04 October 2009

Culinary Curiosities

Growing up, I remember dreading those 5 words my mom would say when she didn't feel like cooking: "let's have breakfast for dinner." That phrase would usually be followed by post-7pm scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. Breakfast for dinner? Come on. But just recently the true arbitrariness of our designated choices for morning, noon, and night cuisine came to light.

Now that the new ION Orchard mall opened, my daily commute requires me to navigate a sea of stores and loitering crowds. Nestled between shoe shops, clothing boutiques, and casual dining restaurants is Dunkin' Donuts. My first encounter with the newly opened store was on my way to church one Sunday morning. I remember making a mental note that Singaporeans must not like donuts. The store was empty except for a few token expats getting their sugar rush for the morning.

The following evening I passed by the same store and couldn't believe my eyes...pouring out of this sweet-treat "breakfast" shop at 10pm were two long lines with dividing ribbons to guide the queues. They even had an addition "express" line for those wanting just one or two donuts. Here in Singapore, donuts are an afternoon and late-night snack not a weekend breakfast item or morning staple for those wearing blue.

It's not just scrambled eggs or Dunkin' Donuts after noon that might cause one to pause either. How about beef noodle soup for breakfast (a staple in Vietnam), red beans and rice for dessert (a sweetened Singaporean treat), or fritatas in the afternoon (ever tried tortilla espanola?). So here's to embracing breakfast time in the evening time. And thanks to my mom who, when dad was out of town, would always suggest: "let's have dessert for dinner."

4 comments:

  1. Wow. I had forgotten about that. Guess what your Dad's going to get for dinner tomorrow night!

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  2. I bet he's going to either Braum's Ice Cream or the custard place=) I loved when you asked us if we wanted ice cream for dinner! ha!

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  3. How about chicken adobo in Manila. We stayed at s.e.asian type B&B and it was on the menu every morning. Aaron and Sarah had it every morning, along with the ever present rice. Of course you stayed with ex-pats so maybe it was not offered for breakfast.
    Love, Grandma

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  4. Good one grandma! We didn't have it Uncle Tom's house but I actually did eat it everyday for breakfast while in Boracay. Yum!!!! It was wrapped in a semi-sweet bun. Not sure if that's the same kind that Aaron and Sarah had every morning??

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