Kiss Java

Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

If you are a foodie and a traveler, I recommend coming to Singapore. The food is amazing, with influences from Malay, India and China, all throughout the country; from the mall food courts, the hawker stands to the exquisite restaurants. My foodie journey began with checking out restaurants here , I found this site to have a very comprehensive list of the best restaurants and other food places in Singapore.

Din Tai Fung is the first on my ‘must eat’ if you come here to Singapore. Din Tai Fung is known throughout Singapore for their dumplings. I ordered the chili pork dumplings and the steamed pork dumplings. Both were really incredible; the chili dumplings was perfection in a spicy sweet sauce and the pork dumplings were little bites of heaven that comes in little dough pockets. I had to bite off a bit at a time, little nibbles in order to suck out the soup to devour the rest. Really, there’s a good reason for this place as number one on my list…so good!

Second stop was not a restaurant, but to food hawkers stand, this was where I fell in love with pork. I couldn’t help but get the same dish at different stalls. What I would ordered was basically noodles, and pork in a wonton soup. But, it’s how the food hawkers prepare the pork, slowly cooked until the sweetness and tenderness come out. All the hawkers, and it didn’t matter where I went, would only serve a few pieces of pork, I would always have to ask for extra, the extra cost more, but so worth it. The noodle pork soup should be served in a huge bowl, because I’d eat it in one whoop.

The mall food courts, which are listed on the website mentioned above, were incredible. There are so many bakeries, I was overwhelmed. I saw amazing homemade fruit tarts, cream puffs and donuts. I saw the longest line at the donuts place, so in line I stood, it didn’t take long. I ordered 3 small sized donuts, the cookies and cream, the mango and the apple cinnamon. All three were out of this world delicious; soft dough with sweet filling. The cookies and cream was filled with whipped Oreo and chocolate icing with Oreo crumbles on top, the apple cinnamon has apple pie filling and the whole donut was rolled in cinnamon sugar, and the mango was filled with a mango custard cream and mango icing on top. Heaven, pure heaven. I’m so glad I ordered the smaller versions of the donuts, they’re so rich I don’t think I could’ve finished all 3 if they were the regular size.

I know there’s more to do in Singapore than just eat, but after all, I am a foodie, and foodies must do what we do best – eat!

Halloween may be just over, but the allure of the fright, the fascination of ghosts and haunted places is a human interest that goes beyond the holiday.  People who claim to have no belief in the supernatural realm, have often found them selves either alone at home in an old house or out walking through a graveyard at night, and they have felt the hair on the back of their neck start to stand up a bit, for no particular reason.  In Baltimore, Maryland there are many such places.

The city is rich with years of history and it seems that with history, be it the history contained in a grandmother’s house or in a 100 year old Baltimore restaurant, or in the the city itself…where there is history, there may just be…ghosts.  The first place to start for ghost stories is the Westminster Church Cemetery.  The cemetery sits just a few blocks from the house of Edgar Allen Poe, and Poe himself is buried in this cemetery.  His cousin Virginia is also buried there, and each Halloween fans gather at the grave site for a small ceremony.  During the year, a single rose and a bottle of Cognac is found at the site, and no one knows who leaves it there.

The grand shopping and entertainment facility down at the Inner Harbor is Harborplace.  Now the Inner Harbor of Baltimore is filled with two hundred years of sailors and port workers, who toiled through two world wars, the slave trade, and food shipped out during the famine in Ireland.  There is a photo that was taken in 1955, that shows a shadowy figure standing on the dock, but the photographer insists that there was no one there when he snapped the shot.

Another story states that a priest, upon showing interest in the ship, the USS Constellation, was offered a tour by an older gentlemen who said that he was a tour guide.  The priest toured the ship with the man, only to find out later that no such man existed.  Other people over the years have reported that they too have seen strange shapes and heard odd noises on the Constellation, and two supernatural scholars, Sybil Leek and Hans Holzer claim that they have communed with spirits on the ship.  Whether you believe in ghosts or not, both of these locations are just a bit haunting, as places filled with history usually are.  When you are in Baltimore, at least check them out, you never know what you may find, or rather, what or who may find you.

First, you need a turkey.  When grilling outside, it is best to go with a turkey that weighs fifteen pounds or less.  If your bird is bigger, you may risk burning the outside while the inside remains undone.  By soaking the turkey in brine, you can cut down on the chance of burning the outside, and this will also ensure that the meat remains moist and tender.  There are v-shaped grilling racks that you can place the turkey on, make sure it is a sturdy one.  This will keep everything in place and will also make it much easier to rotate the bird throughout the grilling.  Perhaps keep some wood chips close by, like apple or cherry, this will create smoke, which will give you a bit more flavor on your Thanksgiving turkey.

A thermometer for drop in gas grills will make it easier for you control the temperature to keep it consistent, as well as a meat thermometer so you can be certain when the turkey is cooked thoroughly.  Make sure that you have enough fuel or charcoal as this is a big meal, and you do not want to run out, half way through on a holiday when it may be difficult to find an open store.  And, if you are using charcoal, a charcoal chimney will be necessary to light more charcoal, away from the grill, to add while your turkey is still grilling.  And aside from your appetite you will need a lot of time, and the times may vary as grilling is not an exact science, especially with such a big piece of meat.  This is a great way to celebrate the holiday with family and friends, and the flavors of everything you grill on this day will be delicious and savory.  Once my family started grilling out on Thanksgiving at Seven Springs in Arizona twenty five years ago, they never went back into the kitchen.