First meal on my Feb 2015 Hainan trip: Wenchang chicken rice, the predecessor of Hainanese chicken rice, Singapore's national comfort dish. The skin is rather thick and has a sinful layer of oil underneath. The chicken is free range, hence much tougher than the Singapore version. Early Hainanese immigrants to Singapore had to compete with the Cantonese white braise chicken hawkers, and have learnt to turn the skin tender by soaking the chicken overnight in ice water.

The Wenchang chicken rice is eaten with a sauce made from chicken oil, ginger, onions and light soy; whereas the Singapore version is eaten with chili and ginger, the result of Southeast Asian influence on this nation.