The Art of Crab Eating (Die Kunst des Essens der Krabbe)

If you are going to have crab at the famous Mellben Seafood at Toa Payoh Lorong 8, here are some helpful pointers: #1 Bring good friends with hungry stomachs, #2 Get yourself a drink after you have ordered your food, because you have to stand here for about 45minutes before your table is ready.

Entscheidet man sich bei dem beruehmten Mellben Seafood Krabben essen zu gehen, sollte man auf das Folgende achten: #Komm mit deinen hungrigen Freunden, #2 Bestell dein essen und dann geh erst einmal woanders Getraenke bestellen, denn Du wirst 45 Minuten warten muessen bevor der reservierte Tisch frei wird.

#3 Take pictures of one another to pass the time, because....
#3 Mach ein paar Fotos um die Zeit tot zu schlagen...

...it is THIS crowded!
... es ist sooo voll!


When the crab arrives,
Wenn die Krabbe kommt,


those with rather skillful hands (usually girls) do it with finesse. Here, you see Cecille uses the 3-finger system but Carrie can do the more Expert 2-finger, and still take photos too (This includes me, since I am the photographer)
essen es diejenigen mit geschickten Fingern (meist Maedels) recht vornehm. Cecile mit 3 Fingern pro Hand, Carrie sogar noch fortgeschrittener mit 2 Fingern. Mache (z.B. ICH) koennen sogar noch Fotos machen so sauber bleiben die Finger.


While boys like Rob here uses ALL his fingers.
Waehrenddessen haben die Jungs schon mehr Probleme und nutzen alle 10 Finger.

Daniel, recently a banana-bunch 10-finger crab eater, has graduated to the Expert 2-finger system. Congratulations Daniel!

Daniel, beim letzten mal noch ein 10-Bananenfinger-Esser, ist nun ein 2-Finger-Profi. Glueckwunsch!

Dan: Thank you, I am feeling quite smug about it too.

Dan: Danke, ich bin damit sehr sehr froh.

And that's the art of eating crab.

Und die ist die Kunst des Essens der Krabbe

After the meal, make sure you soap up and wash those hands. Look Mom: clean hands!

Nach dem essen geht's zum Haende waschen: Schau Mama, saubere Haende!

At Chinatown, we take a big risk with Daniel's and Rob's monotones and go for Karaoke.
Dann ging es zum Karaoke singen nach Chinatown.

Daniel is the happiest person in the room!

Daniel ist der froehlichste im Raum!

I am the next German Idol okay!

Deutschland's naechster Superstar!

So what? As long as I LOOK like German Idol, I don't have to sound like it.

Was nun? So lange ich aussehe wie der naechste Superstar, muss ich nicht so klingen.

Frank and Daniel duet! But you know how it REALLY should be done?

Nun im Duo. Und so sollte es aussehen...

Like THIS!

Genau so!

At The Museum

Today we bring you to the National Museum

In the Rotunda, we have a very large 8.5m David replica by Indonesian artist Titarubi, who wrapped him up in Kebaya print, the work is called "Surrounding David".

Looking up in the Rotunda...

...at the view from beneathe David's balls...

David's butt, as seen by Michaelangelo

Daniel's butt, as seen and appreciated by Me


Daniel's weekend work excursion

It's all very modern, the "original" colonial architecture has been "conserved"


but updated so it looks at home next to these

This is probably the only thing that really came from 1887 (Daniel's views are almost as archaic, so he fits right in here inside the museum!)

Daniel's Durian Experiment

For Rob's 29th birthday party, Daniel decided to give him the smelliest fruit in the world: a durian. Rob was a good sport of course...

Daniel schenkt Rob eine Durian, die stinkenste Frucht der Welt, zu seinem 29. Geburtstag. Rob war dem Ganzen offen gegenueber...

Rob: oooooh! What a stinker. I'm gonna faint.
Rob: Iiiigitt, die stinkt aber. Ich kippe aus den Latschen.

The durian has a green shell of thorns and inside, the fruit looks like yellow shit, feels like custard and tastes quite sweet actually. You just have to get past the smell first....
Innen aussehend wie gelbe Scheisse, ist die Durian von aussen gruen und stachelig. Sie fuehlt sich an wie Pudding, und schmeckt eigentlich recht suess. Man muss nur den Geruch ueberwinden.

Rob: I'm not sure about this, dude.
Rob: Soll ich?
Dan: Oh, be a man, Rob, and eat it!
Daniel: Sei ein Kerl und iss.

Rob's friend: I am regretting this very much.

Rob's Freund: Das haette ich nicht anfangen sollen.

Dan: You're all a bunch of wussies!

Dan: Ihr seid doch alles Pfeifen!

Dan: Only the damn dog appreciates my durian.
Dan: Nur der verdammte Hund weiss was gut ist und mag meine Durian.

How about it, Sandy? A Jaegermeister shot to wash down that yummy durian?

Noch einen Jaegermeister Sandy? Zum nachspuelen...

Sandy the dog: I'm not sure what I ate, but my breath is starting to stink I think.

Sandy der Hund: Nicht sicher was das war, aber ich habe Mundgeruch.

The German National Pride (Der nationale Stolz der Deutschen)

Let me tell you about the things we feel deeply about.

Lass mich euch von Dingen erzaehlen die uns beschaeftigen.

In ascending order of importance, number one: sausages

Mit zunehmender Bedeuting, nummer eins: Würste

Number two: beer
Nummer zwei: Bier
...and pretzels, if you are in Munich …
... und Brezeln, besonders in Muenchen...

Number three: football
Nummer drei: Fußball
As you can see from below,
Wie Du sehen kannst,

we become very passionate when things go as planned
wir werden sehr leidenschaftlich, wenn Sachen wie geplant laufen
and the German national team wins...
und die deutsche Nationalmannschaft gewinnt...

....but when we lose the European Championship to the Spanish,
aber wenn wir die Europameisterschaft gegen die Spanier verlieren,

we are not so amused.
sind wir nicht mehr froh.

Schwein Wochenende

Saturday: Hang Sang Korean Restaurant

Samstag: Hang Sang koreanische Gaststätte

A few kinds of beef, mushrooms and a big ol' onion
Einige Arten Rindfleisch, Pilze und große Zwiebel

Daniel: the mushroom is yummy
Daniel: der Pilz ist yummy

and hot...
und heiß


Korean appetisers, I love the kimchi (the red one)
Koreanische Aperitifs, ich mag das kimchi (das rote)


and the beef also
und das Rindfleisch auch

Burp*

Daniel: I can still eat
Daniel: Ich kann noch essen

Later...at ONE ROCHESTER
Später… in ONE ROCHESTER

Rather nice ambience but damn hot, they couldn't spare us an extra fan.
Ziemlich nettes Ambiente aber verfluchtes heißes, konnten sie uns nicht ersparen ein extra Ventilator.

Su Hui und Nicholas

Connie und Simon, her cousin (ihr Vetter)

Sunday: at Chinatown

Sonntag: bei Chinatown

Look behind Daniel!

Schauen Sie hinter Daniel!

We are going to our favourite Austrian at Chinatown...
Wir gehen zu unserem Lieblings Österreicher bei Chinatown…

that's him
das ist er

Kaesewurst mit Brot und Senf, $3.50

Yes, we are still in Chinatown.
Ja sind wir noch in Chinatown.

We are not complete pigs, we got some culture too.
Wir sind nicht komplette Schweine, wir sahen etwas Kultur auch.

On the roof of the Sacred Tooth Relic Temple
Auf dem Dach des heiligen Zahn-Relikt-Tempels

Sunday Evening: at Straits Kitchen, Grand Hyatt

Sonntags-Abend: im restaurant Straits Kitchen, Hyatt Hotel (Buffet zu Abend essend)

Left clockwise: white chicken and soya sauce chicken; roasted duck, chilli sauce with ginger; potato croquette and chicken satay; satay sauce
Links nach rechts: weißes Huhn- und Sojasoßenhuhn; gebratene Ente, Paprikasoße mit Ingwer; Kartoffelkrokette und -huhn satay; satay Soße

Fried yam with egg; Popiah (assorted-vegetable roll); Crab in sweet pepper sauce
Gebratene Yamswurzel mit Ei; Popiah (Sortierengemüse Rolle); Krabbe in der Soße des süßen Pfeffers

Prawns; sauteed vegetables; Asam-fish
Garnelen; sautiertes Gemüse; Asam-Fische

Daniel: I am using my 2-finger system to shell the prawn
Daniel: Ich benutze mein System mit 2 Fingern, um die Garnele zu schälen

3-finger system is better

das System mit 3 Fingern ist besser

Daniel: Yummy!

Seasonal fruits: Lychees and mangosteens
Saisonfrüchte: Lychees und Mangostanfrüchte (das Purpur)

Vivien: Yummy!

but a bit messy
aber eine bisschen unordentlich

the buffet

das Buffet

and dessert...
und Nachtisch

sugar cane
Zuckerrohr (betätigt, um Zuckerrohrsaft zu bilden)

NB*

Missing photos: Saturday Afternoon eating Dimsum at Red Star

Fehlende Fotos: Samstag-Nachmittagsessen Dimsum am roten Stern

Aalen and Heimat

You hardly ever see me in pictures nowadays. It's a little hard to find one that represents who I am these days, I feel a little sliced up, neither this nor that. I think it's got a lot to do with Living Life on autopilot. Here I am with Daniel and his Mum looking I suppose closest to how I feel most these days: without a care. Can't find an exact English word for it. We were in Aalen, really pretty place in the southernly bit of Germany. It was morning at the market in town and we were trying a local sweetshop confection. I look like I am on a sugar high, and you're probably right, the thing was 90% sugar and 100% fat.

A typical German town, in a typically German market, where the locals atypically spent a LOT of their time at the cafes. It's a happy kind of morning, and of course, we were more than happy to spend it sipping cappuccinos.

Soccer is not only part of the national culture, it's the entire PREMISE for any sort of nationalistic display. Here (below) you see an interesting, yet perfect epitomy of German multiculturalism. What multiculturalism, you ask? They have one, it's just difficult to admit.
The Turks (those of Turkish descent born in Germany, as well as Turkey-born naturalized Germans and non-citizens) are the biggest immigrant ethnic group in the country. In Berlin they call it "Little Turkey", and Daniel said he was thankful that we were watching the Germany-Turkey semi-final back in Singapore.

Above: a Fachwerkhaus (pronounced Fuck-Veherk-House) or a stud workhouse.

There's a kind of tranquility that you don't ever get even in the quietest, most prettified corner of a large city. Daniel's Mum kept asking me if Aalen was sehr schon, and it is. But it's more than just a pretty picture that shows up nicely on night-shot lens. Perhaps it is the fact that we pass through as visitors, and experience the place as somebody else's heimat (German word that means "home" or "homeland").

Germany, and with that, every other beautiful place that I have passed through, is some one else's heimat, and this heimat is like the cardiovascular timebomb I ate that day (see picture 1): I don't just consume it like some voracious tourist, I taste it, savour it, but I never live it like the natives. I suppose, as Vilem Flusser noted, to live in or to be in your heimat is nothing but "the enshrinement of banality [...] nothing but a home encased in mystification.



It's true, I've never particularly felt the ideological rootedness to my country, even though I take for granted the customs and practices of many of the people there. Heimat, to Flusser, consists of the relationships that he chooses to enter into, and hence, it is to these relationships that he must be responsible to. In that way, everywhere that I willingly choose to establishment relationships can be my heimat.

How deeply does one feel for a place, a community, or a nation? When you pack up (either your bags or your entire life) and move on to the next place, what happens to the heimat you leave behind physically? Whatever I felt then, I am still feeling now, and it's a curious sense on non-feeling. It's kind of like the connaissance in French, that I have for being in this world, while not really belonging to any place within it. You hardly see your own country, your own ways, in more than one or two perspectives until you meet another culture, know another philosophy. Now that I have gotten to know another one, I believe people everywhere are interested by the same things. (See Conrad's perfect meditative lotus pose below):When we talk about Buddhism, the Chinese language, other people's kids, the weather, and how schon Aalen is, we're really talking about the same things that interest any person in any heimat, it's just we do things differently. But not always, as Conrad's pose will attest to. He's not much nearer to Enlightenment than I am, but it's sure funny to watch people get there.