Emergency Preparedness

Growing up in California, it was engrained in me that you had to have emergency supplies on hand in event of a natural disaster, mainly earthquakes.  We did have a few wind storms that knocked out our power for days at a time growing up, but that was primarily due to power lines being down.  Somewhere in all of my moving, I have lost my need to stock up in event of emergency.  Seeing the events after the recent Japan earthquake and the rush to the store to get whatever was left, made me rethink the need to have at least some emergency supplies on hand.

Singapore is a relatively safe country with regards to natural disasters.  We were told that there are no typhoons, no earthquakes (although some people have felt them when they hit Indonesia), no tornados, the only thing that occurs with any real threat tends to be flooding due to the thunderstorms.  Because it is relatively free from natural disasters, living quarters are small, risk of bugs and vermin are high, many people do not store a large amount of food at home in case of emergencies.

There are always the essentials: flashlight/candles, batteries, radio, first aid kit, copies of important documents, etc that you need to have put in a safe place, but the food items may be a challenge for you to think about.  Here are some ideas of items to keep in your pantry for emergencies:

- Water - probably the most important edible item on the list, due to the climate here in Singapore.  Most recommendations that I found are 1 gallon (3.8 L) per person per day for at least 3 days, however taking the climate into consideration, I would recommend keeping 1.5-2 gallons/person/day, which may seem like a lot of water to keep in a corner somewhere, especially if you have a large family.  Remember, odds are if there is a disaster, there is a high chance we will not have electricity, which means no air conditioning = lots of sweating, especially if you are accustomed to sitting in a cool place.   
- Food - things that have a long shelf life and require little to no cooking are important to keep for emergencies, however try to avoid foods with a lot of salt.  Good foods can be: canned fruits and vegetables, canned fish (tuna or salmon, healthwise, packed in water is always better for you), and canned beans.  Also packaged products like crackers, however remember to rotate these out on a regular basis as they can go bad in this weather.  Nuts and dried fruit are also good snacks, but they also need to be rotated out on a regular basis. 

Food items are similar to what you may have had at home, however remember to rotate the food out on a regular basis as the humidity and heat will cause them to go bad.  Also, check the cans on a regular basis and make sure there are no dents in the cans - if there are dents, use the food up as quickly to the time that the dent occurred as possible as this may have compromised the integrity of the can seal which increases the chance of the food spoiling. 

Remember these foods should be able to be consumed without cooking, however limited cooking will still probably be available in most households as most have a gas tank hooked up to the stove. 

With the adjustments in the weather patterns, it is hard to tell what may come our way.  Hopefully we will never need our emergency supplies, but being prepared never hurts.       

If everything were easy...

Expat living can be extremely exciting, and if you are an adventurous eater, it can be fun trying new foods, however every once in a while, you yearn for the foods that are familiar.  Here in Singapore, we have it relatively easy for Asia as you can find most foods that you may want.  It may take some searching and a few grocery stores or reviewing lots of menus, but it is probably available.  First you have to swallow the price - many products from home are often at least 50% or more above the price you would find it in North America, but still, you can find it.  Then there is the variety - you may be used to a certain brand or type of product, and here you may only have one option.

As a dietitian I try to follow my own advice and follow a healthy, balanced diet.  This includes cooking at home as much as I can, which has been another adventure and challenge.  I recently had the desire to make polenta.  Yes, you can find it in some of the Italian restaurants in town, but with the new cookbook staring at me that I received for Valentine's Day, I wanted to see how it would be.  (On top of it, it is a good whole grain alternative to bread, pasta and rice.)  I have never made polenta as I had my favorite places to buy it in North America and it was easier to buy it in a tube or from my favorite grocery store than to make it.  Ahhh, the conveniences of North American living.  I did have a friend tell me once that it was easy to make, so I figured I would give it a try.  I didn't want to wander around town to multiple stores, so when I saw it in the store I happened to be at, I bought it and figured it would work. Now the recipe did say "quick cooking" cornmeal, but I was happy to have found it in the store, so I bought the one brand that I found.  I  did not realize that there was such a difference between quick cooking and the normal stuff, so I happily started the cooking process.  What was supposed to be 5 minutes of constant stirring, ended up being 45 minutes for the polenta to be cooked.  The good news was that I got a 45 minute shoulder and arm workout in in the process, and luckily I had given myself plenty of time to get dinner done, or it would have ended up being a late one.  (Another thing I learned - polenta "spits" when it is cooking which can burn you, if you are not careful.  Luckily the time I got "spat" on, it wasn't that hot.  Remember to use a long handled spoon or wisk when cooking it.)  I had also decided to make my own tomato sauce - I figured if I was going to follow the recipe, might as well follow the whole recipe rather than just bits and pieces.  Also, if I found a good tomato sauce that I made, rather than the highly salted and preserved pre-made sauces that are shipped around the world,  it would be another bonus.  Luckily, this did not take longer than expected. 

Yes, learning to cook abroad can be a challenge, I am sure you will hear many of my challenges in the future, but do not let this deter you.  Besides, introducing foods you used to eat when you were at "home" (wherever that may be for you) to your family will bring back memories, or if you have small kids, will introduce those foods to them so they won't seem foreign when you make a trip back to your home country.  If the brand of product you found here just won't work for you, make sure you put that item on your "home" list, so you make sure you stock up when you make your next trip home.  I will definitely be looking at different cornmeals when I am back in North America next time, but for the time being, the extra exercise was a welcome surprise, especially since it worked a part of my body I tend to neglect in my workouts. 

P.S.  Sorry there is no picture this time.  I have found another hobby I need to work on as the pictures do not look very appetizing.  I promise to post pictures in the future.