Singapore's TidbiTs

Where can you find some wildlife apart from the zoo in urban Singapore? Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is located at the quiet remote corner of northwestern part of Singapore. Buloh is a Malay word for bamboo. And Sungei means river. Therefore, Sungei Buloh means Bamboo River. Simply because it is located along Buloh River. Maybe there are many bamboos which grow in the area previously. You certainly can see some bamboos there. The rich mangroves at Sungei Buloh were once used as a spawning location and nursery by prawn and fish farmers. Sungei Buloh Nature Park was designated a Nature Park in 1989 and the wetland reserve was officially opened in 1993 by former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. It was a protected forest reserve in 1890, though after 1973, during the industrialisation of Singapore, the mangroves around Kranji were cleared to make way for prawn, fish and horticultural farms and light industries. But since 2002, the 202 hectares of rich biodiversity of wetlands of mangrove swa...

The calories rich but tasty teh tarik (or teh tarek) or pulled tea is a unique milk or 'sarabat' tea found in Malaysia and Singapore. It is made of black tea in combination with condensed milk (or evaporated milk for less sweetness), and tossing or dragging (tarik) the tea from one container to another at a height. This tea is usually drank while having roti prata . Well you can drink it with about any snacks or dishes or you can just sip it on its own. There is also teh masala or spice tea, but for the locals here we tend to stick with either teh tarik or teh halia. These teh tarek stalls are traditionally owned or operated by Indians. A glass or a cup of teh tarik usually cost between $1.20 to $2.00 depending if you get them at hawker centres or air-conditioned food-courts. Teh tarik seller You can get a fix of teh-tarik not only in Little India but all over Singapore. Obviously it is cheaper and tastes better at the road-side stalls or at hawker centres . We locals like to...

Cheng teng is a uniquely sweet local dessert or comfort drink that has been around for generations. This icy cold dessert drinks are popular especially given our local weather that are hot and humid. You can also have your cheng teng (also spelled as cheng tng ) warm or hot. Bedok Corner cheng-teng Cheng teng can be served either hot or cold. It is a potpourri of ingredients that include longan, ginko nuts, lily bulbs, white fungus, red dates, lianzi, barley, etc. Cold cheng teng is added with shaved ice. It is a sweet ‘cooling’ tasting dessert, like most desserts here. Cheng teng is believed to be able to get rid of heatiness in the hot and humid Singapore weather due to the tonic effect of some of the ingredients, which are herbal in nature. Some ingredients are used as part of traditional Chinese medicine, which have been used for centuries. But with so many ingredients in a bowl, cheng teng tastes very refreshing and sweet. The hot or warm version is even sweeter without the added...

Public or community libraries can be found in almost housing estates. Some libraries are even housed in shopping malls and arts galleries! How cool is that. You can shop, eat (not in the libraries, of course) then nourish your brain in the libraries. And to sleep, yes to sleep. You can read some books or magazines, or the daily newspapers for free or watch some audio-visual materials from one of the computers dotting inside the libraries. There are comfy seats for you to read. Some are too comfy that can make people snooze. You can also surf internet on your laptop, tablet or iPad using the complimentary wireless@sg WiFi. The libaries are air-conditioned so they are good place to escape the heat and humidity outside. Though just like cinemas, many libraries air-conditioning are set at winter temperature, so bring along a light sweater if you plan to stay in libraries for an extended period of time. A public library The central, regional and public or community libraries are all open se...

Kaya toast set. Usually eaten for breakfast that can be found in many kopitiams . That ubiquitous pair of soft half-boiled or semi-boiled (not fully boiled or hardened) eggs served with slices of toasted bread or buns spread with kaya jam and thin slabs of butter, and complete with a cup of tea of coffee. All for between $2.30 to $5, depending which cafes, hawker centres or food-courts that you go to. At many school canteens you can get a set for only $2. You can find kaya toast at many local cafes here which are more commonly known as coffee shops, at the hawker or food centres , food-courts or in kopitiams (the local lingo for breakfast joints) Islandwide. This iconic breakfast set is originally served in Hainanese kopitiams . And while it is best or traditionally eaten for breakfast, this breakfast set is served all day long at many chain cafes. Kaya is a coconut based pandan flavoured jam. Though traditionally it was simply coconut-based jam. The half-boiled eggs (the softness of...

The orchid family, Orchidaceae, is one of the two largest flowering plant families in the world, the other being the sunflower family, Asteraceae. Orchids are also one of the most widespread and variable families of flowering plants. There are about 30,000 orchid species in the world, making up to 8% of the plant kingdom. They can be found on all continents that support vegetation but are most diverse in the tropics which suits well in Singapore tropical and humid climate. Orchids are generally herbaceous plants as they do to have woody parts like trees or shrubs. Orchid seeds are also the smallest seeds in the world. Many orchids grow on trees called tree orchids or epiphytic orchids, but they do not receive nutrients from the trees and are therefore not parasites. Many other orchids grow on the ground called ground or terrestrial orchids. And orchids that grow on rocks are called lithophytic orchids. Few others are lianas, climbing on small trees such as Vanilla planifolia . Vanilla ...

Durians are tropical fruits. Considered by many as King of fruits of South-East Asia. Whether durian is the most favourite fruit here, that is a bit subjective given its' famous pungent smell that some find simply overpowering. It has that distinctive special smell or odour, that you can smell a kilometre away :). Some loath it, many love it. Green and thorny outside. Yellow, soft and fleshy inside. Do you know that that there are durian trees in Singapore and durian is indeed native to Singapore? A street named Lorong Lew Lian bears testament to it. Lew Lian is a Hokkien word for durian. There used to be durian plantations in the vicinity of Lorong Lew Lian (Lew Lian Lane). The scientific name for durian is Durio zibethinus. Duri is a Malay word for thorns, hence the name durian which means thorny fruit. And yes you can find durian trees in Pulau Ubin and at Mandai and some odd ones at other parts of Singapore as well. During durian season you can spot the distinctive green-shel...