On Food and Babies



I am now officially on my seventh month plus. I have gained 30 pounds (good grief) and the weight is taking its toll on my back. Quite saddening considering I still have two months to go till D Day. So I’m trying to cut down on the carbs and sweets. There is a ceasefire on chocolates in the house, coming from the dreadful chocolate-laden Christmas season.

Christian and I are having a baby girl (yippee, a mini-me!) and I think I must’ve shopped for enough clothes to last her till end of the year. It’s so fun to shop for baby clothes and this little princess will be all pinked out! We’re working on the arduous task of transforming my “wardrobe room” (essentially a spare room in our place where I stash all clothes, shoes and bags that cannot be accommodated in the main closet) into a nursery. It’s a real killer because hubby wants me to do some spring cleaning and wardrobe editing and I just can’t bring myself to discard all the pretty frocks (which btw are not seeing any action lately given my ballooning weight).

I am likewise preoccupied in all things Baby right now and that includes my book reading. Being the closet nerd that I am, I have been devouring books on pregnancy, baby gear, taking care of babies, and best – weaning and feeding them.



I know of a toddler (who shall remain unnamed lest the mother come after me with a battle axe) who is probably the pickiest eater ever. He eats for like 2 ½ hours every meal, simply because he refuses to chew. The child stores every spoonful in his mouth for like 5 minutes, all the while playing in the dining table. His yaya already begins feeding a full hour before the appointed meal time and he still finishes last (when all the dishes are washed or when the exasperated mom calls it quits). In my opinion the kid is a real pest and the yaya deserves a medal and a raise for putting up with his shenanigans.



So rightly it is my biggest fear for my baby to become a picky eater. I have been reading up on kid-tested, mom-approved baby recipes lately and was so delighted to come across a video series called Baby Gourmet in HMV. It serves to “visually inspire children to accept and eat healthy foods as they watch fruits and veggies gracefully dance to enchanting classical masterpieces and nursery rhymes”. Kids can start watching the video beginning 3 up till 48 months and is a real brainwashing, propagandist tool to motivate them to eats the good stuff! Christian is skeptical : What if our baby falls in love with the dancing broccoli and wouldn’t want to eat it? Isn’t that like eating her friend?! Hmmm. I didn’t think about it that way, but I hope that the main puppet character Chef Beary-Good does his job well. I’m threatening to mandate my hubby to watch the series too considering his many food aversions: Mushrooms (“They’re fungi and the stuff of dandruff and athlete’s foot!”), Monggo Beans (“Yech.Blech.Don’t want to go anywhere near that!”) and even Chocolates. Come to think of it, maybe that’s why I’m gaining so much weight: I am left to finish all the chocolate éclairs and brownies that well-meaning friends have given us over the holidays!


Photo courtesy of amazon.com

Another chilling realization I have come across lately: I am the source of baby’s nourishment for the first six months. Me as in My Breastmilk! I am reading this book called The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by The La Leche League and was absolutely horrified to see a picture of a woman breastfeeding her twins. Yes, one on each boob. Yikes!!! But I have come to terms with it and even look forward to the deed that I ordered a Medela Select Electric Double Pump over at Amazon.com. Hubby took one look at it and laughed himself silly, imagining that I would resemble a milking cow. I am also busily searching for a store that sells the breastfeeding pillow kitschily named My Brest Friend.

Indeed, this baby business is tough.

Blog Intermission!



And we interrupt this blog with some quick pics of what is possibly the scariest gift one can get for Christmas. Yep, you read it right: Giant Chicharon. One.Big.Chunk. It's almost as wide as a table.

How do you eat this monstrosity?! Should you just pour the vinegar and start crunching away? Or should you tear it into small pieces as you go, like how one would tear chunks of bread? You decide!

It looks perfect for a killer pulutan although personally Blair Mitch wouldn't venture anywhere near this thing...

Sing Fling

My mother hates all the “putukan” happening in New Year and so the whole fam went to Singapore for the holidays. Seeing that it was free, Blair Mitch and Christian signed up for some family love, never mind if it meant that I was going to be official family AE, tour guide and yaya all rolled into one.

My New Year Resolution of “Prudence 2006” was immediately put to the test with all the post-Christmas shopping sales in Orchard Road. It was a good thing that I couldn’t fit most of the clothes in my pregnant state and so the spending was rechanneled to books, accessories, baby stuff and Ikea abubots. Needless to say the plastic saw some workout just the same. Sigh.

The word most often used in Singapore is “queue”. It seems like a national past time as people queued for this and that – queuing for the taxi cabs, to use the john, to get seated in restaurants, there was even the ubiquitous queue in Louis Vuitton! Apparently, you still have to line up to burn some serious cash on those killer handbags.



Our harbor-side hotel room had a fabulous view of the Esplanade/Suntec City 2006 countdown and fireworks but if you ask Blair Mitch, she’d confide that the real fireworks happened over dinner at the Jumbo Restaurant.



Every cabbie and his brother can take you to Jumbo Seafood Restaurant, East Coast with their eyes closed. For no Singapore trip is complete without a serious chow down of the legendary Alaskan Chili Crabs. I kid you not when I say that the king crabs are as big as my face. Submerged in hothothot chili sauce, it is truly the ultimate crab experience.



Everyone is in on the big secret so expect some waiting to be seated and served. I think every table orders the crab so it’s really best to distract the palate first with other worthy orders. I especially liked the Seafood and Vegetable Soup. It’s a clear broth, clean and uncomplicated, the flavor of the seafood, scallops, fish, prawns shining through. We also ordered some Prawns in Salt and Pepper, Broccoli and Mushrooms, Fried Rice with Salted Fish and Chicken and some fiery Singaporean noodle dish (as you can see, this is a family that is not carbo-averse…yeah, bring it on!).



And finally – The Crabs. Sublime. Plump flesh dipped in chili sauce that sets you practically on fire. Thankfully there is fried mantou bread – sweet buns to compliment the spice. The idea is that you dip it in the sauce. Ummmmmmmm. I tinkered and ate the crabs with my fingers (etiquette be damned) and wiped my burning lips with the bread. Divine.



Jumbo Restaurant can be chaotic so if you’re a big group – get someone based in Singapore to make reservations for you. Or you can try calling them yourself at 64423435.

Happy New Year to y’all!

*Jumbo Seafood Restaurant
East Coast Parkway, East Coast Seafood Center, Singapore