Vegetarian Food

I do like to eat vegetarian food. It's easy to find good vegetarian food nowadays. It also helps that I like to eat most vegetables and I'm not into red meat since I was a kid, so much so that some cooked food sellers had asked if I'm a Chinese Muslim whenever I ask them to omit the pork. In those days, you know, there was no such thing as healthy eating and everybody likes to eat meat. So if you don't like meat, people start to wonder!

Last year, I went totally vegetarian for a short period of 3 weeks. It was supposed to be for a month, but the Spuddies kept on inviting us over for dinner, that it was getting rather pai seh to keep rejecting them, so that ended my 3-week vegetarian stint.


Vegetarian tom yam bee hoon with imitation squid (Blah!)

I'm a sucker for tom yam soup and am willing to accept (very) low standards of tom yam that's sold outside, yet this one still cannot make it to the low standard; won't eat again unless super duper desperate... like if I'm having addiction induced withdrawal symptoms!


Vegetarian tom yam fried bee hoon - quite tasty, with lots of veggies


Vegetarian tauhu goreng (they also sell a new type of rojak popiah!)


Vegetarian laksa, with imitation cockles made of mushrooms; too creamy for my taste


Vegetarian kueh chap with super chewy, bouncy mock fish balls (Weird!)


Another version of vegetarian kueh chap which is more substantial - with (clockwise) mei cai, taupok, taugua, mock meat and tau kee.


This vegetarian fan choy was purchased by the SO, coz I simply dislike mock char siew. It tastes blah!


Vegetarian chye png with brown rice, cabbage, 4-wing bean and bitter gourd in black bean sauce (salty)


Vegetarian chye png from another food court - their veggie dishes are remarkably fresh-tasting with minimal sauces and seasoning (but not bland), which is how I like my veggies (must be the Teochew influence from my mother)


Vegetarian ban mian with mock ikan bilis made from mushroom stalks...clever!


Vegetarian bak chang (this one is so-so, but I've tasted very good home-made ones).


Vegetarian herbal (hand-made) noodles with mock mutton (?) ... nice soup.


Organic vegetarian sushi...very pretty but eat liao not filling one


Vegetarian Hakka Lei Cha (green, gooey, herby soup not shown)


Organic vegetarian fried brown rice (the organic shop don't serve white rice)


Organic vegetarian Korean bibimbap...my favourite!


Vegetarian chicken rice with chicken made of tau kee (English name is dried soya bean sticks?)

This version has crispy "chicken skin" so it must be roasted chicken (烧鸡); the organic shop has a version with "white steamed chicken" (白暂鸡), which I have yet to try, because it's served on the same day as the Korean bibimbap, so the irresistible bibimbap wins every time.


Most North Indian food stalls which sells naan would have vegetarian curries and dishes like dahl and cauliflower curries.

Missing: photo of vegetarian mee rebus, and the list of vegetarian food goes on and on...

From ZaoBao: Overweight Japanese will be fined

立法减超重人口 日本企业和地方政府 须为雇员民众量腰围

（早报国际新闻 2008-06-14）

● 张进培(漫画)

　　（尼崎讯）在减肥风横扫世界各地之际，日本政府立法规定公司和地方政府必须测量人民的腰围，希望减少国内的超重人口，达不到目标者就得罚款。不过，抨击者认为这项措施有矫枉过正之嫌，甚至可能导致医药费上升。

　　据《纽约时报》报道，日本政府在两个月前立法规定，地方政府和雇主必须在为民众和雇员进行每年一次的身体检查时，测量他们的腰围。受影响的人年龄介于40岁至74岁，约有5600万人，占总人口的44%。

　　日本政府定下了野心勃勃的目标，要在四年内将超重人口减少10%，在七年内减少25%；无法达到指定目标的公司和地方政府就得罚款。

　　日本政府规定的腰围尺寸上限是男性33.5英寸、女性35.4英寸。无法达到标准，同时患上因超重而引起的病症者，如果三个月内体重没有下降，当局将指导他们如何控制饮食。必要的话，他们将在六个月后再次接受相关教育。

　　日本卫生部指出，这次的“减肥行动”将避免糖尿病和中风等疾病的蔓延，同时控制不断高涨的医药费。日本社会正迅速老化，日益高昂的医药费是日本目前面对的最严峻和棘手问题。

日本人“根本没必要减肥”

　　不过，抨击者指出，政府的规定，尤其是对男性腰围的限制过于严厉，将使得超过一半的男性被视为超重。他们指出，这可能导致人们过度用药，最终使得医药费不降反升的反效果。

　　东海大学医药学系的大宫司教授说，日本人“根本没必要”减肥。他说：“我不认为这个活动会取得任何正面效果。要是在美国展开这项活动就会取得成效，因为体重100多公斤的美国人多的是。可是，日本人都那么苗条，他们不能再减肥了。”

　　日本卫生部早在几年前便竭力鼓吹人们预防“代谢综合征”（metabolic syndrome）。这个名词如今已在日本成为超重的代名词，是导致腹部肥胖、高血压、高血糖和高胆固醇、糖尿病的罪魁祸首。

日本松下公司的一名医生说，代谢综合征让医生更容易劝请病人减肥。根据新法令，松下如今得为至少八成的雇员量腰围，并在2012年之前，协助其中一成患上代谢综合征的雇员减轻体重。

　　日本个人电脑最大制造商日本电气公司（NEC）则透露，如果他们无法达到指定目标，就得缴付高达1900万美元（约2621万新元）的罚款。

Source: http://www.zaobao.com.sg/gj/gj080614_501.shtml (7-day archive)


What if the same law is enacted here in Sg?

Pandemonium can be expected...

Eating Out (Japanese)

Ever since we've discovered (rather late) about this branch of Sakura buffet at Balestier Shaw Plaza, we've been going to this branch.

This place is bigger, has better ventilation and slightly better food, especially the cooked food section, but their chairs are all the same, i.e. wooden stools.


We were there last Sat, after a massive cleaning up at home. There was a huge mess caused by the installation of the new aircon system, with lots of loose cement powder and concrete from all that drilling. We were so tired and famished afterwards that we thought we deserved a good meal (or just a lame excuse to eat)!

I was too busy and didn't take photos; these are from an earlier visit


Roast duck, oatmeal prawns (麦片虾), baked salmon, baked scallop & breaded oyster


Sashimi platter & sushi, etc.


Durian puff, eclair and mentaiko prawn

"Mentaiko" refers to the sweet orange paste and the name tickles me no end - think of men tiok tai ko (in Hokkien) and you'll understand. :p


On a separate day, we had lunch at Yuki Sushi Village (or something like that...?)


Conveyor belt sushi


Most things are priced at 99 cents, except for items on criss-crossed patterned plate which is $2.99


Some lobster thingy


The hand-rolled sushi are also $2.99 each

Quality-wise, the food is averagely acceptable, and I didn't expect the salmon roe to match those at better (and more expensive) Japanese restaurants. It's not bad a place for a quick and cheap sushi meal.

Herb Salad Pack

It's pre-washed and ready-to-eat.




Can be stored for up to a week or more, and enough for 3 to 4 servings

The types of vegies included





Nice to eat, but the herb taste is rather strong, especially from the cilantro (ie the Chinese "wang sui" 芫荽 ） and dill; better to mix it with some butterhead lettuce and/or baby spinach to even out the taste.

Pasta & Fish Dinner

I haven't been cooking much for the past couple of months. I used to cook about half the time, but one day I just decided not to waste so much time after work just to cook a dinner for two, which would be devoured within 20 minutes. I would use the time saved to do the relaxing things that I like to do, or exercise at the gym or just do nothing! :))

However, I decided to cook dinner tonight since I am on 2 days' mc for sore eyes. It's extra time given to me by the doctor, or 是 eye bacteria 赐给我的~！ Haha! :P

The ingredients for pasta, i.e. whatever that's available at home



Two pieces of salmon which had been sitting in the freezer



Finished product



Looks more like mee goreng...?!?


It was a bit dry, coz I didn't want to dilute the sauce

The extras - grilled salmon on a bed of baby spinach leaves



The SO's TV dinner


Now we're both TOO FULL !!

Now I wonder if I should cook tomorrow??

Egg & Kaya-Butter Toast

This is currently one of my favourite things to eat for breakfast, morning tea or afternoon tea.


The main attraction is the plate of soft-boiled eggs...so smooth and yummilicious! *DROOLS!!*

Sometimes, I'm even tempted to eat it for dinner or supper.

I wonder is it ok to eat one egg everyday? I can eat these eggs everyday if I could. See the masthead of this blog and you'll know liao... it's definitely egg-inspired! ;P


I tried this drink last week - grass jelly iced milk tea.


It's not bad, as long as the tea is good.

The SO wanted to have the normal grass jelly drink, but the cafe say don't have. I guess they only know how to make grass jelly tea...!?!


Also tried this drink many weeks' back.


It's got a lovely colour, and is a non-alcoholic beer.


But I think it tasted like bubbly juice...