Pet Section @ Chatuchak Weekend Market

Further to my original post HERE, Chatuchak (or Jatujak) weekend market takes up such a big space with thousands of stalls, i will normally recommend two days for most visitors.

The first day (Saturday) is purely to see what they offer and last day (Sunday) for all your purchases! There will always be some stalls you miss out on the first day!

One section (or soi as Thais call them) i particularly enjoy every time is the pet's section. Not surprisingly since i am quite an animal lover myself.

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Buying a small, simple dog bed may set you back by around S$20 in Singapore. In Chatuchak, you will be spoiled for choices and a high quality bed may only have a price tag of S$10! Well, the thought of dragging it back to Singapore seems mentally tiring enough to deter me from taking out my wallet!

Some stalls have dogs caged up in incredibly tight enclosures that make moving a continual, difficult chore. With Rubee having the free run of my house, seeing this lack of freedom was an eyesore for me! And mind you, i have seen worse in Singapore.

Compared to most Singapore's pet shops that sell live animals, i have to agree with most people that the animals in this market are well groomed and there's no hint (okay, maybe only minimal) of the obnoxious doggy smell!

So well groomed to the extent that some animals are clothed!! Looking real adorable and staying still within the tiny cages, i sometimes wonder if the animals are drugged. C'mon, how can they stay so perfectly still!?! Except for the moving nostrils.

When pet's fashion first reached the lion city eons ago, prices were sky high just for a normal t-shirt. However, Pampet (imported from Thailand) changed the pet fashion landscape entirely with attractive designs at a much more affordable price. And needless to say, you have a lot more choices here in Chatuchak at even cheaper pricing!

Just now, i showed small animals in cages. In fact, most shops adopt a partial open concept with animals placed on an elevated "table" and mixing with one another! Psychologically, the open concept gave the impression that the shop owners are giving the animals breathing space.

Realistically, the open concept is an easier access to sell you the animals due to the higher human traffic in Chatuchak. Grab and pass instead of "unlock cage", "grab a frightened puppy", " attempt to push it to a corner", "finally grab it", "pull it out from the too small door" and "pass it to you"!

With so many pet accessories imported from Thailand, there's no question that you can get the same thing at only a fraction of the cost you pay in Singapore!

At times, the price is so low your brain will tell you to buy dozens of them so that you can sell them to Singapore's pet owners at 400% profit margin (estimation)!

Before the rise of China, the cheapest rawhide came from Thailand! These chewy edible treats/toys are still bloody cheap in Thailand! Just that you can get them at dirt cheap prices in China.

This knotted rawhide only cost 120 Thai Baht (roughly S$6)!!! How much would you think it costs in Singapore??!?!?

Let's continue with more animal pictures! A big sized hamster that never seemed to stop munching when i was looking at it!

Short Coat Guinea pigs! Do you know they are very vocal rodents? Especially when they are hungry!!!

These are called sugar gliders and though i have not come across pet shops in Singapore selling them, the Singapore's pet forums seem to suggest otherwise.

More pet beds! These are the kind my elderly Rubee prefers since it involves less strenuous motor movements!

You may find other pet related products in Chatuchak like the purse with dog images. For me, i bought 15 (yes, one five) t-shirts that have pictures of canines and felines!

Some collars and doggie hair bands displayed nicely in a shop! In terms of product section within Chatuchak, the dog section has one of the highest numbers of air-conditioned stalls! This is a plus factor when the high temperature sets in at noon!

Besides basic clothing, accessories like hairbands are also used to spruce up the cute factor! Gosh, the puppies look like a perfect, angelic addition to any house!

The cutest has to go to the rabbits! They looked like furry ballerinas! And with the rabbit year coming, this will definitely be a big hit!!!

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Remember!!! You need a permit to bring animals to Singapore! And to me, it's good to "look see look see" but note that some shop owners can be very fierce when it comes to taking pictures and touching the animals.

Additional Information

Getting to Chatuchak weekend market is very easy with public transportation. It’s within walking distance from Mo Chit station (BTS Skytrain) and Chatuchak Park MRT station.

My original post on Chatuchak can be found at http://cavinteo.blogspot.com/2010/12/chatuchak-weekend-market-bangkok.html.

0172 BBQ Seafood @ Changi Village, Singapore

Time: 11.20pm

Day: New Year's Eve

Cravings strike at weird timing and that's exactly what happened when Ms SaNeVa said she was yearning for the chicken chop hor fun from the hawker centre at Changi Village!

Notorious for its famous nasi lemak that continues to attract a queue at almost midnight, Changi Village food centre has quite a few notable stalls that sell good food besides the "coconut rice" (which i personally feel is too overrated).

One notable stall with a row of accolades as long as its headboard had attracted my attention in the past. But the loyal soul in me has persistently ignored its existence due to chicken chop hor fun!

Hey, there's only so much my stomach can hold; regardless of any rumour you might have heard.

Since the hor fun stall was closed, we decided there and then to have a few dishes from this supposedly popular stall. No rice since we are on diet; that's how committed we are to maintain a healthy body!

 

Barbequed Stingray

Chilli lovers will totally dig this dish!

It was so bloody spicy; i had to grab Alex's sugar cane drink in order to quench the fire that was burning my lips!! Spiciness aside, the meat could be softer. I have had better ones in Chomp Chomp.

Barbequed Sotong

Same color, identical smell; it's the same sambal chilli!!

Beads of sweat were already dripping down my forehead but as i slowly chewed the first piece of squid, every bite was surprisingly satisfying and in this case, the belachan played an important role in making this dish exceptionally good.

Seafood Egg

At S$8.00 a plate, the price was a killer for something that mundane and without much seafood.

However, it was goodness to the max! Though each bite guaranteed oily lips, egg lovers will love this for its simplicity yet fantastically strong eggy taste.

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I will be back just for the seafood egg. And a plate of chicken hor fun. Plus 10 sticks of satay, two banana fritters, one bowl of ice jelly and a cup of sugar cane.

Location

0172烧烤海鲜, Block 2,

Changi Village Rd, #01-72,

Changi Village Hawker Centre

Off on Wednesday and operating from 5pm till late.

Price

BBQ Stingray - S$8.00

BBQ Sotong - S$8.00

Seafood Egg - S$8.00

Prawn Rolls (虾枣) @ You Huak Restaurant (友发餐室)

When i last dined at You Huak for its famous white bee hoon, i couldn't help but notice that almost every table had a plate of deep fried ball-like items my mom calls Poh Yien (apparently hokkien for crispy balls).

It was only much later in my twenties that i realised Poh Yien to my family is Hae Zho (prawn roll) to many others; that totally explained why my terminology drew a blank on many faces!

Now, my mom makes a most delicious hae zho (prawn balls or prawn rolls) which doesn't require any kind of sauce (tomato, chilli, honey etc) to make it tastes even better! 

Hence, you can imagine my level of standard when it comes to this dish.

Needless to say, i did order one plate of hae zho when i finally brought my mom to try the white bee hoon in You Huak! When almost every table has the same dish, there must be some bloody good reasons involved!

And the best part? I could not pinpoint any good reason why people want to order this! If this is considered good, i am seriously considering the option of persuading my mom to open a small eatery!

Hae (虾) means prawns in Hokkien. And surprise! There was (maybe) only a thinly veiled seafoodness with each nugget loosely packed with a mixture of pork meat and diced up water chestnuts.

If you really want to insist on a positive factor, it would have to be the crispy beancurd skin that cackles with every bite! Nonetheless, i still need chilli in order to force each and every one of them down my throat.

At S$10 for 15 nuggets (or balls or whatever you call them), do you think i will go back purposely for the hae zho?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Let's just stick to white bee hoon.

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Location

22, Jalan Tampang

Directly Opposite Sembawang Shopping Centre (not Sun Plaza)!

Read my original post HERE

Goh Chor Tua Pek Kong (梧槽大伯公) @ Balestier Road, Singapore

When you mention Balestier road, it's always about the tau sar piah, the durians and maybe, the Sun Yat Sen memorial hall.

Although it's a weekly (almost) schedule for me to drive to Balestier, the reason is not due to any factors stated above!

My dearest mom will ask me to send her to a diminutive Taoist temple that worship Tua Pek Gong (which by the way, is what Hokkien Chinese called their paternal grandfather's eldest brothe) so that she can partake in her faithful prayers.

The boring son, me, will either play iPhone games in the coolness of the air-conditioned car or sweat it out in the sun to take pictures!

This temple (literally translated as Rochor Tua Pek Gong), has a long history (at least for Singapore) that goes back to 1847; a mere 28 years after Sir Stamford Raffles miraculously 'discovered' the lion city.

Used to seeing statues of Chinese deities out in the open with minimal barrier, the metal grilles gave an impression that the statues here could be more valuable than expected, given its long history.

It's so old in Singapore's perspective, there are at least two plaques lining the temple's ceiling that bear the period of the Qing Dynasty!

The picture above shows one dated from the era of the tenth emperor of the Qing Dynasty; Tong Zhi (year 1856-1875). 

With a private carpark on temple grounds that takes up more space than the single storey temple itself, i am quite amazed that such a small temple can still attract a constant flow of worshippers!

One of the most noticeable structures in the temple compound is the traditional Chinese opera (wayang) stage. Mind you, besides boasting a history of more than 100 years, it is also the only freestanding wayang stage on mainland Singapore!

And don't think it's just a white elephant! During major religious events like the Chinese Ghost month, puppet shows and Chinese operas are still staged despite waning popularity.

Colourful ornaments adorn the temple's roof that look more like opera performers instead of deities. Not sure if there's indeed a direct link to the century-old stage.

Worship of the master tiger (虎爷); an animal deity that supposedly has the power to suppress evil and the ability to generate wealth. Chunks of raw meat were purposely placed in the carnivourous tigers' mouth as offering.

Conventional burner lacking the modern smoke control facility continues to be in use in this temple, which can be an eyesore for environmentalist.

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Location

Right next to Combat Durians.