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Monday, 24 September 2012
Mid autumn lanterns at night
Sunday, 23 September 2012
A Splitting Headache: The perils of group food excursions
I just received a stressed email from a friend back in the UK. She's a hard-working school teacher, on a modest salary, with a family to support. She'd joined some professional friends for supper, taken care to eat and drink what was within her budget (about £12) then found at the end that the group (of higher earners) decided to 'split the bill'. She thus paid £20 - blowing her budget and subsidising somebody else's dinner!
'Splitting the bill' is customary in the UK among the middle and upper classes. And in my opinion it is one of the most ludicrous and inconsiderate customs! I know when I was earning a larger salary, I considered it a 'gracious' thing to do; and I also considered those who wanted to quibble about what they had actually consumed rather dull, uncool and 'un-gracious'. THIS IS BECAUSE I HAD NEVER IN MY LIFE KNOWN WHAT IS WAS LIKE TO HAVE TO BUDGET!
Several years later, running my own startup business, I began to realise what 'not having a freeflow of cash' meant. I found myself suddenly having to avoid certain groups socially, because I could simply not afford what might turn out to be a very expensive night (or not, depending on what others ordered). On many occasions I had tried desperately to state at the outset that I would have to just pay for myself - but inevitably this was strongly looked down upon as churlish, and in the end the powerful consensus of 'splitting it' meant I had to cough up for others' food and alcohol. (I hardly drink btw - another daft and unfair aspect to this 'split it' culture.) To blow an extra £10 seems like peanuts if you are a professional earner; but to others, it can mean you aren't able to cook and eat food for the next three days!
Previously I had simply not been able to understand at all that a lot of people DO have to meet very real financial constraints. It's a simple question of managing cash; carefully, out of necessity. And so it is mortifying when a gushing, 'gracious' group of high earners thoughtlessly prevent you from managing your own cashflow! Thoughtless high earners - please note what I have written and be more considerate!!
So, that was the UK scenario. In Singapore, it is better. I don't know if this is because of the group I hang with, but having talked to several locals and also Japanese here, it seems that particularly in Chinese culture, the individual billing thing is much more expected / accepted. In fact most restaurants are more than happy to individually bill, even for large groups of people. Some outlets even provide each diner with a paper tally of what they've eaten as it is served. On occasion a very high earner will offer to pay for the whole group. But I have not yet encountered the ridiculous 'splitting it' thing with my local friends. What a relief - and much more fair!
The other upside is of course, that if you eat local food (ie not in a posh aircon restaurant) the cost comes out at about SG$3-6 anyway (£1.50-3)! Singapore is a good place for nosh if you're on a budget.
'Splitting the bill' is customary in the UK among the middle and upper classes. And in my opinion it is one of the most ludicrous and inconsiderate customs! I know when I was earning a larger salary, I considered it a 'gracious' thing to do; and I also considered those who wanted to quibble about what they had actually consumed rather dull, uncool and 'un-gracious'. THIS IS BECAUSE I HAD NEVER IN MY LIFE KNOWN WHAT IS WAS LIKE TO HAVE TO BUDGET!
Several years later, running my own startup business, I began to realise what 'not having a freeflow of cash' meant. I found myself suddenly having to avoid certain groups socially, because I could simply not afford what might turn out to be a very expensive night (or not, depending on what others ordered). On many occasions I had tried desperately to state at the outset that I would have to just pay for myself - but inevitably this was strongly looked down upon as churlish, and in the end the powerful consensus of 'splitting it' meant I had to cough up for others' food and alcohol. (I hardly drink btw - another daft and unfair aspect to this 'split it' culture.) To blow an extra £10 seems like peanuts if you are a professional earner; but to others, it can mean you aren't able to cook and eat food for the next three days!
Previously I had simply not been able to understand at all that a lot of people DO have to meet very real financial constraints. It's a simple question of managing cash; carefully, out of necessity. And so it is mortifying when a gushing, 'gracious' group of high earners thoughtlessly prevent you from managing your own cashflow! Thoughtless high earners - please note what I have written and be more considerate!!
So, that was the UK scenario. In Singapore, it is better. I don't know if this is because of the group I hang with, but having talked to several locals and also Japanese here, it seems that particularly in Chinese culture, the individual billing thing is much more expected / accepted. In fact most restaurants are more than happy to individually bill, even for large groups of people. Some outlets even provide each diner with a paper tally of what they've eaten as it is served. On occasion a very high earner will offer to pay for the whole group. But I have not yet encountered the ridiculous 'splitting it' thing with my local friends. What a relief - and much more fair!
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| Paper tallies from a Japanese restaurant (crucially) in Singapore. In Japan I hear paying can be more like the Western model. The buta shogayaki was v gd btw! |
The other upside is of course, that if you eat local food (ie not in a posh aircon restaurant) the cost comes out at about SG$3-6 anyway (£1.50-3)! Singapore is a good place for nosh if you're on a budget.
Sunday, 16 September 2012
The Mid Autumn Festival
Yep, another month-long festival kicks off .. and I am not sure if the Hungry Ghosts have even gone home yet! In fact the Mid-Autumn festival proper falls on 3 October, but there will be a jamboree of things happening across Singapore from 11 September - 10 October (apparently).
This festival, aka the Moon Festival of Mooncake Festival is traditionally held around the time of the Autumnal equinox. It is a harvest festival with strong folkloric tales associated to it. For this festival, towns and houses will be festooned with lanterns, and people eat mooncakes (usually a kind of pie with lotus or red bean filling). I remember celebrating this festival at an office in Kuala Lumpur many years ago; we ate food then lit colourful animal lanterns, which had to be burned / destroyed before we went home.
The legends surrounding the Moon Festival are quite complex, and seem to differ quite a bit. But the sum total of it is that on that night, an immortal (Houyi) living in a palace in the sun visits his wife (Chang'e) who lives in the moon. This is legend's explanation of why the moon is so bright for the Autumnal Equinox. The male sun and female moon also represent 'yin & yang'. For this reason, in olden times, this day also involved a romantic side where young people hoped to find their future husbands and wives.
This year in Singapore I noticed an impressive Mid-Autumn Festival display at Clarke Quay - over the bridge and along the river. Bright and colourful as they are, these 'statues' are actually lanterns too, and so I hope to go at night and see them in their full blinginess!
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This festival, aka the Moon Festival of Mooncake Festival is traditionally held around the time of the Autumnal equinox. It is a harvest festival with strong folkloric tales associated to it. For this festival, towns and houses will be festooned with lanterns, and people eat mooncakes (usually a kind of pie with lotus or red bean filling). I remember celebrating this festival at an office in Kuala Lumpur many years ago; we ate food then lit colourful animal lanterns, which had to be burned / destroyed before we went home.
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| Mooncakes |
The legends surrounding the Moon Festival are quite complex, and seem to differ quite a bit. But the sum total of it is that on that night, an immortal (Houyi) living in a palace in the sun visits his wife (Chang'e) who lives in the moon. This is legend's explanation of why the moon is so bright for the Autumnal Equinox. The male sun and female moon also represent 'yin & yang'. For this reason, in olden times, this day also involved a romantic side where young people hoped to find their future husbands and wives.
This year in Singapore I noticed an impressive Mid-Autumn Festival display at Clarke Quay - over the bridge and along the river. Bright and colourful as they are, these 'statues' are actually lanterns too, and so I hope to go at night and see them in their full blinginess!
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Monday, 10 September 2012
Nosh of the Day: Hougang farewell - with porridge
Just before I moved house, my kind 'baggage handler' and I tried out a famous porridge shop called alishan near to Kovan MRT. There are a couple of porridge shops there, and I had often wandered past, thinking how yummy all the side dishes looked, but never quite sure how to order. Plus the surly-looking female at another establishment had put me off trying there for good. It was a point of note in the Hougang area that locals seemed often to dislike foreigners; and the thought of negotiating with hostile stall-owners in my broken Mandarin had me heading straight for KFC.
But my friend is Chinese (good for ordering!) And in fact alishan's shop offered a special (apparently Taiwanese style) porridge with sweet potato in it. All the better to try here!
Turns out you order your basic hot rice porridge, then take your pick of the yummy side dishes. If you're on a budget avoid fish (I discovered!) and opt for chicken or pork. But there is a delicious selection to pick from.
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We had (on my friend's rec) some tiny dried, salted fish (which don't fall into the 'luxury' bracket); some sweetish pork; some vinegar-ish cabbage; and some green beans in spicy sauce. You dip these items into your porridge. In fact the porridge is yummy alone, but even better with these extras.
It was a very tasty farewell to Hougang, and good enough to tempt me back for a supper!
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But my friend is Chinese (good for ordering!) And in fact alishan's shop offered a special (apparently Taiwanese style) porridge with sweet potato in it. All the better to try here!
Turns out you order your basic hot rice porridge, then take your pick of the yummy side dishes. If you're on a budget avoid fish (I discovered!) and opt for chicken or pork. But there is a delicious selection to pick from.
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We had (on my friend's rec) some tiny dried, salted fish (which don't fall into the 'luxury' bracket); some sweetish pork; some vinegar-ish cabbage; and some green beans in spicy sauce. You dip these items into your porridge. In fact the porridge is yummy alone, but even better with these extras.
It was a very tasty farewell to Hougang, and good enough to tempt me back for a supper!
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Sunday, 9 September 2012
Musical Blooms at the Esplanade
Today I went to free concert by Singapore's Keat Hong Chinese Orchestra. And thoroughy enjoyed it! I am not a classical music fan btw, but this was after all, a Chinese Orchestra.
The concert took place at the comfortable Esplanade theatres complex. We waited in our seats, looking at a stage of chairs, cellos and double basses, as you would expect. But when the musicians came on stage, they were all carrying Chinese instruments. Instead of violins/violas there were a bank of huqin, instead of 'woodwind' an array of Chinese flutes and oboey things; also pipa (lutes) and various Eastern percussion instruments.
They played a selection of music relating to flowers. There were classical and more modern Chinese pieces, but also an interesting, slightly twangy-sounding version of Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers. It was lots of fun!
They are actually an amateur orchestra, supported by one of Singapore's Community Clubs. Of course I am from the UK and have never seen a full Chinese orchestra like this before - perhaps they are common? But it seemed kinda cool to me that people are keeping these styles alive, and also mixing them with others. Worth a watch/listen if you can catch them. I've copied their website below which looks like it needs updating, but might still be interesting.
http://www.khco.org/ourpeople.php
Images courtesy of KHCO.
The concert took place at the comfortable Esplanade theatres complex. We waited in our seats, looking at a stage of chairs, cellos and double basses, as you would expect. But when the musicians came on stage, they were all carrying Chinese instruments. Instead of violins/violas there were a bank of huqin, instead of 'woodwind' an array of Chinese flutes and oboey things; also pipa (lutes) and various Eastern percussion instruments.
They played a selection of music relating to flowers. There were classical and more modern Chinese pieces, but also an interesting, slightly twangy-sounding version of Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers. It was lots of fun!
They are actually an amateur orchestra, supported by one of Singapore's Community Clubs. Of course I am from the UK and have never seen a full Chinese orchestra like this before - perhaps they are common? But it seemed kinda cool to me that people are keeping these styles alive, and also mixing them with others. Worth a watch/listen if you can catch them. I've copied their website below which looks like it needs updating, but might still be interesting.
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| Chinese instruments including the huqin (I think) strings section, left |
http://www.khco.org/ourpeople.php
Images courtesy of KHCO.
Apologies!
Oh my giddy aunt, you poor, lovely blog-readers, I have neglected you!
In fact I have been stupidly busy (with work and work-related stuff, + moving house.) So I have neither had time to write a new post, nor actually DO anything very interesting to write about.
Hopefully things will change a bit now though.. so let's start posting.... ;)
In fact I have been stupidly busy (with work and work-related stuff, + moving house.) So I have neither had time to write a new post, nor actually DO anything very interesting to write about.
Hopefully things will change a bit now though.. so let's start posting.... ;)
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