Singapore Food Festival: Chinatown offers Cantonese food on 24-25 July 2010

In this year's Singapore Food Festival, Chinatown is going to throw up the best Canto food that you can find in Singapore. At least the traditional ones. It would be fun checking out what's in store. So, if you are a foodie, a Canto food diehard, bookmark the dates - 24 & 25 July, 2010.

Cantonese Cuisine Food Expo 

Enter the world of Cantonese Cuisine, as you explore and rediscover the many
reasons why Singaporeans love Cantonese Food so deeply!

Date: 24th & 25th July 2010, Saturday & Sunday
Time: 11.00 am to 9.00pm
Venue: Kreta Ayer Square
Fee: Free Entry 

Family’s Cantonese Recipe Cooking Competition

Chinatown invites all food-loving families to take part in this year’s inaugural Cantonese Recipe Cooking Competition.
Whip up any Cantonese dish in the given 45mins to impress our chef judges!
The winning family can win up to the 1st prize of $1000 worth of Cash and Hampers!
 
Experience and enjoy the fun-filled, adrenaline pumping cooking competition and be crowned the
King of Family Recipe Cooking Competition in this year’s Singapore Food Festival!

Date: 24th July 2010, Saturday
Time: 12.00pm to 2.30pm
Venue: Kreta Ayer Square
Registration Fee : $10
Registration: chinatown@eventions.com.sg


Singapore’s LONGEST ‘Chee Cheong Fun’ Record 

150 Chefs from Society of Chinese Cuisine Chefs (Singapore) will gather at Chinatown to challenge this amazing feat for charity!
The targeted 80m long Chee Cheong Fun will write history as it gets recorded in the Singapore Book of Records! 

The completed Chee Cheong Fun will be pan-fried immediately on site to be sold at a nominal price to the public in efforts to raise funds for charity.

Date: 25th July 2010, Sunday
Time: 3.00 pm
Venue: Kreta Ayer Square
Fee : Free Entry


For more details:
6474 7909 or chinatown@eventions.com.sg 
Website: www.chinatown.org.sg

 ack: CBA

Lor Mai Kai

Last weekend, with wife and daughter, we decided to retrace one of our favourite food in Gau Che Shui (Bullockcartwater in Cantonese). Alas, the original stalls were no longer there. But new generations stalls or restaurants have taken their place, albeit with cleaner facilities and even air-conditioning, but alas, somehow not with the same taste. At least for this old man.

Along Smith Street, at the corner of the shophouse with the lane, there used to be a very busy tim-sum stall with its for-kei (waiters) shouting orders from all over the lane. Menus were long strips of coloured papers with beautifully calligraphed dishes (one has to understand Chinese and how Chinese food is named, not necessarily directly related to the contents of the dish) pasted in a slanted form on the walls at the lane and in the shop.

To compensate the dirtiness of the environment (which was oblivious to us), when we had a place to sit down, the for-kei would come along with a towel over his shoulder and a kettle of boiling water in one hand and a small enamel basin containing chopsticks and tea cups. He would place them on the table and pour the boiling water into the small basin (size of a soup bowl). With the steam coming out of the sprout as the water went into the basin, one could be sure the germs will be dead in no time. Chinese tea was taken for granted. Then, at least at this place, we were not sophisticated enough to have a selection of tea. I remember when I first went to HongKong in 1976, the waiter and I were shocked about the selections of Chinese Tea. The waiter must have thought me a dumb, and I was dumbfounded with such a wide selection of tea! When he first asked me "Oi yum mi ye cha", my answer was "zhong kok cha". I have learnt since then.

Ah and so when we went to this restaurant the last weekend, we were wiser and indeed, they asked what tea we would want. In the old days in Singapore, probably the Poh-Lei and Lok-Poh would be the popular Cantonese tea. These days, Huong-Pin (Xiang Pian) is also popular. We had Poh-Lei. We had quite an assortment of Har-Gau (Prawn Dumplings), Hor Yip Fun (Lotus Leaf Glutinous Rice), Chee Cheong Fun (Rice Rolls) with prawns and Char Siew (grilled pork strips), and Wu Tao Koh (Yam Cake). And of course my favourite Lor Mai Kai (glutinous rice with chicken).

In my childhood days - 1960s - with my friend, we would try to save up to 30 cents before we would then venture into the heart of Chinatown, yes, to this lane to have a plate of Lor Mai Kai. With hot steaming tea and just one Lor Mai Kai, we would savour every grain, and enjoy the din of the for-kei shouting out the orders in codes. I always remember that for "7", they would call "lei-pai", meaning Sunday, but in reality seven. In this way, it was easier for the backend to hear clearly versus the word "chak", the Cantonese for seven.

When it comes to identifying the customer, the for-kei can be very creative and certainly colourful in their descriptions.

In those days, it was business like and very brisk. The moment you leave the table, someone would come up to clean up almost immediately, and someone would take over the place. And the next cycle of business began. I moan when I think of the current hawker centers these days. There was this old lady waitress serving up last week. It was pure down to earth Cantonese warmth as she spoke between Mandarin and Cantonese (because we preferred to speak Cantonese .. imagine ordering Lor Mai Kai in any language other than Cantonese!) advising us of the dishes to pick and serving us. Ah, the granny warmth! Next table had three young children (3 years old) and she went to advise and help to put a sweater for them lest they caught the chill from the drafts of the air-conditioning. Something that we did not encounter in the old days and found it so refreshing that it is there today.

Could anyone recommend the best Lor Mai Kai in Singapore? It would certainly no longer be 30 cents. (^^)

Historian Painter Marcus Lim & the Chinatown Connection

Ever heard of historians? Plenty. Ever heard of Historian Painter? Huh? Got such person meh? Ah, as Marcus Lim would passionately and patiently explain to you. "ya got!". A historian writes about history, a historian painter paints about history. Ask Marcus about history, and he will paint you a picture!

Said to be the only Historian Painter in Singapore, or for that matter, in Asia, Marcus looks set to strike out a new path. He is already recognised by the Asian Geographic.

copyright: Marcus Lim

Somehow, our paths crossed (how, I am still wondering) and of course, I asked him if he or his relatives were once residents of Chinatown, the inner or the greater. Indeed he has. And chances are most Chinese in Singapore would have the Chinatown connection.

" I guess my main connection with Chinatown would be with my granduncle and his family who used to live around Chin Swee Road area. I can still remember the smells of sea-salt beaten boats, stinking river and mouldy wood, the faded peeling paints on the 5-foot way buildings. My granduncle stayed on the third floor, and so whenever we go visit him we had to climb dangerously up the creaky old wooden staircase, that felt like giving way whenever my little foot climbed the stairs. It was nerve-recking but exciting; I dared not climb back down when I was about to go home.
The juxtaposition of old and new buildings in that area is etched in my mind; seeing the buildings nearby being demolished was had my memory branded.

Let's not forget the people from traditional trades. The affable old man who used to hawk the big-head paper masks. The soy sauce seller who goes around with his rattan bag with bottles of 头抽...that strong sweet smell of the freshly made soy sauce mixed with the rattan smell creates an interesting combination.

These are the little affinity that tied me to Chinatown."


And what has our Historian Painter captured from Chinatown. Like most artists, he did also roam the streets of Chinatown. He tried to capture the essence of Chinatown with a historical perspective. One day down the road, when photos fade, his paintings will be around to tell our descendants more about the Chinatown we know.

copyright: Marcus Lim

I hope that he will continue to capture the life of Chinatown, absorbing the atmosphere and the way of life, before they also become history. Hopefully, if he could recapture from the memories of the old folks of Chinatown, we would have further depth into the history of Chinatown Singapore.

My favourite Chicken Rice

While Singaporeans and visitors to Singapore would know about the famous Singapore Hainanese Chicken Rice, I kindda miss the Cantonese Chicken Rice. I am not sure if there is a similar Cantonese Chicken Rice, but I know long long ago (not that long really), at the corner of Smith Street and Trengganu St (where the Sex Shop is now?) was a bustling stall selling the "steamed" or "boiled" Chicken Rice. And the stall only appeared in the evening, probably from 5pm.

Those were the days when the Art-Deco flats were still there, just across from where the stall was, by the side of the road. There would be queues to buy the Chicken Rice. And there were tables, many of them, laid out on the street, as what you would see on the other side of Smith St (now called the Food St).

It was the time when we poor young folks were dating and looking for some more "luxurious" for dinner. Ah a chicken rice dinner with two chicken wings (sometimes, the stall would not sell us, apparently being one of the popular items), soup, two plates of rice, with the Cantonese chilli sauce and maybe Kai-Lard (I cannot remember if they had - it is mustard, somehow that went well with Cantonese steamed or boiled chicken) - we were happy. And these days, that girlfriend turned wife often laments that she missed the Kai-Lard.

And yes, the "spare parts" (innards) which were just great to chew on - crunchy. Gizzards & Liver and yes, the almost transparent intestines. I wonder what happened to these intestines. One can no longer find them, not even in the market to bring home to cook up a great meal!

It is interesting that while on the streets, the Chicken Rice stall was flourishing with long queues of diners. When the Chinatown Food Centre came up and all the wonderful street hawkers had to move indoors, it started losing its customers. Would it be fengshui (it was located in a rather good position, next to the escalator)? or just customers getting more impatient or distracted by more stalls within a same area? Or a drop in customer service because the stall now had no tables of its own?

Ah, I still long for that chicken and its wonderful chilli sauce. Anyone knows if the stall still exists?

Thian Hock Keng celebrates its 170th Anniversary

170 years ago, a small temple was built at the coast so that the freshly arrived could thank Mazu for their survival over the treacherous seas. Mazu 妈祖 was their Goddess of the Seas and the guide to their new land of hope (to earn money to bring back to Tng-Sua - Tang Shan).

As the number of immigrants increased, the need for more help for them grew. It was not just worship to Mazu but also help for the newly arrived to find a place to stay and jobs to look for. It was a community centre, the earliest to the current day community clubs.

170 years on, as the later generations of these forefathers, many of whom stayed on in this tiny island, we saw a rich heritage of Thian Hock Keng 天福宫, the temple that had a very small and humble beginning. We marvel at a piece of the ancient Chinese architecture brought all the way from China, so that we descendants could appreciate the beauty of the culture and traditions of the Chinese. That link that was forged 170 years ago, continues till this day, with many of the descendants going back to China to provide expertise in business and organisation, and increase more two-way trade.

And so on 2 May 10, Thian Hock Keng celebrated its 170th Anniversary with the launch of a book on the history of the temple (couldn't be a better timing) and an exhibition on its history too. For many of us old enough, we could recognise some of the old artifacts of the temple. The Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, RADM(NS) Lui Tuck Yew was the Guest of Honour.

In the Guest Book at the Exhibition, RADM(NS) Liu Tuck Yew thanked the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan for its sterling efforts in preserving this precious temple which is so much a part of our early history.

The who's who in the Chinese community in Singapore were present to witness the launch of the book: Nan Hai Ming Zhu Tian Fu Gong 南海明珠天福宫 and the opening of the exhibition at the neighbouring complex, Chong Wen Ge 崇文阁. The exhibition is from 2 May 10 to 9 May 10. For those who have been to Thian Hock Keng with their grandma or grandpa, you might be able to spot a thing or two at the exhibition.

In the evening, there was a concert by Deng Zhi Hao 邓志浩 from Taiwan. No one could better share the philosophy and outlook of a typical Chinese life than he did through his songs and interactions with the audience. In the almost 2 hour non-stop concert, he brought his audience through laughter and tears, sharing the sorrows, love and joys of typical Chinese families and their relationships. He even shared stories about Mazu's life and her unconditional response to people in danger. The characteristic from which we also worship Mazu for.

A great job by the organising committee of this event from Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan and the Thian Hock Keng Management Committee. Keep it up! Maybe, we could still invite Deng Zhi Hao back in 10 or 15 years time (when he is 70) to sing for us. (^^)

Catching Bus is no fun

A few Saturdays ago, I took a bus (I have not taken one in months) and had a great view sitting on the upper deck and watching the streets as if I were a tourist. A tourist indeed, I was.

I could not help reminiscing the days when everyday was a struggle chasing after the bus. It was in my secondary school days when I had only 30 cents to 50 cents to take me to school, had my recess and back. Bus fare was inexpensive (when we look back) at 5 cents on way. But catching that bus was not easy. 7am in the morning was too late.

Each morning, it was a prayer hoping that the bus would stop at the bus stop just near to the end of Bukit Pasoh Rd with New Bridge Road. There was only one bus, No.4 (Hock Lee Bus). Almost inevitably, it would not stop. So, our best bet then was that the traffic light went red at the New Bridge Road/Cantonment Road junction. It would have been already jammed back, but getting to school on time was important. Or it would be detention class. And so, lugged with a heavy bag that seemed to fly, a few of us would be dashing to the slowing bus, oblivious to the other cars coming along. And then, it would be Tarzan and the Bus as we clung for life as the bus did it right angle turn. The bus conductor would be shouting away but no body mind. Often, one might hear him shouting "Ou Way Wu Kiu Arh?" (Are the ghosts at the back?), trying to get the passengers to move to the back so that we poor souls could get a better foothold.

With the rushing wind brushing against our face as the bus moved, it was quite thrilling. We were too young (maybe) and too worried about going to school on time to worry about the dangers. Years later when I saw such scenes in India, I could realise the dangers, but it was also nostalgic at the same time. (^^)

Those were the days when there would be Bus Inspectors who would appear (out of no where) to check out if we had bought enough fare. There were many tricks for those who did not, especially when they were sitting. They would pretend to be sleeping. Some might not have even bought the tickets! It was a skill for the Bus Inspector to be able to squeeze through the crowded bus to check the tickets. And as soon as he was done, he would glide off the bus as the bus came to a stop. Wow, he looked cool sliding off the bus. And of course, many a times, we did the same too since we were just standing by the bus steps.

There were days when I thought I would tighten my stomach and catch the bus a different way. In this case, I would cross to the opposite side of the road to catch the bus to the terminus as North Canal Road. There was the infamous smelly public toilet there that I wondered how the bus workers could tolerate. But then, that was probably the only public convenience there. Catching a bus to the terminus would cost be 5 cents and following it back to school, which was now twice the distance would mean 10 cents.

There were better days when my uncle would be working in the afternoon shift at the then Singapore Harbour Board (one of the prerequisites of Harbour Board workers was that he must be able to ride a bicycle because he has to go from wharf to wharf to carry the bales of rubber sheets or sacks of rice or flour. And so, with a lot of dented shins and knees, I would brave the same rushing bus to cycle to school at Kim Seng Road. Closes brushes came by the dozens each week, but it was a less stressful way to go to school.

Ah, those were the days my friend.

PS: Anyone has a photo of the Hock Lee Bus ticket to share?

Sri Mariamman Temple Consecration Ceremony on 11 Apr 2010

I managed to walk past the Sri Mariamman Temple tonight, after the consecration. I could hear the prayers still going on. There was still a large crowd of devotees inside the temple.

The lights at the temple shows the beautifully repainted temple, back to its original splendour.

Chinatown boasts of two old places of worship, and Sri Mariamman is one of them.

Die & Dye

Long ago, at this corner of Kreta Ayer Rd and New Bridge Road, facing the Oriental Theatre across Kreta Ayer Rd, was a small shop. It's specialty was to dye any clothing to black.

It was a time when black was not the fashionable dress or clothing as most Asians, if not, Chinese, considered it as one of mourning. Indeed this was the shop that dyed clothing of any colour to black for those in mourning.

In the old days, when someone in the family died, all were expected to wear black. For some, like the children of the deceased, wearing back might be expected for a longer period of time. Mourning period could last (or is expected to last) for 3 years. It is unlikely that anyone had black clothing in those days. And so, if there was such a bereavement in the family, getting some clothing to be dyed black was one of the priorities.

It could well be the beginning of the fast service that one expects of any funeral activities today. In those days, one could expect to get the black clothing, perhaps in two days after sending in.

And so, in this little hut, there seemed to be constant activity as clothing was sent in to dye to black. The proximity of Sago Lane (known to the Chinese as Sei Yan Kai - dead people street) could be a reason for the brisk business.

These days, black is a fashion. So, there could be ample supplies at home. If not, the nearest shopping centres could yield abundant black clothing, in various styles and design.

We have yet to see the mourners coming with black lipsticks or eye shadows (^^). Makeup was a no-no then, when in mourning. Nor watching wayangs or movies. But with TV these days, no one observes such rules.

Qing Ming Festival 清明节

5 April is Qing Ming Day, 104 days from Winter Solstice (read more on wikipedia). In Singapore, this is one month that all Chinese remember their ancestors. With changing times, different people will remember their departed in various ways. Some would go to the temples where they place the tablets of their ancestors and pay their respects. There are still many who would go to the cemeteries where their departed relatives are buried. For those who were cremated, the descendants and relatives might go to the government, temple or even private company run columbaria where the ash niches are kept.

Traditionally, for the Taoists, they would bring along the favourite food of their departed (in this case, mainly for their departed parents or grandparents, or in some cases, siblings or children) to offer to them. In the old days, extend families would organise to get a lorry (truck) to load all the necessary praying paraphernalia and food for each departed relative and to go from tomb to tomb. Traffic jam, during the weekends, would not be in the city, but in the cemeteries.

I remember those days when my late maternal grandma would organise such trips. For us kids, it was fun. First we got to sit in a lorry (the type with wooden structures) and get to meet all the aunties, uncles and cousins. And there would be plenty of food to eat, after the offerings. We would be going to different places in Bukit Brown area (the wider area known as Kopi Sua - Coffee Hill to us. It is said that once, there was an attempt to plant coffee here) and Peck Shan Ting (in Cantonese, what is Bishan now). My mum's late adopted father was buried without any tombstone during the Japanese occupation, and in each Qing Ming she would have to depend on the landmarks, such as trees or other tombstones to locate this small mound.

And a few times, I followed by late Mother-in-law to the Qing Ming outing with the Zhong Shan Association (a dialect group from Zhong Shan in GuangDong). They have one area in Peck Shan Ting where all the Zhong Shan people were buried and there was one common one of the Association. Here, the members paid respect to the common ancestors of the Zhong Shan people. The fellow members would sponsor many roast pigs and after the prayers, we would be sitting in groups to have a picnic with freshly cut roast pork with buns. The best roast pork to me!

There are some Chinese customs in that for the long dead, offerings of respect could be made within 10 days from Qing Ming (known as Cheng Beng in Hokkien) Day, before and after. For those who just passed away, there seems to be some particular rules about the day for prayer.

Apart from the 7th Month (known as the Hungry Ghost Festival to many), Qing Ming is another month where the Joss-shops are very busy offering praying paraphernalia of many kind. The focus now is on the people who have departed. In the past, it could be simple papers with printings of clothings. With modernization, creativity and innovations, the paper offerings have evolved. There are almost real paper models of shirts, blouse, samfoo, and shoes of all kinds. This year, I spotted bras or could they be bikinis? For the more technically inclined, there are handphones, computers and these days, notebooks. I-phone lookalikes could be on its way. With I-Phone applications, well, maybe, there could be less burning. (^^)

For those who have enjoyed life, there are cans of beer and stout and now, cognac and wine.

In Chinatown, there are two shops which probably have been doing such a business for a long time. One is at Banda St and the other at Smith Street. They are also favourite haunts of tourists, led by the tour guides to show them about life after life for Singapore Chinese.

The Kitchen God has returned and the Tee-Kueh already hardened

The favourite story with the sending off of the Kitchen God on the 24th day of the 12th Lunar Month was the offering of the Tee-Kueh 甜糕 (Hokkien) or Nian Gao 年糕 (Mandarin) to sweeten his mouth or got his mouth stuck with the sticky Nian Gao that he would not say much. The kitchen used to be the place of gossips, quarrels and scoldings (if you can imagine the communal kitchens in the old houses in Chinatown).

In the good old days, when the Nian Gao is made through natural process, after a week, it is as hard as a rock. In tropical Singapore, sometimes, it got mouldy. But it did not matter as you might see Grandma washing the hardened Nian Gao and putting it in the sun. It should not be put to waste.

And so, it was time to use a chopper to slice the Nian Gao into thin square slabs. I loved to just chew on those slabs of Nian Gao. Sometimes, it is still a little moist on the inside.

Grandma would make a dough from some flour, water and perhaps, an egg or two. Whipped them into a sticky mixture, somewhat more dilute as your would see the stalls selling the Pisang Goreng (banana fritters), Grandma then would dip the sliced Nian Gao into the dough mix, making sure that it is covered and then into the kuali (wok) of boiling oil. Ah, the aroma .. but one must be careful not to eat it after it has been taken out of the kuali, hot and nice. That is sure to get scalded lips and probably stucked teeth.

Once it cools down a little, with Chinese Tea or even Kopi-O (black coffee), the fried Nian Gao fritters make good tea. For hungry kids like us .. this was heaven-sent! Ah, we had them because of the Kitchen God!