SGExplained

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The durian, native to Singapore and Southeast Asia, is known as the King of Fruits. Yet, it has a mixed reputation in Singapore, with some chasing down the best harvests while others abstain from it religiously. Elliot and Rovik explore the complexity of the Durian, including:

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Intro Music by Wataboi from Pixabay

Outro Music by Nielizas from Pixabay

Singapore is known internationally for a couple of things and the Chewing Gum ban is high on the list. In this short episode, Elliot and Rovik follow the rather hilarious journey of how chewing gum got banned in Singapore as well as how a certain US company managed to get some gum back on the books. You may get stuck on this one (pun intended!)

This episode covers:

You'll see Singapore like you never have before. Also, SUBSCRIBE to our Substack to get bonus content right in your email - Click Here!

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Intro Music by Wataboi from Pixabay

Outro Music by Nielizas from Pixabay

Clean, green, and safe don't seem to match with the presence of a prostitution scene in Singapore but you'll be surprised to find out that prostitution has been around in Singapore since its early days. Check out our season premiere to learn about:

You'll see Singapore like you never have before. Also, SUBSCRIBE to our Substack to get bonus content right in your email - Click Here!

This episode does touch on topics of sexual exploitation, trafficking and drug abuse. If you or someone you know needs support, do check out the following resources:

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Intro Music by Wataboi from Pixabay

Outro Music by Nielizas from Pixabay

We're known as a crime-free country but have you heard about the history of Secret Societies in Singapore, one of the lesser-known phenomenon of our country's dark underbelly. Hear stories and facts about gangsters and thugs that you'd be surprised about including:

This special episode is an accompaniment to the Channel News Asia production "Into The Vault" where you find more content on this topic, including interviews with former secret society members and experts on related topics. 

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Intro Music by Wataboi from Pixabay

Outro Music by Nielizas from Pixabay

Once again, for both our loyal listeners as well as those looking to navigate the season, join Elliot and Rovik as they reminisce on all 20 episodes for this season. We pick our favorite episodes, the most underrated one to recommend, and start to tease both future episodes in Season 4 as well as an upcoming Channel News Asia documentary! Keep in touch during this break and DM us if you have ideas for future ideas, guests, or partnership opportunities! We love our community!

We always enjoy the episodes where we look at the "fringe" of Singapore culture, but are tattoos too mainstream here to even be fringe anymore? We chat with Tattoo Artist Beverly Ann Koh (bev.bot on IG) about her experience in the industry and how Singapore has moved to be more inclusive of tattoos. We explore the history of tattoos with gangs, recent trends in tattoos (have you heard of hyper-realism?) as well as some of the industry dynamics here. These are some of our favourite types of conversations so we hope you enjoy it them too!

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If you've shopped in Singapore, you've probably been to Tangs - but did you know that the mall was one of the first retail shopping outlets in Orchard? Back when the area near Tangs was mostly cemetery grounds, CK Tang had the vision to convert the area to a shopping destination. Discover why he had such courage and learn about how he evolved his brand from being the Tin Truck Man to being the Curio King. We don't shy away from controversy so you'll get to hear stories of kidnapping and organ trading in the Tang family as well - just to help us remember that everyone is human. 

We're also coming up to the end of our season so if you have feedback, ideas, or suggestions for Season 4, do reach out to our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to get in touch with us. We'd love to hear from you!

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Ageing is a scary topic but it has shaped much of Singapore's landscape in the last few decades. We're privileged to have an advocate and opinion leader, Dr Farhan Alami, come into the virtual studio to share her insights on how ageing and dementia affect not just the elderly but also their families and loved ones. Learn about the statistics surrounding ageing and some of the issues specific to Singapore we try to tackle. We also learn about our uniquely Singaporean approach to ageing and dementia, covering buzzwords such as "Ageing in Place" and "Kampung for all Ages" which we try to unpack. Elliot and Rovik finish the show with a much richer perspective than when they started and they invite you on that same journey. 

This episode was produced in partnership with @Geriatrician.Sg, Dr Farhan Alami's platform to engage people of all ages on the topics surrounding ageing as well as tips and strategies for families and loved ones to help promote active and healthy ageing. You can find her on both Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/geriatrican.sg/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/geriatrician.sg/). 

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Picking back up on our food series, we look at the fabled past of Roti Prata, the dish that was gifted to us by the Indian immigrants back in the day. Find out what goes into preparing the dish, including the artistic form needed to stretch the dough, and then get into the debate on whether roti canai (from Malaysia) or roti prata is better. We also look at the numerous variations of prata (including roti milo??) and of course, Elliot and Rovik leave you with some recommendations of where to look for some of the best prata in Singapore. If you want to add a recommendation to the list, send us a message on our socials!

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If you're reading this, you're probably doing so on the internet and maybe even on your phone. The fact that we have access to telecom and mobile services in Singapore has a lot to owe to Singtel's past, as once our national telecom provider and the largest contributor of infrastructure. Journey with us as we trace how Singtel survived the removal of its monopoly and how it evolved to be one of Singapore's best-known brands. We even explore major controversies such as the Bukit Panjang Fire and even the Xiaxue scandal. All this and more in our latest episode!

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