, that total cost only equates to under half a million dollars.

Not bad for the developers if the project nets 200+ units.

Someone is making a killing. And, it’s not the workers.

Rolly-poly fish heads. Fish heads, fish heads. Eat them up, yum!

Okay, I don’t personally know about the “yum” part of that famous chorus. But, I do know one thing.

Many Singaporeans enjoy eating fish heads.

This delectable ingredient finds its way into soups, curries and other regional specialties. While this feels completely foreign to me, I’m told it’s quite delicious. And, people who discard the head actually waste the best tasting part of the fish.

I’m not making this up. Reliable sources tell me this.

Reliable sources.

Fish head restaurant near my condo

Happy Diwali

Living in Singapore allows me to appreciate a variety of customs and traditions – primarily because it’s a melting pot of Asian cultures.

Chinese descendents represent the overwhelming majority at nearly 75%. But, the remaining population provides the diversity. Malays, Indians, Eurasians, Arabs and, yes, even some Americans comprise the remaining quarter.

This heterogeneity accommodates a religious assortment that includes Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Taoism and Hinduism.

Definitely a different mix than I experienced living in the US.

Last weekend we visited Little India for dinner. After eating some tasty chicken tikka masala, vegetable curry and butter naan, we decided to check-out the holiday decorations.

Diwali represents a special, spiritual holiday during the Hindu festive season. Known as the “Festival of Lights”, this celebration encourages an awareness of your personal, internal light. Individuals strive to realize their own true nature and accompanying oneness of all things. And ultimately, an increased sense of joy and peace.

But, what’s the best part? The fireworks! And, the streets are filled with colorful decorations.

What does that say about me?

Diwali street decorations, Little India

Diwali holiday market, Little India