Update #4 from Singapore

Update #4 for Singapore/Malaysia

May 13, 2018

The Food and Foliage Edition, Vol. One

Hello, Everyone…

We think we might rival Rick Steves with this Edition of the Updates from the Field. We will not be comprehensive in this Update because we have eaten soooo many new “things” but this will give you a sense of the breadth of foods and flowers that we have seen. Get ready.

First to Dragon eyes… a small fruit called Longan. It looks like a fuzzy grape that you peel and squeeze the skin and… out pops an eyeball. It’s surrounded by a gelatinous pulp which is what you eat. You spit out the pupil. Best served with grass jelly, another black gelatinous something that is flavored with a little sugar. We have eaten dragon eyes raw and in a drink. Stay tuned for a photo of the real fruit on the vine if we can find it, but included in this Edition are photos of the fruit with Sr. Cecilia gazing at the container, our eating it and drinking it.

Jolie sat down to eat what she thought was asparagus in her soup and Sr. Agnes quickly stopped her saying, “You don’t eat that. It’s a lemongrass stalk. Herb!” How was Jolie supposed to know that!

The Steamboat is a “fondue-type” meal with broths and raw meat and vegetables. (Photo top left), You select chilis, garlic, onion, and other things we didn’t know what they were from a table and add them to your soup. Every time you add a new component to the broth, the “soup” changes. Exciting, challenging, and delicious. Notice another plate of fishballs below.

On that note, we are going to jump to flora. These photos were taken at the Botanical Gardens here, which has a special orchid garden. (Below)

There are special ones named after dignitaries who have visited, like the Obamas on the left, and Princess Diana (the white orchid) and a lot of other national leaders.

Here are a couple of other blossoms that struck us…

Stay tuned for Volume Two of Food and Foliage in Singapore. A blessed Mother’s Day to all of you. These flowers are our gift to you from this side of the world.

Love you all,

Jolie and Nicki