HEDONISTIC WEEKENDS

Saturday

The Quintet decided to have breakfast at a crazy unearthly hour (8am) at a crazy deserted bukit timah saddle club at the super atas RIDERS CAFE.

Food served up was definitely very inviting. I loved how the food was strategically plated and colours aligned.
If you were wondering why the eggs look so voluptuous, it is because my roasted tomatoes have been hidden underneath! Its almost like i get a double surprise, some sort of sensory overload.

(Poached eggs, roasted tomatoes, served up with bacon rocket and sourdough bread with hollandaise sauce)

This is the RIDERS CAFE compromise on the classic eggs benedict.

And of course, my favourite, early grey.

This is, erm, i dont know. A typical MAN breakfast. Which in my dictionary means TOO MUCH FOOD ON YOUR PLATE.

The dish was called "THE USUAL". You spot the gender connotations like i do? hahahah

I really enjoyed the atmosphere at RIDERS CAFE, but it was only because i could get to see horses roaming about. Beautiful, glorious looking horses that somehow, i always always fantasize about. To me, there is something about forging a bond with your horse that is so magical, so surreal. Precisely why God gave me consolation by making my birth year in the year of the horse, knowing I CAN NEVER OWN A REAL HORSE. D':

Focusing on the food alone and stripping this breakfast experience of all the context involved, i have come to realize that in Singapore, or in any part of the world, food has come to also embody visuals. I.e The visual of your food plating, the visuals of your surrounding, the visuals of the restaurant, the visuals of the customers. And this contributes majorly (in my opinion) to why my breakfast cost a whopping $22.

So how does food function in our society today? ( gosh, so many things some into play, i can go crazy thinking)
Its funny how this meal can lead me to think so hard about the evolution of food so critically.

Saturday Night

After church, everyone went to LAI LAI beef noodles at Bugis, a place where Joyce frequents so often, i think she contributes to 1% of the earnings. She's so funny.

I'm sorry there are no pictures of the very tastefully-spiced beef broth, but LAI LAI does serve up decent beef noodles at an affordable price. I dont crave for lai lai, neither would i think of visiting that place, but what is most memorable about this place is that i always have fellowships there as a big group with my church friends. Its a social space which makes lai lai beef noodles my social food. And thus, very special.

You must understand, things like haagen dazs will never be my social food, because i want to eat them by myself, at my couch, channel surfing. (haha, get what i mean?)

As usual, i was cravings for starbucks again. This time for hot green tea soy latte.

I was shocked to see the bugis starbucks renovated, spotting a very different theme as compared to the other outlets.

This outlet had a very organic feel to it, like it was just transported out of a greenhouse in New Zealand or something.

I saw something very interesting on all the tables. Well it had been plastered with this sign.

I dont know but what is your reaction to this? As a consumer, do i care? As a consumer, how aware am i about how starbucks can so call "save the railroad sleepers".

Dont mind me, but i am usually quite the skeptic about what goes on in these big corporation and their so called corporate social responsibilities. It says you and starbucks; but does reclaiming railroad sleepers do anything to forge a closer link to the consumer?

I'm thinking more in the lines of how starbucks has now literally, taken away their homes. i wonder who these people are, and where they are now.

Plus, specially reclaiming the "railroads" and refining them and processing them and transporting them and exporting them, etc etc etc. I dont see how this is so "green" anymore. Or is starbucks moving in a different direction?

But then again, i shouldnt be so quick to assume. I should read more about this. Anyone know anything about this?