Orange Latern

There are so many reasons to cook at home and yet, it is alarming to note that urban dwellers are not having much of it. Studies have revealed that having home-cooked meals as a family regularly leads to healthier and happier beings, especially the kids. A close knitted family through daily get together meals would also most likely to have grown up children who are less likely to abuse alcohol, drugs and smoking in their teenage years. Having home-cooked meals on a regular basis also tend to be healthier as we naturally consume less sugar and processed foods as compared to outside food. Preservatives, MSG, sugar, salt are commonly found in most outside foods for various commercial reasons which usually result in lower energy levels and poor mental health. Having home-cooked meals five or more days a week is even associated with a longer lifespan. Communal meals not only can make us feel happier but also brings along better mental health benefits in the long term. The reason bei...

With the rise of foreign helper levy and the size of houses are getting smaller, many new parents are setting up families near their parents. It will be much easier to plan for babies as they will have their parents to help out with taking care of their little ones. Yes, it is always a better option to have your parents to take care of your children but the downside is, you cannot expect your parents to cook and clean up your house for you. It is pretty hard to finish your work on time so rushing back to cook for your family is almost impossible or practical. And we should never take our parents for granted, even if they offer to help. Taking care of children can be very tedious. Here is how careful planning can solve new families’ problems. 1.      Engage tingkat delivery services Tingkat delivery services   have become more popular, delivering freshly made food right at your doorstep every night. You do not need to plan or make any decisions, ev...

There are so many reasons to cook at home and yet, it is alarming to note that urban dwellers are not having much of it. Studies has revealed that having home-cooked meals as a family regularly leads to healthier and happier beings, especially the kids. A close knitted family through daily get together meals would also most likely to have grown up children who are less likely to abuse alcohol, drugs and smoking in their teenage years. Having home-cooked meals on a regular basis also tends to be healthier as we naturally consume less sugar and processed foods as compared to outside food. Preservatives, MSG, sugar, salt are commonly found in most outside foods for various commercial reasons which usually result in lower energy levels and poor mental health. Having home-cooked meals five or more days a week is even associated with a longer lifespan. Communal meals not only can make us feel happier but also brings along better mental health benefits in the long term. The reason bei...

Winter time is usually associated with illnesses like colds and flu. We tend to consume vitamins and other dietary supplements which we believe will protect us from these on-off illnesses. However, most of us will still end up with some form of flu and cold symptoms during the winter months. Soup consumption has been known to be a traditional remedy for such illnesses in the olden days from the European continent to the east such as China, Korea & Japan. This practice has been documented from as long back as 4000 years back, as a soothing remedy especially during time of sickness and the winter season. So, why is Soup good for you when you are sick? And its health benefits… Dating back to thousands of years of history, soup has been one of the staple diets in our meals. There’s no doubt that soup is so good for you because of its  nutritional benefits . Research has shown that the ingredients in most soup can help the body boost its immune system and also, a healthy...

There are many Tingkat providers to choose from and they vary a lot in what they serve, where they deliver, and how much it will cost you. Some of them have extra administrative charges and some don’t do deliveries to condominiums. There’s a multitude of factors to consider if you are thinking about ordering a Tingkat and trying to get the most bang for your buck. With so many things to consider, what should you focus on to make your decision? The most important factor in your choice should be what’s on the menu. You may be ordering Tingkat delivery service because you don’t have time to prepare dinner or you may like the convenience. Regardless of whether you are ordering for yourself or for your family, the most important thing is that the food isn’t boring. All Tingkat services have one thing in common and that is the duration that you must stick to their service. You will have to eat whatever is delivered for consecutive weekdays for a month (at least). If you get sick of the...

When you first start working, it can be a hard transition from managing an allowance to managing a proper income in thousands. Though it may seem like you just have more money to spend, there are also a lot more things you need to pay for now as a “financially independent adult”. There are many things to learn on how to budget to make sure you have enough for loans, insurance, investment and future savings. Books and articles will tell you how to budget and fully utilize your income but one thing they don’t tell you is how to be disciplined. If you allocate a monthly budget to food expenses with the intention to save money, do you really think you will spend that little? In Behavioral Economics, there is a term called present bias that describes how people value things now more than they would later. It is a theory that captures our tendency towards immediate gratification — something we have all been guilty of one way or another and is often the thing that derails us from our...

As a working middle income family with kids living in a cosmopolitan city such as Singapore, you are faced with daily challenges such as sending your kids to schools on time, commuting to work in crowded public transport, rushing for a quick bite among the lunch crowd, work challenges faced in workplace, getting knock off on time to pick up the kids, and finally, rushing home to get dinner ready. Yes, this is the lifestyle of the average working class living in Singapore. With this much of activities in a full day, it really kind of drains your energy by the time you are settled down on the bed. Where’s the work-life balance we are talking here? It is no surprise that the younger generations are getting married late, and not to say having kids while they are still fighting for a career. It is however a totally different story altogether for those born in the 70s & 80s like myself. We are faced with the mentioned challenges on a daily basis. Topics will always hover a...

A bowl of piping hot soup is the essence of a good meals for everyone. It is also a nutrition powerhouse, packed with vitamins , proteins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. For the Chinese, double boiled soup is a must have for almost every meal and this is as important as rice in our diet. That is the same for Korean, they love kimchi soup and the ginseng chicken soup. Actually Chinese soup has alot more varieties than any other culture in the world and the method of cooking soup is almost same for anywhere- throwing all the ingredients in the slow cooker or a pressure cooker. Soup is easy to prepare. After putting all the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning, a steaming pot of soup will be waiting for the entire family in the evening. And the options for soup of the day are limitless! Soup has medicinal value, have you heard of cooling soup ? Yes, ingredients such as old cucumber and winter melon have cooling effect on the body. So having the right soup for the ri...

Do you know the deep meaning of tingkat and the message sent in this old school food carrier? In the older days, the women will pack home- cooked food in this multi-layers carriers for their loved ones. The effort that goes into each layers is beyond words. In Asia context, food is a very important part of our lives. Rice and soup are two of the staples that most of us cannot do without! They are the comforting food that we cannot do without for too many days. Even though cuisines from all over the world is widely available in Singapore, we still long for rice and soup after Japanese, Italian or Western food. And tingkat is making its way back! But in refreshing new looks! The designs may change but the function and the meaning behind a well planned meal. The layers of the tingkat is meant for a different dish that will be packed separately. The soup will be at the bottom layer, 1 vegetable or meat dish will be in the 2nd compartment and the top layer will be the rice. The differ...