The beautiful architecture of Alexandra Hospital caught my attention this morning
Tranquil, colonial, serene, austere
And in one of the men's...
screams this joke of caution. Surprise surprise =)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Humour in hospital
The beautiful architecture of Alexandra Hospital caught my attention this morning
Tranquil, colonial, serene, austere
And in one of the men's...
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Letter to the forum
Dear ST Forum:
I refer to Richard Seah's letter on the forum, "HPB shouldn't be playing catch-up on healthy diets" dated October 10, 2009. The writer raises interesting points about healthy diets and points out some things I didn't know about, such as "the goodness of medium chain fatty acids found in coconut milk and coconut oil, which the board discourages people from taking."
However, what I find odd about the letter is that such detailed, prescribed health diets should fall on the shoulders of the HPB, simply because what is deemed as harmful, such as "pasteurised, homogenised and otherwise processed cow's milk", "chlorine and flourides" in Singapore's drinking water and "white sugar", stems from nothing but a very niche belief of an interest group supporting health diets, which, the mainstream, even after 30 to 50 years of health diets advocacy in Western societies, do not adopt wholeheartedly.
Simply, the likes of vegetarian meals, brown rice, organically produced food are not everyone's cup of tea. The HPB can make recommendations on healthy living such as the Singapore Workout (successful in the 90s), community walk-a-jogs and ideas of generally balanced meals to the public, but it is not their role nor there is a need for any health-related statutory board to revamp what is otherwise a commercial F&B landscape or dictate what kind of food should be sold in foodcourts.
Seah's writing is irrelevant and overlooks the wider business and social concerns surrounding diets and the F&B industry. Individuals of the public should enjoy the personal freedom of being able to choose from variety and not from a reduced variety infused by health foods purported by a niche group of such supporters.
It is not the job of the HPB, nor is there a need for such prescription.
Best,
Kuanzhong
***************************************************************
The above letter was submitted but has not been published.
I refer to Richard Seah's letter on the forum, "HPB shouldn't be playing catch-up on healthy diets" dated October 10, 2009. The writer raises interesting points about healthy diets and points out some things I didn't know about, such as "the goodness of medium chain fatty acids found in coconut milk and coconut oil, which the board discourages people from taking."
However, what I find odd about the letter is that such detailed, prescribed health diets should fall on the shoulders of the HPB, simply because what is deemed as harmful, such as "pasteurised, homogenised and otherwise processed cow's milk", "chlorine and flourides" in Singapore's drinking water and "white sugar", stems from nothing but a very niche belief of an interest group supporting health diets, which, the mainstream, even after 30 to 50 years of health diets advocacy in Western societies, do not adopt wholeheartedly.
Simply, the likes of vegetarian meals, brown rice, organically produced food are not everyone's cup of tea. The HPB can make recommendations on healthy living such as the Singapore Workout (successful in the 90s), community walk-a-jogs and ideas of generally balanced meals to the public, but it is not their role nor there is a need for any health-related statutory board to revamp what is otherwise a commercial F&B landscape or dictate what kind of food should be sold in foodcourts.
Seah's writing is irrelevant and overlooks the wider business and social concerns surrounding diets and the F&B industry. Individuals of the public should enjoy the personal freedom of being able to choose from variety and not from a reduced variety infused by health foods purported by a niche group of such supporters.
It is not the job of the HPB, nor is there a need for such prescription.
Best,
Kuanzhong
***************************************************************
The above letter was submitted but has not been published.
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