Outside on the quay the sun beat fiercely. A stream of motors, lorries and buses, private cars and hirelings, sped up and down the crowded thoroughfare, and every chauffeur blew his horn … Singapore is the meeting place of a hundred peoples; and men of all colors, black Tamils, yellow (sic) Chinese, brown Malays, Armenians, Jews and Bengalis.”
William Somerset Maugham wrote these words in 1927 describing the bustling scene on the quays of the Singapore River. Some 80-plus years and a Second World War later, it still holds true. Singapore is rich and diverse in cultural and ethnic heritage. In Maugham’s time, there was a clear delineation of who was who and who lived where, still visible in the city’s distinctive quarters and its unique architecture. Today, however, lines are happily blurred as I met people of Chinese-Indian descent, Indian-Brazilian, Malay-Chinese, British-Chinese … the infinite spectrum of heritage and all proudly Singaporean.
What may sound like heavily accented English is actually Singalese — an unusual combination of English, Chinese, Hindi and Malay. There are no rules as to what words or expressions are used in what language, no rules as how you put them together, but more of an innate and instinctive comprehension of what fits where and when best. Don’t forget to drop in a “lah” here and there but then again, there are no rules; it either fits or it doesn’t.
The quintessential descriptor would be “melting pot,” perhaps overused in figurative terms and yet so apt in literal terms. Singaporeans posses one of the broadest flavor palettes I have ever encountered. This city-state has probably the highest concentration and variation of ethnic cuisines per square kilometer. While one may argue that New York may have a larger assortment, I can vouch for the fact that nowhere in the world have I seen a nation that eats on a daily basis such an expansive variety of cuisines. I spent one week discovering this richness, interviewing Singaporeans from all walks of life and on a typical day one would eat kaya toast for breakfast, chicken rice for lunch and biryani for dinner. Another day could start with roti prata, peak with rendang at noon and finish with a plate of char kway teow.
Along with the multiple interracial marriages, this melding of cultures is thoroughly reflected in the local cuisine. At Blue Ginger Restaurant, home of Peranakan cuisine, an indigenous mix of Malay and Chinese, Vivien Seet Lian exclaims, “Fusion? What fusion? This is the original fusion. Malay and Chinese flavors traditionally with pork … the play of local ingredients such as galangal, ginger, turmeric and lemongrass.”
Peranakan cuisine is no easy task, a complex array of ingredients including special black nuts from Indonesia called buah keluak that need to be soaked and scrubbed for hours. Its rich, chili-laden sauces tell a history like no other, it shares a tale of openness in mind and spirit that preempted modern times. When the USA still practiced racial segregation, Singapore already had their Peranakan dishes and culture. Today’s move for culinary integration? Halal foods. You’ll see many Chinese hawkers and restaurants showing solidarity with their Muslim brothers and sisters by taking stringent measures to earn the official Halal Seal. Blue Ginger is one of them.
Singapore openly embraces its colonial past. Teatime is a common practice and the Raffles’ Tiffin Room is one of the most emblematic places to go. Tea can consist of both scones with coddled cream and assorted Nyonya (Straits cuisine) desserts. It also embraces newly arrived western cuisines. Not too long ago, Erich Pollski, an eccentric Austrian sausage chef, decided to open a weurstelstand or sausage stand smack in the middle of Chinatown. His success has led him to open other establishments. At the same time many Michelin-starred celebrities have set up shop in this cosmopolitan hub, embracing local flavors and incorporating them into their sophisticated cuisines. Gourmet reinterpretations of the emblematic Singaporean chili crab are all the rage. I do have to admit that I was never really a fan and I could never understand that fried, sweetened man tou bread until I went to East Coast Lagoon Food Village … my unfortunate crab posed alive but was glorified in its death in a bubbling, red-hot gravy of pure pleasure. The man tou? Far from the rock-hard ammunition sort that I was accustomed to seeing, it was crisp, fluffy and creamy all at the same time. My crab looked much happier covered in chili.
My personal favorite is laksa. It’s Singapore in a bowl. Rich and velvety with coconut milk, dotted red with chili and spice, a hint of tangy lime, firm rice noodles, tender poached shrimp, crisp and sweet fried shallots, fresh laksa leaves, cilantro and other herbs with fragrant aromas in the hot, flavorful steam wafting up your nose to your brain, passages cleared by the fiery chili.
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“Our food is our museum,” Luke Lee, organizer of the annual Singapore Food Festival, so poignantly exclaims. The festival is on its 18th year getting bigger and better with time. Reminiscent of its old spice-trading warehouse facilities, Clarke Quay and the Central River Promenade turn into a souk of spices, food stalls and animations from July 15 to 24. Explore on your own and discover the scents and flavors of the Lion City. Go up the Singapore Flyer for majestic views of the city as you learn to make canapés and cocktails. Take a Tiffin Cruise down the river as they pack you up a three-course lunch based on three types of cuisine in the traditional tiffin, or metal lunchbox. In Somerset Maugham’s books I often read about people going to “take their tiffin.” I simply assumed it was their lunch. It was only on this trip that I had discovered what it truly was.
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For information, visit www.singaporefoodfestival.com.sg. Savor the Singapore Food Festival (SFF) from July 15 to 24 with all-in packages from Singapore Airlines starting at US$465 per person, inclusive of roundtrip economy airfare, 3D/2N hotel accommodation, all government taxes and fuel surcharges, and a charming Tiffin Cruise along the Singapore River, which comes with a delectable dining experience and tiffin carrier as a memento of your SFF experience. For bookings and inquiries, call the Singapore Airlines tours desk at 753-5151 to 52 or 756-8899 local 7001 or 7002.