To be a foodie, you have to be adventurous and someone with a bold palette.
One foodie in Singapore took familiar foods to a whole new level by pairing them with the popular Chinese cough syrup, Pipagao.
With 20,000 followers on TikTok, Calvin (@foodmakescalhappy) has caused quite a stir with his quirky — and shall we say, brave — concoctions.
The self-proclaimed food lover has tried multiple combinations, including Pipagao with the iconic McSpicy.
@foodmakescalhappy PI PA GAO MCSPICY IS ❤️ #sgfoodie #mcdsg #pipagao #mcspicy #comfortfood #selfcare ♬ Sweet Dreams – Beyoncé
Having sampled several local foods with Pipagao, he shares with MS News his favourite combinations by far.
For the uninitiated, Pipagao is a thick cough medicine with a thick, syrupy consistency and a sweet, herbal flavour.
While many of us might be fond of the cough syrup, we simply cannot rival Calvin’s love for Pipagao.
Speaking to MS News, Calvin shared that he was inspired to try Pipagao with various foods after buying the syrup to soothe his sore throat.
The 31-year-old also revealed that he enjoys Pipagao mainly because of its sweetness.
So it wasn’t a surprise when he said Pipagao with ice cream was his favourite combination by far.
@foodmakescalhappy Pi Pa Gao Ice Cream is 💯❤️ #sgfoodie #comfortfood #selfcare #pipagao ♬ Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) – 80s Super Hits
Similar to his other videos, he reels the viewer in with a delectable hook shot — drizzling the syrup over a cup of ice cream.
Reminiscing on the flavours, he likened the experience to “adding honey to ice cream”.
Unlike honey though, the Pipagao leaves a cooling sensation after eating.
Following Pipagao with ice cream, Calvin listed the McSpicy combination as his next best.
“McSpicy is [already] savoury and spicy. [Pipagao] adds a nice sweetness to it and really makes it damn shiok,” he said when recounting the flavours to MS News.
Third and fourth place goes to Pipagao with durian and Korean Spicy Noodles respectively.
@foodmakescalhappy Korean Spicy Pi Pa Gao Noodles – tasted even spicier with PPG! #sgfoodie #pipagao #samyang #samyangnoodles #comfortfood ♬ UNFORGIVEN (feat. Nile Rodgers) – LE SSERAFIM
Calvin candidly shared that although it still tasted good, the minty flavour of the Pipagao enhanced the spice in the noodles.
Granted, not many of us will be able to handle the heat.
As it turns out, Calvin is always thinking about food combinations. He told MS News:
I love food and wonder a lot about how different food will taste like when paired together. So whenever I’m eating or just day dreaming, I’ll think about different possibilities to eat different food.
In fact, the foodie is so passionate that he has a whole series of over 130 videos on TikTok exploring unconventional combinations.
The series, called CalCurates, features ‘ingenious’ combinations that only a creative mind could come up with.
From milo dinosaur soya beancurd to mala with peanut butter, Calvin goes above and beyond when it comes to exploring different flavours.
@foodmakescalhappy make sense since mala and sesame sauce works so well tgt #sgfoodie #comfortfood #hawkerfood #peanutbutter ♬ BLACK HORSE SINGAPORE – Black Horse Singapore
While some of the combinations may come as abominations, others make you question if he’s on to something.
Kudos to Calvin for being bold enough to try combinations that many wouldn’t even think of.
So the next time you’re feeling uninspired about your next meal, give his videos a watch — maybe you’ll come across something that piques your fancy.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image from @foodmakescalhappy on TikTok.
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