Following Bourdain’s Lead…

So there I was in Singapore…this trip was purely culinary in its purpose. The idea; the Singapore government would host a group of chefs and food writers for the sheer intent of spreading the global word that they have yummy food. I was glad to oblige.

In preparation for such an excursion I began reading up on the subject as well as recording what I could on Singapore food from TV. One particularly interesting TiVo-find was an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations, Singapore.” In this episode our witty, world-traveling chef eats in the famous Singapore Hawker stalls, dines with Singapore’s own celebrity chef, Kf Seetoh and eats bone soup – yes, bone soup. All the while he is pontificating on the culinary heaven that is Singapore.

I enjoyed his video-journal of the country so much I wanted to see it exactly the same way he did. The result was an absolute and complete success. Hawker Stalls, check! Kf Seetoh, check! And yes, bone soup, check! The last, and I am not joking here, was my favorite most memorable checkmark on the list.

The hawker stalls are an amazing part of Singapore life. Singapore, to begin with, is a very western friendly country to visit; Asia-light, as I have heard it called. Most of the locals speak English as it is a national language and there is little crime for fear of the strict punishments that follow. So now imagine a tourist friendly mix of Indian, Chinese and Southeast Asian cooks lined up in a strip mall of stalls all cooking the one single dish they are best at making. The motto and philosophy here is; one cook – one dish, perfect every time because, for most, they have been making nothing but that one dish their entire lives. Add to this experience the best local knowledge and play-by-play food commentators that Singapore has to offer (Seetoh and Violet Oon) and you'll find it hard not to travel through this country like a pac-man after a super pellet.

So then there was bone soup, or Sup Tulang as the locals call it. This dish is far enough out of the box that the locals don’t eat it regularly and the guides didn’t think of bringing it to the attention of our group of locust-like chefs – I corrected them. After seeing the intriguing clip in Bourdain’s show I had to try it and hounded our tour guides until they acquiesced to find some. This dish is a masterpiece; perfectly stewed bones with succulent tender bits of meat and cartilage all in a spicy and savory/sweet red soup. The best part is the soup is served with a straw for sucking the marrow from the long slender bones, a chef’s delight! Indeed, ask most chefs and they will tell you the reason the saying goes: “Suck the marrow out of life.” is because marrow is really good stuff.

I love Singapore. I would even say a trip there would qualify as one of the life-marrow sucking experiences the saying I mentioned describes. So thanks Anthony for the tip, and to the rest of the world; Singapore really does have yummy food. If you want to begin visiting Asia, Singapore may just be the best place to start. Just be sure to bring an appetite and don’t forget your straw.

What watch in what field?!?!

Not sure how many people reading this fall into the category of regular “Finding watches in fields…” readers but I thought I might take a moment to explain the title of my blog for anyone finding themselves here now and again and wondering about it. My wife, and I am sure my parents, who read the blog have probably assumed it has something to do with my affinity for nice watches. While that would seem likely, and I do find all of the watch-related titles for the various components of my blog page fun, it isn’t the inspiration for the title. No, the title is a reference to the philosophical writings of a fellow Apologia-driven Christian thinker. (See 1 Peter 3:15)

William Paley (1743-1805) wrote works in defense of theism and Christianity that achieved great popularity in the 19th century. His most famous illustration was that a reasonable man will admit that experience establishes that the intricate and connected parts of a watch can be produced only by an intelligent designer. If evidence suggests that the workings of the present universe are more complicated and interdependent than those of a watch, then a reasonable man must conclude by analogy, that it is highly probable that God exists as the designer of the universe.

Paley’s argument is usually presented by asking the listener to imagine they are in a field and stumble across a watch laying there on the ground. The idea is, as described above, to have the listener realize the probability that the watch did not always exist there or evolve there or come about as the product of some small explosion or lightning bolt. I also find myself many times and in many ways in wonder of this life and this world and all of its intricacies and interdependencies and think; “there IS intelligence to this design.” Thus, as suggested by my title reference, I hope through posting thoughts and ideas related to this world, that someone may stumble across them (like a watch in a field) and wonder about the motivation and legitimacy of their creator.