The Mid- Autumn Festival close.

Don't forget to visit Chinatown to experience Chinese culture, fun events, great food and wonderful photo opportunities during the Mooncake Festival. Check out www.chinatownfestivals.sg for detailed information on all the events.

 

National Day Parade 2012

Happy Birthday Singapore! It's the 47th time Singapore is celebrating its independence. Over 2000 participants will again perform on the Marina Bay floating platform. This year's theme was

                                                LOVING SINGAPORE OUR HOME

it encourages all Singaporeans to reflect on what it means to love their country, what they appreciate about Singapore and how each individual can express their love for the nation.

"The annual crowd pleaser in the pre-parade The Red Lions again fulfilled the spectators expectations

Split into a prologue, three acts themed Identity, Spirit and Love and a finale, the 45-minute Show segment featured larger-than-life props and mass displays that were integrated with multimedia projections.

Highlights of this year's show were : 

- a musical dialogue in Act One between a Tabla (a pair of small hand drums attached together used in Indian music) player, a Gambus (a lute used in Malay folk music) player, a Chinese opera singer and a pianist, 

- a dragon boat procession rowing towards the floating platform in Act Two. Performers on stage will complement the procession by forming a giant lion's head with brightly-lit torches, and
- a stage transformation into a Garden City in act Three with the use of large flower props and multimedia displays

Videos, graphics and animations were displayed on nine LED mesh screens built to complement the Marina Bay skyline. Besides nine center screen in the shape of the Singapore island and eight side screens, there were eight mobile stages and an elevated stage that was reconfigured to form different shapes during the show. 

Spectacular fireworks display ended the 47th National Day Parade.

HAPPY 47th NATIONAL DAY SINGAPORE

Austrian Celebrity Chef meets Austrian Celebrity Chef

Austrian celebrity chef Johann Lafer meets Erich at his Wuerstelstand in Chinatown!

You probably can imagine  how surprised and honored  Erich was when Johann Lafer and his family suddenly appeared at the Wuerstelstand.

Johann Lafer is a well renown chef in Europe. He became famous through his his televised cooking shows and numerous  cookbooks. He also made appliances in Europes biggest prime time TV shows with millions of viewers.

Johann Lafer was born in Graz, Austria, the same town as Arnold Schwarzenegger. Already as a kid he was very clear what he wants to persue in life: 

> Learn how to cook

> Become a famous soccer player

> Live like knights in a fortress and of course

> Become a helicopter pilot

Well, as we know today it didn’t really work out with soccer! However he became a big star among the world’s chefs and his other dreams came true as well.

Additionally he found his personal fortune as a husband and dad.

His professional life has been recognized by many awards from communities, countries, states and international organizations.

After graduating from the chef college in Graz he got hired from Hotels in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Paris and many more.

In 1994 he and his wife Silvia (since 1994) fulfilled castle dream with the 1000 year old Stromburg and opened the Relais & Châteaux-Hotel “Lafers” Stromburg” including Restaurant “Le Val d’Or” and Gasthaus “Turmstube” (nowadays: Bistro d’Or). 

He later opened a culinary school, started his TV studio for televised cooking, wrote books, etc. etc.
It’s an almost never ending list of achievements.

Click here to explore his world (unfortunately in German only): Johann Lafer

Another famous autograph for Erich’s guestbook.

   

Well, the "battle"and "war" on the KAESEKARAINER has been won!!!
Thanks to the support of all our friends



The Singapore Food Festival is back

Starting with July 13 (to July 22) all the gourmets can satisfy their desire for mouthwatering delicacies doing the annual Singapore Food Festival. This year focused on SEAFOOD!

You can experience this culinary event at the new Singapore Food Festival Village, the Waterfront Promenade@ Marina Bay! 

Up to 50 stalls will be featuring local favorites:

Chili Crab (my personal favorite!!)

and more.        I’m already salivating! :(  anyways...

Let’s look at some of the event highlights

    For details about the various cooking/demonstration workshops or dinners please checkout this website by clicking the logo

And last but not least, if you think you need a brake from Seafood visit Erich’s Wuerstelstand (who is officially part of the festival promotion) and enjoy discounts throughout the festival

The Sausage War is Over!

Austria and Slovenia finally find a solution in the cheese sausage war!

Austria and Slovenia came to a compromise in their quarrel about the name of a very specific sausage: the Kaese Krainer (cheese sausage). Slovenia files the name " Kranjska Klobasa" with the European Patent Office and Austria can continue to use the names : "Krainer resp. Kaese Krainer".

Both parties are very happy with the outcome.

This dispute about the name of "just" a sausage found a media uproar in both countries. Even international media reported in their newspapers.

This sausage is probably the most popular sausage besides Frankfurter in Austria and banning to use the name could have been a financial disaster for the parties concerned such as Sausage Kiosks, Restaurants and butchers.

Slovenia wanted to patent that name because the origin of the sausage is in their country however during the Austrian/ Hungarian Monarchy Slovenia was part of the empire however Vienna and the rest of Austria fell in love with that sausage and adjusted the recipe and made this delicacy world famous.

Well we're glad everything came to an happy ending and Erich is able to continue selling the Kaese Krainer at his Wuerstelstand in Singapore's Chinatown!

If you haven't tried that sausage you're missing out on a very palatable Austrian delicacy.

I recommend: Get there now and enjoy! And get a bun or pretzel as well ;)  Enjoy!

James fom JB visit Erich's Wuerstelstand and enjoy the Kaesekrainer

Singapore’s latest attraction: Bay South Garden

Gardens by the Bay is an integral part of a strategy by the Singapore Government to transform Singapore from a "Garden City" into a “City in a Garden” which aims to raise the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora to the city.
Gardens by the Bay is intended to become Singapore’s premier urban outdoor recreation space, and a national icon.

After a sneak public preview in November 2011, the Bay South Garden, a section of the waterfront gardens in the new Downtown @ Marina Bay, will open on June 29.
The sprawling 54 hectares Bay South features man-made, tree-like structures known as "supertrees". Visitors with a taste for heights can take to the aerial walkway that links two of the super trees.

There is also the Dragonfly Lake, where visitors can stroll along the promenade or rest in the four heritage gardens which reflect the history and culture of Singapore's main ethnic groups. 

 

Dr Kiat W Tan, CEO of Gardens By The Bay, said: "We have brought (in) two glasshouses that'll give you a touch of perpetual spring. So this is excellent in that here in the tropics, we have a touch of the seasons. It allows us to also look at plants from different continents, brought here from fragile habitats that are disappearing very fast.”

Visitors can also look forward to the Cloud Forest where they will be greeted by a mountain, covered in a layer of luscious plants and complete with a 30-metre waterfall. It has a living skin. Every single plant has to be tied on. And there are over 100,000 plants. There's a wonderful array of ferns, orchids, pitcher plants," said Dr Tan. Most of Bay South will be free to visitors, except for the two conservatories and the aerial walkway on the super trees.

To celebrate the opening of Bay South, there will be a series of events organised over two weekends from June 29 to July 8. These include "live" concerts by Grammy Award winner Jason Mraz and local songbird Corrine May. Six restaurants will also be opened for a unique dining experience in the garden.

Check this out, here’s an amazing impression of the Gardens by the Bay:

Erich's latest TV interview

Once again Erich made it into the news. This time Singapore's Razor TV. Check it out:

Krainer vs. Krainer: the war on sausage

Who doesn’t know what that is? 

A Kaesekrainer! A Eitrige mit an Buckel! A very delicious cheese sausage, which can be messy at times (...if you’re not careful biting into it and the cheese jerks out! haha).

Never heard or worse tasted it?

You better get to Erich’s Wuerstelstand, NOW!! Erich sells the best Kaesekrainer outside Austria and he will tell you all about it.

Austria and Slovenia face international court over sausages!!!

This sausage and its name has been around since years in Austria (since the Austrian Monarchy) and now suddenly after almost 100 years Slovenia, who was part of this Monarchy, has filed an application with the European Commission of “ Recognition and Protected Status for the ‘Krainer Wurst’!” 

Slovenia wants the Krainer sausage to be given special protected EU status, similar to champagne, Parmesan and Cornish Pastry. They claim that the minced pork sausage was invented in northern Slovenia in the 19th Century.

But Slovenia’s plans have upset Austria, because we believe this sausage is our own. Our cheese-filled variation of the sausage, the Kaesekrainer, is one of the Austrians most popular sausages. 

Tourists and visitors love and associate this sausage with Austria not Slovenia! 

Josef Bitzinger from the Vienna Chamber of Commerce:” This sausage is part of Austria’s heritage, and renaming it would be unthinkable. Vienna sausage kiosks (Wuerstelstand) are a trademark of the city and Kaesekrainers have to be on the menu. Frankfurter sausages (Franks) are called Wiener Wuerstel in Germany and that is not a problem” 

Slovenia is applying to the European Commsion for Protected Georaphical Indication status, because of the meat’s connection to the Kranjska region (which was part of the Austrian- Hungarian Monarchy as mentioned before).

Be aware Slovenia, you already started WW I, don’t get into this again! We will fight back using catapults hurling Semmelknoedel (bread dumplings) over the border! LOL 

                                                 ("Kaesekrainer has to stay Kaesekrainer”)

So Erich started his own war (speak: initiative) at his Wuerstelstand where customers demonstrate against renaming the Kaesekrainer:

If you want to show your appreciation of the Kaesekrainer and support Erich’s “Kaeskrainer war", please come to Erich’s and have him take a picture!

How Singapore has changed!

Here’s a film shot by Kees Renard with a 8mm camera in 1962. It shows the Post headquarters now “The Fullerton Hotel”, an already very busy Boat Quay, with merchants though and not tourists! 

ECHT FETT - Gummipuppe

Der Wuerstelstand als Kommunikationszentrale:)

www.razortv.com.sg

Oliva and the crew from RAZORTV visit Erich's WUERSTELSTAND

to see the full story when uploaded-

bookmark  www.razortv.com.sg