Food Food and more Food!

Do you remember me telling you about Esther? I told you a little about her in this post. I still owe you a story but that’ll have to wait for another post and for when I can do God’s cool handywork justice.

I was just going through some posts and comments this afternoon on the blog and doing a little reminiscing and ran across this from Esther. It’s great!! When she wrote it in February 2010, I had no idea what most of this was. It’s so cool to recognize and have even tasted most of these things. Singapore is food heaven. If you like food and you like summer time weather, this is your place! This is the first of a few food posts I need to write up. I recently went to a friends house and learned how to cook some Thai dishes and also another friend’s house to learn some Japanese dishes. What a highlight!! I can’t wait to share those with you. But for now… this list of must try foods from Esther. Of course, there are many more that she didn’t mention, like Rojak, Chicken Rice, Beef Hor Fun, Green Curry Chicken, Tom Yum, Chawanmushi, not to mention all the Indian foods we love. See… I told you Singapore is food heaven! What Esther has listed are some of the more popular Singapore traditional foods. I have some new things to try now before we leave. Better get started soon.

Do you know these foods? Like them? Not like them? I’d love to hear from you.

I have a lot of fav foods… Char Kway Teow (the best is Hill Street Char Kway Teow, which before I left SG, could be found at Bedok South Road wet market, opp Temasek Junior College).

Fried Carrot Cake (Chai Tao Kway)

Roti Prata

Fish Head Curry (Banana Leaf in Katong – 10 Ceylon Road; Tel: 6447 0096 , 6447 0096 )

Katong Laksa (4 Stores) (47, 49, 57 and 328 – Corner of Ceylon Road and East Coast Road)

Fei Fei Wantan Noodles (Xin Hua coffeeshop – 64 Joo Chiat Place)

Joo Chiat Prawn Mee (Onan Road nearer Geylang Road)

Kim Choo Nonya Bak Chang (Katong)

Don’t go to eat at Newton – it is overpriced and over-rated. (from Andrea… We actually like Newton but mostly because it feels like going home since we stayed near there for our first 5 weeks in Singapore. It is overpriced but it’s also familiar and the people know us there and give us stuff like Heiniken umbrellas and Tiger beer glasses.)

Sugar Cane juice has A LOT of sugar, but fantastic with lemon!

Zhi Char in SG is quite fabulous.

Geylang has A LOT of awesome food… http://www.goodfood.sg/geylang

Somethin’ to talk about…

Some female country singer sings a song that says, “Let’s give ‘em somethin’ to talk about.” I can hear the tune but have no idea who sings it. Shania Twain, maybe? I’m not a huge fan of Country and Western music but coming from Texas, it’s inescapeable really.

Seems Rob Bell is givin’ ‘em somethin’ to talk about as well these days. He’s always been quite controversial in the Christian arena. As a pastor, a speaker, a writer, he likes to kind of stir things up. And honestly, I think that’s why I’ve always been a fan. Being a fan, doesn’t mean I always agree but he makes me think. He makes my kids think. He has been the source of some great conversations in our family and for that I’m grateful. Part of owning our own faith is thinking it through and questioning. Sandpaper. Rubbing the grit off to get to the core of an issue. Most importantly, though, getting to the core of an issue according to what the Bible says. Then you go from there and determine what YOU believe and not what someone else, another human with faults and questions of their own, tells you.

So, Rob’s new book is coming out soon, Love Wins. I won’t profess to know everything there is to know about Universalism or Hell or even Heaven. Honestly, I don’t really know that much about them at all. I’ve never thought much about Universalism and I haven’t been to Heaven or Hell or known anyone who has.  But I do trust and believe what the Bible says and one important thing that it says is to not judge others. So how about we wait until the book comes out and read it for ourselves before we start condemning a good man whom I have no trouble believing loves God and follows God and a man who is willing to be sandpaper and rough up our ever so soft-skinned hearts and cause us to ask some questions and think a little bit. No harm in that, right?

I guess most importantly, let’s not judge a book by its cover. Ok? When the book is actually out, we’ll read it and go from there.

Here’s the video about the book by Rob Bell that is causing such a ruckus (that’s a fun word, huh?).

Here are two good blog posts in case you’re interested.

One by my incredible son, Jakeb.

“I am at a point in my life now where I decide for myself what I believe, but I am still quite dependent on the wisdom of my parents. In terms of this Universalist stuff, I just want to read the book and see the pros and cons with this idea and draw my own conclusion after lots of prayer and reflection. Anything that Rob Bell writes or publishes is worth reading, but like everything, it needs to be matched up with the Gospel to see if it sticks or is in relation to God’s will.”

The other by a man I don’t know but he took the words right out of my mouth. Thanks, Grant!!

“So…to sum up. Rob Bell makes a cool video about his upcoming book by asking provocative questions that intelligent people have asked for centuries…questions like how does billions of people going to hell prove that God is love? He doesn’t answer the questions in the video because…well…because he never does and he’s trying to sell books. And instead of reading the book or waiting for the book, we roast Rob Bell over the coals for what MIGHT be his answers even though we don’t really know what his answers may really be?

And all of this gets played out in front of the whole world via Twitter, Facebook, blog posts and mainline news outlets? Instead of face to face conversations and waiting for the actual book to come out?

Sounds…really…mature.

I think I’ll just wait for the book.”

The book comes out on March 29th. I think it’s going to be a popular one.

Rob, if you are shunned by the masses, which I seriously doubt will hapen, you can always come hang out with us. We’ll feed you good and we’ll seriously enjoy some great conversation! And we’re in Singapore where just about anything and anyone is accepted so you can catch a break. We know that because we live here.  Open ended offer. Bring your family too. We have a great pool!