"Have you eaten?" This is most likely the first greeting you will receive upon meeting someone in Singapore. It is a tiny country with a voracious appetite. On average, a Singaporean will consume five or six meals a day. Eating is a way of life and a national pastime (with shopping a close second). "So what is Singaporean Cuisine?" you might ask. I'll give you the short answer: Food you eat in Singapore.
This diamond shaped island with 5 million food-loving people lies on the southern tip of Malaysia. Modern Singapore was founded by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819, essentially as a trading post for the East India Company. It became a British sovereignty in 1824, was occupied by the Japanese during WWII, returned to British hands in 1945, gained Independence in 1963 to form Malaysia and finally became a Republic City-State and Island Country in 1965. Today Singapore is one of the freest, most competitive and innovative economies in the world.
The second question you are most likely to face when visiting Singapore is "where are you from?". The city is home to 7000 multinational corporations, with 44% of the (highly skilled) workforce non-Singaporean. They cleverly attract foreign investment through low tax-rates, and has established itself as the 4th biggest global financial center. The World Bank named Singapore the easiest place in the world to do business. In years gone by, international businessmen would check into the now iconic Raffles Hotel (est. 1887). There used to be a saying: "If you visit Raffles, you may as well see Singapore". After an exhilarating day of wheeling and dealing in tropical climes, they would saunter into The Long Bar, rub shoulders with the likes of Kipling, Chaplin, Hemingway and Hitchcock, and order a refreshing Singapore Sling.
And that is exactly what we did last night (well, sort of... sans Long Bar, businessmen in light linen suits and celebrities). The Singapore Sling was invented in 1915 by the Long Bar bartender at the time, Tong Boon.
Quick recipe:
2 measures gin / one measure cherry brandy / half a measure Benedictine / fresh pineapple and lime juice / a dash of bitters. It needs to be shaken vigorously with lots of ice to create a frothy foam ( the pineapple juice...specifically tropical sarawak pineapples will achieve this). Strain, and pour into a highball glass. Important: serve straight up (i.e. no ice). Voila.
Nine of us explored the culinary diversity of Singapore at Little Singapore on Charlotte Street in the city last night. One could hear the festive Friday night chatter from across the street. The place was packed, noise levels high with waitresses buzzing up and down the two narrow aisles of this very popular dining spot amongst Asian expats. Singaporean cuisine showcases a diversity and variety of food and flavours shaped by the different ethnic components of its population: Chinese noodles, Malaysian laksas and Indian curries. The cuisine is defined by what it has borrowed from the many cultural influences, hybridising it into something unique. They manage to create big flavours from humble ingredients. Plain rice obtains a vibrancy once cooked in shrimp stock, and tofu from a plastic container turns into exotic bean curd. With an ethnic maelstrom of people, there appears to be no quibbling over cultural lines. They will eat everything.
We had two very special co-diners joining us last night for the first time. My mum and my sister from South-Africa. Their debilitating jet-lag was quickly taken care of by a couple of Singapore Sling cocktails, accompanied by springrolls, curry puffs and lobak (similar to a pork sausage roll), at the same time priming them for their enthusiastic contribution to the fact-sharing to follow. Then there were all the usual suspects: All the Browns, Phil and Martina, and Hendo made another welcome guest appearance. I ordered a delicious Pork Laksa (thin but with powerful flavour), Martina had the vegetarian version, my mum had Satay Chicken, Doeks enjoyed her traditional Hainanese Chicken with buttered rice and pickles, Hendo tried the Singaporean fried rice, Phil chose the Hokien Noodles, Boet opted for the Dried Fried Beef Ho Fun, sadly Nielen really did not enjoy his Chicken Kapitan (peanut flavoured deep fried chicken pieces with rice), and Keith had no idea what he ate, as he did not receive what he ordered....but it was good!
While subliminally dissecting the taste-combinations in front of us, the obligatory fact sharing dominated conversation. Boetie started with the national animal. Singapore ( Singapura) means Lion City, named after the "lion" that The Prince of Palembang saw and named the Island after. However, his feline knowledge appears to have been quite unreliable, as what he saw was most likely a tiger. Hendo expanded on the importance of Singapore as trading hub during the Spice Route era and Nielen informed us that the national anthem is written in micro-text on the $1000 bank note. Phil pointed out that the trees next to the motorway that connects the airport to the city are all planted in their pots, so they could easily be removed should they require an emergency runway. And Martina explained that the Raffles Hotel used to be a waterfront hotel, but because of the city's ever expanding footprint due to landfill, Beach Rd is now a block away from the ocean! My mum brought her facts closer to home: the Singaporean word for "banana" is piesang, the same word we use in Afrikaans (as are many other words borrowed from the Malays who settled in South Africa). Doeks' fact can be linked to the high productivity of the nation: Singaporeans are the fastest walkers on the planet, with an average walking speed of 6.15km /h....that's the flight speed of a bumble bee. They are indeed busy little bees! About 46,000 of them now add value to Australia's economy.
The third question you are most likely to be asked when in Singapore, is "where are you going?"....
.....week 50 will take us to Eastern Europe. Please join us in Hungary. Hopefully we will be asked: "How are you?"
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