Counting down

Hey Viv, I'm counting down to the day I see you again! You'll be here in exactly 2 weeks! There’s so much lined up for you in the 20 precious days you’re here!

You’ll finally get to eat all the favourite things that you’re missing in Oregon... first stop, the seafood centre for chilli crabs! I know how you miss the spicy succulent crabs here. You drove for miles in Bend to eat the bland Snow crab just to stave off your cravings. While you’re here, let’s have black pepper crab too, along with butter fried prawns with crunchy oats, sambal kangkong, steamed fish, crispy roast chicken, drunken prawns, spicy clams and mussels, in fact anything you fancy!

The huge array of Indian food in Little India awaits you too. Can you smell the tantalising Tandoori chicken, mutton masala, murtabak, thosai, prata, curry fish head and nasi briyani already? You’ll be spoilt for choice.

We can have Sunday brunch at one of the Chinese restaurants. You’ll be wowed by the baskets of steaming delicacies...crystal dumplings, siao mai, har gao, chee cheong fun, barbequed pork buns, chicken feet, pork ribs…

Then of course we must visit the hawker centres for your favourite laksa, mee siam, mee pok, char kuay teow, chicken rice, hokkien mee, fish ball soup, duck rice, porridge, chicken curry, barbequed sting ray, prawn mee soup, fried carrot cake, claypot rice, bak kut teh, satay, poh piah and the famous Johnson Duck!

Oh, don’t forget to leave room in your tummy for the desserts too. Let me tempt you with ice kachang, chendol, ice jelly, sugar cane drink, chin chow, tao suan, red bean soup, glutinous rice balls, teh terik, cheng tng and even bubble tea! There're novelty ice cream and Gelato kiosks selling wasabi ice cream, black sesame ice cream, lychee gelatos, fig & brandy or the strangest concoctions to knock you off your feet.

What about snacks? You have a choice of rice dumpling, tao sar piah, bak kuah, keropok, prawn rolls, dried sotong, ang koo kuey, malay kueys, kaya toast, peanut pancakes, soon kuey… and sinfully good chocolate fudge cakes!

Ah, while you’re here, I’m sure you want to eat Peranakan food too. Or try the Tibetan café, the Hong Kong cafes, Thai and Vietnamese restaurants, and places selling Italian and European food too.

For old time sake, you must also visit places like Sentosa, Pulau Ubin, Botanic Gardens, Singapore Zoo and Night Safari before they change too much. You need to come by my place for a spot of gardening and home cooked meals and laksa party with my family too.

Wow, looks like you’re going to be one busy lady! Maybe you should stay a little longer?