Chinatown prepares for the New Year of the Dog

Christmas has come and gone. The new year is only hours away. And now Chinatown is preparing for the Chinese New Year of the Dog, which falls on 29 January 2006. Many interestings props were already awaiting in various "hideouts" waiting to be put up. Now, they are in the process of putting up.

A few weeks before Chinese New Year is probably the only time of the year when the place will be crowded as people from all over Singapore will flock here to buy the traditional stuff to prepare for the Chinese New Year (CNY). Others will come to soak in the atmosphere. In the old days, the very young would venture into the crowd with their parents risking suffocation as it was really shoulder to shoulder. These days, the crowd is as thick. But then, in those days, it could be the only time for the family to buy new clothes and some tidbits for the CNY. Ah, Singapore has come a long way.

Soon, traditional yummy food - maybe only for the older people? - like Chinese sausages, waxed ducks and meat, Yunnan Ham (that one uses a normal saw to saw it), and Shitake mushrooms will be on full display.

Different Faces of Chinatown

Thanks to "Monkey" there is another website with a photo essay of Chinatown.

http://www.yawningbread.org/photo_essay/pew-01/pew-0100.htm

Sausages - An Austrian Challenge

Right in the heart of the Chinatown that most people know, is a small roadside stall, the new ones that were set up along Trengganu St (on the side of Sago St.) Apart from the traditional and not so traditional stalls selling all kinds of things, is a stall that stands out. Inside this stall is an ang-mo. A jovial and outgoing person, this ang-mo (Hokkien for red hair, meaning caucasians) greets anyone and everyone who passes by his stall.

Erich must be his name as his name card is written as "Erich's Wuerstel Stand" with the slogan "Quality Grilled Sausages - Austrian Style". And the address? Chinatown Night Market Singapore F&B 3 Trengganu Street.

On that evening when I was in Chinatown with my Aussie friends, we thought it was a good idea to have Austrian sausages right in the heard of Chinatown. What a Stammtisch too! We had Bockwuerst and Bratwuerst with sauce and mustard. Oh, sie waren gut geschmeckt! Ah, in Singlish? Shiok! Sedap!

And what could have been better when we were enjoying the sausages and chatting with Erich, when the Crazy Horse girls walked down the road with the saucy Chinese blouses and tight samfoo pants. We did not know where they came from until we heard from Erich. And yes, he knows what's going on in Chinatown!

Erich certainly adds life to Chinatown! Judging by the number of news-magazine articles pasted all over his stall, his must be the most popular one in town.

Want to get another kick out if this? His name card has this declaration, "The Last Sausage Kiosk Before the Equator". Can anyone dispute this? (^^)