khassandraSingapore: part two
September 26th 2006 01:19
Welcome back to Singapore: part two
In Singapore, the second largest ethnic group is of malay extraction, and predominately muslim religion. Clothing worn by malaysian women ranges from modern, to very devout in headscarves, long skirts, long sleeved upper garment and even some add lightweight coats in the tropical humidity. Kebayas- the tradional garb worn by both sexes for festive/wedding occasions- consist of elaborately decorated silk/satin fabrics tied around the lower body and swept up in a swirl at the waist. The top garment for women is generally a decorative long sleeved blouse in shiny hues. In contrast, the male upper garment is a formal looking shirt or cropped jacket with 'nehru' style collar- a large cummerband is wound around the waist. Their head-gear is often of matching fabric to the jacket or shirt. In daily life, most malaysian men wear western clothes.
In Singapore most families live in tall government built apartments. Due to the scarcity of land and resultant astronomical land prices, many generations live together in the same apartment which are known as 2room, 3room, 4room- which denotes the number of bedrooms per unit. These can range well upwards of Singapore $350,000 for the smallest. The cost is often well beyond young couples who commence their married life living with their parents or in-laws (often up to a third generation) who provide the benefit of an onsite babysitter in the process. Nowadays there are private apartment blocks and terrace houses to choose from- many are only available to Singapore citizens, or restricted in terms of expat ownership.
As a result of this land anomoly, many young professionals opt to spend their money on branded clothes, or a car....aiming to purchase their own property much later in life. Thus car ownership replaces aspiring home ownership as their first large investment as the younger generation generally cannot hope to own both based on their salaries...more on that next time.
There is a miniature 'malay village' in the suburbs favoured by malaysians. It features arts and crafts and long-gone examples of kampong living still in existance in parts of nearby Malaysia.
A kampong is a group of village huts where communal life is closeknit. Many streets in Singapore are called "lorong" which means 'street' in Malay.
Malaysian food is pungent, with chillis and curries very prominent in the cookpot. Curries such as the fragrant beef rendang- a dry aromatic curry made with beef or mutton, satays- skewers of mutton, beef or chicken marinated and cooked on charcoal burners, and served with cubes of cold, compressed rice, sliced cucumber and sauce made from crushed peanuts, oil, seasonings and chilli. Fried chicken is a family favourite- crisply fried to perfection- each household has their own secret recipe. Its yellowish hue is due to tumeric seasoning.
Curry puffs make an 'anytime' snack, these fried or baked half-moon pastry parcels may contain sardines, potato, egg, curry, mutton- but always in a hot, often red curry paste mix. Noodle eating is prevalent throughout the day. Favourites include-Mee Goreng
tir fried egg noodles with curry, eggs, tofu, beanshoots and seafood, Laksa Lemak:coconut based curry soup noodle with egg, beanshoots and tofu with either chicken or seafood. An early morning breakfast: 'nasi lemak' consists of rice, a fried egg, small fried anchovy size fish called ikan billis with peanuts in chilli sauce. Other favourites are murtabek- seasoned minced lamb inside pieces of roti- an unleavened oiled bread that is cooked on a hotplate. Vegetable dishes also contain copious quantities of chilli-potatoes, beans, beansprouts, various greens, onions, eggplant are regular ingredients. Belanchan spinach is a tasty concoction of stir fried spinach with ground chili, shrimp paste and dried shrimps..yum!
Another unique cusine known as "Peranakan", brought about by the infusion of 'straits chinese or malay-chinese intermarriage-thus blending cooking styles. This gentle, luscious food
is the haute cuisine of malaysian cooking and carefully nurtured today through recipes handed down through generations. It is the 'slow cooking' style of food which is recognised as a separate national cusine from general malaysian cooking. Peranakan food features aromatic curries, and dishes steeped in soya sauce and seasonings. One entree is "Hoy Jor" - tofu sheets wrapped around minced beef highly seasoned with herbs and a mixture of chopped waterchestnuts and chinese parsley, steamed in bamboo baskets, then deep fried and sliced to serve with thick black soy sauce.
More tomorrow.
****************
In Singapore, the second largest ethnic group is of malay extraction, and predominately muslim religion. Clothing worn by malaysian women ranges from modern, to very devout in headscarves, long skirts, long sleeved upper garment and even some add lightweight coats in the tropical humidity. Kebayas- the tradional garb worn by both sexes for festive/wedding occasions- consist of elaborately decorated silk/satin fabrics tied around the lower body and swept up in a swirl at the waist. The top garment for women is generally a decorative long sleeved blouse in shiny hues. In contrast, the male upper garment is a formal looking shirt or cropped jacket with 'nehru' style collar- a large cummerband is wound around the waist. Their head-gear is often of matching fabric to the jacket or shirt. In daily life, most malaysian men wear western clothes.
In Singapore most families live in tall government built apartments. Due to the scarcity of land and resultant astronomical land prices, many generations live together in the same apartment which are known as 2room, 3room, 4room- which denotes the number of bedrooms per unit. These can range well upwards of Singapore $350,000 for the smallest. The cost is often well beyond young couples who commence their married life living with their parents or in-laws (often up to a third generation) who provide the benefit of an onsite babysitter in the process. Nowadays there are private apartment blocks and terrace houses to choose from- many are only available to Singapore citizens, or restricted in terms of expat ownership.
As a result of this land anomoly, many young professionals opt to spend their money on branded clothes, or a car....aiming to purchase their own property much later in life. Thus car ownership replaces aspiring home ownership as their first large investment as the younger generation generally cannot hope to own both based on their salaries...more on that next time.
A kampong is a group of village huts where communal life is closeknit. Many streets in Singapore are called "lorong" which means 'street' in Malay.
Malaysian food is pungent, with chillis and curries very prominent in the cookpot. Curries such as the fragrant beef rendang- a dry aromatic curry made with beef or mutton, satays- skewers of mutton, beef or chicken marinated and cooked on charcoal burners, and served with cubes of cold, compressed rice, sliced cucumber and sauce made from crushed peanuts, oil, seasonings and chilli. Fried chicken is a family favourite- crisply fried to perfection- each household has their own secret recipe. Its yellowish hue is due to tumeric seasoning.
Curry puffs make an 'anytime' snack, these fried or baked half-moon pastry parcels may contain sardines, potato, egg, curry, mutton- but always in a hot, often red curry paste mix. Noodle eating is prevalent throughout the day. Favourites include-Mee Goreng
tir fried egg noodles with curry, eggs, tofu, beanshoots and seafood, Laksa Lemak:coconut based curry soup noodle with egg, beanshoots and tofu with either chicken or seafood. An early morning breakfast: 'nasi lemak' consists of rice, a fried egg, small fried anchovy size fish called ikan billis with peanuts in chilli sauce. Other favourites are murtabek- seasoned minced lamb inside pieces of roti- an unleavened oiled bread that is cooked on a hotplate. Vegetable dishes also contain copious quantities of chilli-potatoes, beans, beansprouts, various greens, onions, eggplant are regular ingredients. Belanchan spinach is a tasty concoction of stir fried spinach with ground chili, shrimp paste and dried shrimps..yum!Another unique cusine known as "Peranakan", brought about by the infusion of 'straits chinese or malay-chinese intermarriage-thus blending cooking styles. This gentle, luscious food
is the haute cuisine of malaysian cooking and carefully nurtured today through recipes handed down through generations. It is the 'slow cooking' style of food which is recognised as a separate national cusine from general malaysian cooking. Peranakan food features aromatic curries, and dishes steeped in soya sauce and seasonings. One entree is "Hoy Jor" - tofu sheets wrapped around minced beef highly seasoned with herbs and a mixture of chopped waterchestnuts and chinese parsley, steamed in bamboo baskets, then deep fried and sliced to serve with thick black soy sauce.
More tomorrow.
****************
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