And so, Singapore’s first and only Gold medal-holding Olympian has been crowned. On 13 August, 21-year-old Joseph Schooling made Singapore history by beating world champion Michael Phelps in the 100m Men's butterfly race at the 2016 Olympic Games to take home the first ever gold medal for this country.
Where would you take the young winner for a breakfast of champions if you have the chance to dine with him in person? We round up some fun foodie facts you might not know about the food-loving Singaporean, and a few choice suggestions from our 2016 Michelin Guide Singapore selection that may suit his taste.
1. He loves carrot cake - "the blacker, the better"
A bona-fide Singaporean of Eurasian descent, Schooling once said in an interview that whenever he is back in Singapore (he’s currently a sophomore at the University of Texas), his meal of choice would be chye tau kway (carrot cake) any day, preferably "the black kind. More black sauce - the sweeter, the better."
His mum tried to recreate the dish for him in the United States once “but it didn't really work”, but such a fan of the dish was he that “it was still better than nothing”, he admitted.
He also misses local delicacies such as char kway teow, chwee kueh, lontong, nasi lemak, black pepper crab and chicken rice.
2. Give the boy a Milo dinosaur
And Schooling's beverage of choice? A ice-cold Milo “dinosaur”, a Singapore kopitiam variant on the chocolate malt drink that comes with an additional spoonful of the powdered drink heaped atop.
Knowing how much the boy loves his drink, beverage stall owner Tan Toh Huat, whose Marine Parade hawker stall Schooling frequently patronises, once generously whipped up more than 20 glasses of the indulgent drink for a photo shoot with Schooling. (Photo source)
3. He grew up among the hawkers in Marine Terrace and Bedok
No slick fine-dining spots are necessary to impress this young chap. Schooling has often cited hawker centres in Bedok and Marine Terrace as his favourite food haunts, and Samy's Curry and Michelin Guide Singapore-listed Roland restaurant as regular go-tos to fix his fish head curry and crab cravings.
(Related: Read what our inspector's have to say about Roland.)
For a 2013 Team Singapore promotional video on how everyday Singaporeans are pillars of support for athletes, the former Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) student chose to celebrate his favourite hawkers and restaurant owners, many of whom have watched young Schooling grow up.
In one vignette, he recalled how a vegetable stall owner would slip him raw broccoli and cauliflower to munch on as a child, and how a fruit stall auntie in Bedok would hand him money for kiddy rides, saying, “these aren't just hawkers, they're more family and friends and have all contributed to my childhood.” Awww.
4. He’s a very disciplined eater
He usually starts his day with a small snack such as banana or protein shake before pool training at 6am, but his first actual meal is usually a breakfast sandwich with hashbrowns from the university's cafeteria for athletes en route to class. Though he does not subscribe to strict dietary rules, he generally makes sure he has a balanced meal, and refrains from having heavy salad dressings or fried food.
Just before bedtime, he‘ll sup on yoghurt and strawberries or cup noodles, so that he won’t be too hungry during training the next morning.
5. But like every young man, he lets up every now and then
Though his nutritionist always encourages him to eat healthier, “we burn so much that I really don’t have a special diet,” he once said. “I eat what I want, when I want and wherever I want...but obviously I don’t eat McDonald's or Burger King every day. I eat fast food maybe once every two weeks or once a month sometimes.”
He doesn’t “go crazy” over fast food and ice-cream, nor does he crave it all the time, indulging only once a fortnight or so, he admits.
His weakness? Pork lard - which he gets an extra helping of whenever he visits his favourite mee pok stall, Jago Close Teochew Fishball Noodles in Marine Parade Central.
(Pictured right.)
Our Michelin Guide Singapore digital team's picks for a food tour with Schooling:
- Extra black carrot cake from Chey Sua Carrot Cake (Bib Gourmand)
- Mee pok (with extra lard!) from Hill Sreet Tai Hwa Pork Noodle (One Michelin Star)
- Black pepper crab from Roland (Selection)
- Chicken rice from Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice (Bib Gourmand)
- Chwee kueh from Jian Bo Shui Kueh (Selection)
- Nasi lemak from Nasi Lemak Kukus (Selection)
“Where would you bring Joseph Schooling to eat if you had the chance to meet him in person? Leave us a comment on Facebook, or write in and let us know.”
