12 minute read
Tuckerbox
DIPLOMATIC TASTE BUDS
RAELENE TAN talks to Jo Tyndall, New Zealand High Commissioner to Singapore about her favourite flavours.
Her Excellency Ms Jo Tyndall, New Zealand High Commissioner to Singapore, has lived in Singapore for two years, since February 2019. The High Commissioner’s husband Chris and two adult sons, Rafe and Sebastian, all live in New Zealand, with Rafe being custodian of his mum’s 17-year-old Cairn terrier, Satchel. From Wellington, Jo previously served in Geneva, plus spent eight years as New Zealand’s Climate Change Ambassador, visiting “just about every continent on the globe, other than Antarctica”.
The High Commissioner enjoys walking every day and also loves cooking, horseriding, skiing, cryptic crosswords and Killer Sudoku, with her real addiction being completing mega jigsaw puzzles.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE NZ FOODS?
The Bluff oyster season is eagerly anticipated – those Bluffies are the best in the world by a comfortable margin. Vogel’s bread with Vegemite and avocado is the best way to start a day. I love onepot meals and lots of comfort food.
WHO ARE THE COOKS IN YOUR FAMILY?
We’re all cooks in the family: Chris is a master pasta maker, using the broom handle to hang tagliatelle noodles. Rafe makes brilliant hand-pulled noodles. Sebastian has perfected macarons and soufflés. I love making desserts – chocolate fondant, lemon tarts, cheesecakes and crème brulee.
ANY FAVOURITE NZ EATERIES?
We are so fortunate in New Zealand - from the biggest cities to the smallest towns, you can be pretty sure of getting baristaquality coffee. In Wellington, Prefab Café is practically next door to my home, and great restaurants (Capitol and Ortega Fish Shack) are within easy walking distance.
National Kitchen by Violet Oon Singapore
So is The Chippery (when the craving for fish and chips becomes too strong to resist). There’s something very special about eateries that welcome you as friends/regulars.
MEMORABLE FOOD EXPERIENCES WORLDWIDE?
Ant dip in Mexico City and Guinea pig in Lima are at the more adventurous end. It would be hard to forget my first ever
Born in Adelaide, Raelene Tan is an etiquette consultant and a food and travel writer. She has authored five books and has been a regular guest on radio and television. The Fullerton Charity Cook Out 2020 “3-star” meal at Georges Blanc’s La Mere Blanc in the village of Vonnas, France; an epic dinner. And, my stepmother Julie’s Christmas present to me last year – a gourmet picnic which we consumed in the beautiful Ohinetahi gardens at Governor’s
Bay, near Christchurch. I’ve never felt so spoiled!
PLACES YOU ENJOY IN SINGAPORE?
I can’t go past Nerissa’s cooking! She’s been our chef at the Official Residence for many years, and turns out meal after beautiful meal for our guests. Morsels, at 25 Dempsey Road, was a great find with its creative fusion dishes and does a lot of its own pickling and preserving. Culina Bistro’s mac and cheese, sold as a side, is a worthy main course in its own right, at 15 Dempsey Road. I love the Peranakan flavours at National Kitchen by Violet Oon at the National Gallery Singapore, and the oversized cake slices at PS Cafe.
These days, I’m eating much more vegetarian food, and curry dishes give me an excuse to indulge in paratha. My first dinner out in Singapore was at Samy’s Curry Restaurant, 25 Dempsey Road. I also enjoyed a fabulous Cantonese/Sichuan feast at Min Jiang, 7A Dempsey Road.
Co-founders: Ziying, Rebekah and Kristin
Expat KRISTIN DWEK is co-founder of ArtSEA, a Covid response volunteer project that introduces artists from Southeast Asia to children in an easy and accessible way.
Where are you from?
Originally from the USA, I’ve been living and working in Singapore for the past five years. I am an artist, educator and community arts facilitator. I believe art can connect and inspire people and I create programmes and content to cultivate an appreciation for the arts while developing life skills through various engagement strategies.
How did you become involved in ArtSEA?
I met ArtSEA co-founders Rebekah Lin and Ziying Teng on the Singapore International Foundations (SIF) Arts for Good Fellowship in 2019-2020. The idea began as a desire to create a platform to present and introduce artists from Southeast Asia to children in an accessible way. So often we see the same artists being taught in schools: Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, Warhol, Pollock. We thought - why haven’t we focused on artists children can relate to...artists closer to home? There are so many great artists in the region but so few make it into the educational curriculum.
So, we had an idea and decided to take our skills and create ArtSEA together. Kristin in India 2019
Refugee Learning Centre using ArtSEA activities
What exactly is ArtSEA?
ArtSEA is a grassroots volunteer project which highlights and profiles inspirational artists across Southeast Asia. We were very fortunate to receive funding from SIF under the Arts for Good Grant, which is a programme that brings together artists and different sectors of society to collaborate on arts-based initiatives for social good. This allowed us to develop and make the idea a reality. It’s completely self-funded and requires a lot of time and support from our side facilitating training and also workshops for the children. But we are very hopeful as many people want to get involved and volunteer. We are looking to develop an ArtSEA volunteer programme where we can pair volunteers with communities to run sessions, amplifying our impact.
How do you promote artists of Southeast Asia?
We interview selected artists and create educational resources that can easily be used by community leaders and teachers. We create activities inspired by their work and process for children aged 6-15. These activities encourage them to reflect and respond to the artworks and creatively engage with them. The goal of the digital resource pack is that communities can use our resources via Zoom during this pandemic. It’s very important to us that all the activities have social and emotional learning in mind to further support kids during this difficult time. They’re able to be completed using just a pencil and paper so materials are not a barrier.
Why do you think this is important?
ArtSEA is focused on representation, and we believe representation matters! If kids don’t see people who look like them in different professions, books, movies and in art - then it’s difficult for them to imagine they can succeed in that area.
What artists do you work with?
We highlighted 11 artists from eight countries and each artist had a different message they wanted to communicate. They were selected to expand children’s notion of what art is and can be. We have community-based artists, circus performers, digital artists, self-taught artists, and artists who focus on environmental issues and preserving culture!
- KRISTIN DWEK
What resources do you produce?
We create artist profiles and activities for engagement. Each artist has a one page write up that shares their process, inspiration and an art piece they want to share, along with five activities which offers children different ways to engage with their artworks.
How many students have you worked with, and what have the results been?
For the pilot we partnered with 10 communities in seven countries, reaching nearly 3,800 kids. Since March, we’ve scaled up and now have 33 community partners we support with our resources, reaching out to nearly 15,000 kids, all from under resourced communities. We’ve received very positive feedback from our community partners who report that the kids love the activities and have requested more. They share photos with us and it’s so inspiring to see the children’s creative drawings and hear their thoughtful responses as they complete the activities.
How have you worked to train community leaders?
We offer regular meet ups via zoom where our partners can join, explore new artworks and activities we provide. We believe it’s important for them to experience the artworks and activities firsthand, so they feel more comfortable and confident introducing them to their community.
We began as a response to Covid, so since the beginning, all our training has been online. This has been very helpful in reaching new partners and scaling across the region. We conduct sessions with children online, and while we would prefer it to be in person, we have found tricks and strategies to provide a fun and dynamic experience.
Any future plans that you’d like to share?
We are currently focused on finding community partners who would benefit from our free resource, profiling more artists, translating the resource into different languages, and creating videos to promote our ArtSEA artists through Masterpiece Monday at ArtSEAlab on Facebook. We are also piloting ArtSEA Art Kits in Thailand to reach children from remote villages who have difficulty accessing computers. We are open to ideas and collaborations so feel free to get in touch at hello@artseasg.com.
Mosquito Management: Rentokil
In Singapore’s densely populated, tropical climate, mosquitos spread avoidable diseases such as Zika, Dengue and Malaria. What are the limitations of traditional methods of controlling mosquito-borne disease outbreaks and what else is available? The experts at Rentokil offer their advice.
Mosquito-borne diseases are an ongoing problem in Singapore. While the island has seen outbreaks of Zika, the two diseases of major concern are malaria and dengue. Singapore’s densely-packed population make it susceptible to mosquito-borne disease outbreaks. Additionally, the primary vector of dengue, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, is very well-adapted to urban environments, preferring to breed, mate and feed near human dwellings. This combination of people living in close proximity, the presence of Aedes mosquitoes, and the availability of artificial breeding receptacles such as pails and potted plants has led to a greater concentration of dengue clusters.
ARE CONVENTIONAL MOSQUITO CONTROL METHODS ENOUGH?
THEY DON’T PROVIDE 24 HOUR PROTECTION
Conventional mosquito control methods don’t provide 24-hour protection. Fogging is only effective for 30-60 mins. Insect repellent body sprays can be effective for a few hours, depending on the ingredients. Natural options like citronella oil may only be effective for 30 mins. But mosquitos are around all the time. How do you stay protected?
THEY ONLY TACKLE PART OF THE PROBLEM
Fogging alone isn’t enough to tackle mosquitoes, as it only works on the mosquitoes that are physically present at the time. Some mozzies are in really hard to reach places which can’t be tackled by spraying. Fogging also doesn’t eliminate the larvae.
THEY EXPOSE YOU AND CHILDREN TO PESTICIDES AND CHEMICALS:
Mosquito repellent sprays and coils are essentially pesticides and can contain ingredients that may cause allergic reactions, headaches and respiratory problems. They’re generally not recommended for infants and young children.
Swallowing products containing DEET causes stomach upset, vomiting, and nausea. DEET is especially dangerous for small children. Seizures may occur in small children who regularly have DEET on their skin for long periods of time.
THEY KILL OUR POLLINATORS!
Fogging is also toxic to other insects, such as butterflies and bees. The National Parks Board is planting more plants that host butterflies in an attempt to increase their population numbers and these beautiful insects are particularly sensitive to pesticides. When bee populations are affected by pesticides, global food production is at risk because of the lack of pollination.
RENTOKIL’S INTEGRATED MOSQUITO MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Rentokil, the world’s leading pest control company has developed an Integrated Mosquito Management Solution which is a holistic mosquito program. With over 70 years of experience, Rentokil have developed a 4-step mosquito control program which is designed to attack a mosquito’s life cycle at every stage by combining science-based control methods with innovative solutions.
WATER BASED FOGGING:
Powerful and virtually odourless, water is used instead of diesel to disperse insecticide. It has reduced carbon emissions and is safer and more environmentally friendly.
IN2CARE MOSQUITO TRAP
The In2Care Mosquito Trap effectively attracts and kills Aedes mosquitoes with novel and green ingredients that target both larvae and adults. The trap activity is not limited to the trap itself, but extends to the surrounding area. Mosquitos land on the trap and then get infected by green actoves which kill them and any larvae they come in contact with.
MOSCLEAN MOSQUITO TRAP:
Engineered to be used indoors, this device emits UV light of a specific wavelength that is attractive to mosquitos. Once the mosquitos come near the unit, a fan creates a vacuum and sucks them in. The mosquitos then get trapped and die of dehydration in the unit. No mosquitos and no exposure to chemicals indoors!
WHAT ARE THE KEY BENEFITS OF THE INTEGRATED MOSQUITO MANAGEMENT SOLUTION?
24 x 7 protection Integrated solution: Protects you indoors and outdoors Environmentally friendly: Effective technology means less need for toxic pesticides and insecticides Complete lifecycle control of mosquitoes Kids and pet friendly
WHY CHOOSE RENTOKIL?
1Rentokil are market leaders in vector management with over 90 years of experience.
2All their products go through rigorous testing and validation to ensure their effectiveness and safety.
3Experienced, NEA licenced staff identify hotspots and provide recommendations on how to reduce and prevent pest infestations.
4Strict product protocols are followed to ensure chemicals are handled and used safely.
5Fast and responsive treatment: Receive a call back within two hours of your query and Rentokil will take action within 24 hours.
