Crashed pretty early last night, so I was up at 4:30 this morning. Thanks, jet lag! No matter, I spent the morning with headphones in, watching Pete & Bas music videos on YouTube while I waited for the daily NYTimes crossword to drop. Eventually, it was time to head out to find some brekkie. We opted for a little place right down the street called Breakfast Hola. It’s a Taiwanese place that sells these neat little egg things that are sorta like an omelette and sorta like a crepe. It’s listed under “Egg Crepe Roll” in the menu. I saw “spicy Cai Poh” and asked what that was, but the lady’s English wasn’t to the point that she could translate it. So WTF, I ordered it anyway.

I mentioned before that I like contrast… well, I’m a very picky eater, but with a very adventurous palate. In other words, there is a short list of things that I enjoy eating, but I’ll try almost anything - hoping to add stuff to that list. So me ordering an egg crepe filled with something I’d never heard of isn’t a big stretch for me. And believe me, things are going to get weirder before this day is over.

I ate it and enjoyed it, but I had no idea what it was. It was white, diced, and crunchy like a carrot. It wasn’t spicy at all. It was, however, really difficult to eat with chopsticks. Rob got a bacon one, which he said was very good. (I looked it up after I got back to the hotel and found that Cai Poh is preserved radish. Now I know!)

After brekkie, we headed to the kopi place. Kopi (“kaw-pee”) is so traditional Singaporean that it’s listed officially as a culturally significant by the powers that be. It’s basically coffee, but unlike other coffee you’ve had. Here’s the lingo you need to know: