Surprise Visit

A dear "old" friend had to make an unexpected but welcome stopover in Singapore. Due to overbooking of his SQ flight to Australia, Gerald and his partner were grounded here for a day, however stuffed with a very generous, adequate compensation. No wonder they charge as so much at SQ! Gerald better known as "Der Maulwurf (the mole)" was in Singapore not too long ago and dug the huge hole under Ford Canning park, called tunnel.
If anyone has complaints regarding this tunnel, get in touch with me I can forward to Gerald.

Of course immediately after checking into his "day only" hotel room his first visit was Chinatown and Erich's! That's what I call loyal customers and this is a driving factor for running this blog, to keep former expats but also friends and locals updated whatz up in Singapore and the region.
The other thing is: Who does not like to gossip at least once in a while. But I promise I will not try to compete or start a war with Singapore's 2 most famous blogger Xiaxue and Dawn Yang who are in a legal battle now. The reason why I mention this issue is because they are all over the newspapers, not gossip magazines, Singapore's No.1 "Straits Times" and others!!! Ya right, don't they have better things to write about than about 2 pseudo celebrities?

Well our policy is to fight differences eye on eye at Erich's Wuerstelstand with his delicious sausages and bread and probably Erdinger beer. The loser has to pay for food and drinks! Way cheaper and so much more fun than hiring lawyers, isn't it?

So Gerald, enjoy your holiday in down under, come back soon there are a lot of tunnels to dig here. Was great seeing you again. Best regards to "big mole" Hannes who is doomed to dig in Vienna the next few years.

Chicken Rice Finals

And then there were 12 at the thorough briefing with the judges and no change in the menu but definitely a change in quantity.

A 70 year old auntie next to me was pretty sure the 8 1/2 bowls from the qualifying round have to be beaten in order to cash in the price money. She seemed to be more excited than the contestants and proudly told me all the details about last year's contest.

Another sweltering Sunday in Singapore but despite the heat, again people didn't want to miss the spectacle and flocked to the Square from all over the Island.

Not really sure what their motives were, was it sympathy for the contestants, a lust for sensation if someone might not be able to keep the food (??) or just being curious?

The 2 hosts Zhang Ying and Jeff did a great job in building up the excitement with their bilingual moderation.

The Taiwanese "Burger King" made it to the final, so far the trip was worth it, but can he win? Can he beat the Singaporeans on their home soil and with one of their most favorite dish if not THE FAVORITE one?

By the way one lady made it to the finals as well. Is the time ripe for Tan Hui Ling?

....or will it be the big boy Peter Low who, as the winner on Saturday, will go as favorite into the finals with 8 1/2 bowls down.

......or a fifty four year old seasoned and experienced guy like Ng Weng Hong who gobbled 7 bowls in the 1st round

....or Ng Chin Sheng, last years runner up (8 bowls). Will he stand on the podium again?

The Contestants were ready to Rock and Roll, the bowls served and it's Showtime now:

Tan Hui Ling
Koh Song Yee

Tan Kok Beng, one of last years finalists, can he win it this year?

Li Rong

Wong Kai Hu
Zhang Shi Chao

Li Jian
Leong Ing Kiat, quietly but steadily finished one bowl after the other

Liu Chao Chiang , the Taiwanese was not able to beat the locals he only made it to 7 bowls. As we all know: Don't play, play with Singaporeans!Ng Chin Sheng tried different positions to get things down. Did it help in the end?

Ng Weng Hong (54) was not able to keep it up and as it seemed to keep it in as well so he had to retire after 4 1/2bowls only

Peter Low very confident

10 minutes are over! Every single grain counts. The judges take their job very seriously and are usinge a scale 3rd place is last years runner up Ng Chin Sheng with 9 1/2 bowls
2nd place Peter Low finishing 10 bowls

and the winner and Chicken Rice Eating Contest 2008 Champion is Leong Ing Kiat with 10 1/4 bowls

You want to be part of it and win great cash prices next year, then start your training now! You can find the best chicken rice stalls all over the island.
Maybe you're one of them next year:

If you want to see the whole Chicken Rice Eating Competition Album:

Just click the photo

CHICKEN RICE EATING COMPETITION 2008

Chicken Rice Eating Competition Attracts Overseas Contestants

The annual chicken rice contest was once again one of the highlights of the Chinatown food festival. Close to 1000 spectators, locals and tourists, gathered around the stage at Kreta Ayer Square in Chinatown to watch witness as close as possible how many bowls of rice a human can swallow within a 10 minute time limit. Last years record of 8 bowls might not be enough to cash in the price money. Due to the limitation of 75 people, by the organisers more than 20 last minute walk in contestants had to be rejected. 10 percent of them were Malaysians, Ang Moh's and even Taiwan's Burger Eating Champion Lu Chao Ching from Taiwan flew in to win the price money.

Before the start of the contest Wong Chi Keong, Chairman of the Chinatown Business Association welcomed the guest of honour MP Dr. Lily Neo and presented a cheque of $ 10,000 for the Yong En Care Centre.

But then it started what people came to see for. The first group in the qualification round tried to beat last years record.

Only 12 of the 75 will qualify for the finals next day. To me it seemed so much easier compared to last year for the contestants to swallow that much chicken rice. As it turned out 7 bowls was the minimum to proceed to the next round.

Watch some of the contestants during their task

Would there be an advantage for big boys?

Or does size not matter? Or can a woman win this year?

You'll find out the answer in our next post. So stay tuned.

CHICKEN RICE EATING COMPETITION

The eating competition is back and it'll be an annual event. If you want to be part of it and win up to $2000 call at 6474 7909 for more event details. A nominal registration fee of $5 applies.

You are just curious and want to see how much humans can swallow in 10 min come to Kreta Ayer Square on Saturday 12.July from 11am to 9pm for qualification rounds or on Sunday 13.July afternoon for the finals.

SINGAPORE FOOD FESTIVAL (4.- 27.July): Eat Like a Local

The 24-day Singapore Food Festival will show you what it is all about in our City-State, besides shopping and making money. You will learn what food makes the locals so passionate about eating (365 days a year).

This festival is dedicated to celebrating the best of Singapore food.

With a line-up of themed events, master classes, tasting sessions and more, the 15th Singapore Food Festival (4 – 27 July) will enlighten you on the multi-ethnic heritage of Singapore food as we know it today. Chinese, Malay, Indian, Peranakan and Eurasian cuisines have played key roles in the evolution of a unique “foodscape”, so come and discover Singapore’s culinary traditions and secrets.

To find out details checkout this website: Singapore Food Festival

In Chinatown some events of the food festival take place as well.

During the Chinese Dialect Food Showcase (12th & 13th JULY 2008; Kreta Ayer Square)
you can look back and explore the Chinese traditional heritage through its diverse range of foods from the established dialects in Singapore including the three main dialects (Cantonese, Teochew, Hokkien) and other dialects such as Hakka, Hainanese, Shanghainese, and Henghua.

Chinatown Old Brands Showcase
In the HUNT for Most Popular Signature Dish just dive into the Chinatown Food Paradise with a Food Hunt Booklet specially launched to help locals and tourists navigate around. Check out the Old Brands Restaurants, each of more than 30 years in history, indulge in their well-known signature dishes and enjoy exclusive discounts just for this July!

Support your favourite 'Chinatown Old Brand Restaurant' simply by voting for their signature dish and you might be rewarded at the Grand Lucky Draw with cash prizes up to $1000!

Trishaw tours in Chinatown

Ever thought getting around town in a three-wheeler?
You can explore Singapore’s historical and cultural districts like Chinatown and Little India in a trishaw.
But which one to choose? You want get around in business class or coach? I can tell you they are not all alike. You will find the ‘ordinary’ trishaw that most probably has been manufactured in China, but you can also find many custom made vehicles now a days.
Some enthusiasts are spending hours after hours to design and assemble their trishaw to stand out among their peers.
Last night I saw a new beauty passing Erich’s that got all the attention from locals and tourists. I spoke to the owner and designer of this trishaw:

“The Bat mobile”
Mr. Ong Ee Hin a real trishaw freak has spent besides a lot of money over 700 hours (!!!) in designing and customizing his vehicle.
Everything besides the basic frame is handmade.
The parts he either made by himself or some were even bought in toy stores.

Bright neon lights are giving the final touch but are as power consuming as are the HiFi speakers and the 600 watts amplifier. The car battery only lasts for 2.5 hours. Since Mr. Ong wants to add more speakers he also needs another battery.
Uncle Ee Hin is an enthusiast and customizing trishaws is a hobby for him, so he is only able to offer his trishaw service after work. If you want to book a ride with him you call him directly after 6:30 at: HP 9431 1375. Of course this is not his last one: He mentioned there is already another one in the pipeline. The design: A secret, he won’t even give me a hint.


To get the most out of your trishaw experience, I recommend booking the tour with one of the licensed trishaw operators. You can call them directly or go to their ticketing kiosks.
The trishaw riders will take you along designated routes in Little India and Chinatown that promise the most interesting and enjoyable sights and sounds in these districts.


Trishaw History
The three-wheeled vehicle existed in its earlier form as the "Jinricksha" in Shanghai in 1880 and was manually pulled by a rider in front of a seat attached to two big wheels. The trishaw made its debut in Singapore in the 1940s and was a common means of transport in these olden days. Although you don’t see many trishaws on the roads now, it remains a strong icon of Singapore’s rich cultural history.





The cycle rickshaw, being a small-scale local means of transport, is also known by a variety of other names such as rickshaw, pedicab, bugbug, cyclo, or trishaw. Cycle rickshaws are human-powered, equipped with one or more seats for carrying passengers in addition to the driver. Many cycle rickshaws have replaced less-efficient rickshaws that are pulled by a person on foot.