And then I moved so Singapore, where it's just not that clean cut. I no longer feel in safe territory (or far from my bank being overdrawn) buying Cheddar cheese. The 'red milk' which I relied on for being non milky enough to put in my coffee is now nowhere to be seen, and I am yet to locate any of those delightfully odd little bags of Mozzarella that no matter how delicately you approach them over the sink with a knife, the 'mozzarella placenta' will explode over you and all surrounding surfaces....I almost miss these messy mozzarella times, and I know my tomatoes certainly do. God its stressful. I will try and explain...
Being a tiny little Island, Dairy farms aren't common place in Singapore which it doesn't take a genius to figure out. Thus most dairy products are imported and preserved and therefore have an unnaturally long life span- I think the carton of 'High CAL' Milk (what a name to put off girls! 'Cal' I have now learnt is calcium not calories) will outlive me, its expirey date is aprox 20th July 3012. Now as I have just stressed I was not a milk lover previously, but whatever they do to preserve it just makes it tastes even worse. I may have to start putting vanilla Hagendaaz in my tea (totally haven't tried this yet, honest)
Anyway the milk issue I can just about deal with but. WHAT IS UP WITH THE CHEESE HERE?! A tiny weeny bit of cheddar, say the size of a human thumb (ok my thumb) is about 4 quid and it tastes preserved and plasticky. I was feeling a bit Greek one week (must have seen a trailer for Mamamia or heard someone drop a plate) and bought some feta, but this was so drenched in brine it was an unnecessary addition to the jar, brine alone would have been little different. (NB I have no idea what brine is) My spirits were lifted significantly when I spotted some brie, gorgonzola and Philadelphia in the supermarket last week, however after noting the price, and accepting the fact I would get home and eat it all immediately and wisely decided not to take the plunge- I do after all have rent to pay, and fear the cheesy dreams.
I could go on and bore you about the substitutes as well such as Bean curd, Tofu, Soy and rice milk, but if the paragraph proved to be as bland as the products themselves, I fear I would be shut down by the fun police.
 |
| BEAN CURD. |
Now. I am not one to take matters like this lightly. I want cheese- so I will get cheese. I have recently learnt of a FONDU place in Singapore, I am withholding from getting excited until I have experienced it as there is a high possibility they will use use the plastic cheese, and I am just not emotionally in a place where I can deal with that kind of devastation, therefore I will report back after attending.
In the meantime, I have turned to trusty TimeOut to send me in the way of some delis that, please god, will nip this problem in the bududder.
Here is TimeOut's list of Singapore's best Cheeses. (I am so glad to be sitting here with a towel on my head or I would be straight out the door!)
1) CULINA
2) JASON'S MARKET PLACE
Ok cheese rant off my chest, and I hope those pictures haven't made you as ravenous as they did me ( I have actually just had to pour myself a red wine) I will let you know when I make my first proper cheesy purchases, will probably correlate with getting my bonus at work.
Sweet savoury cheesy Dreams
XXX
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