Singapore Makan: What Are We Eating Today?
Rosxalynd Liu reflects on some of the similarities and differences in cooking habits between her family and other Singaporean families, as she looks through the contributions of a newly launched NLB contemporary collecting project.
When I was preparing my last blog post, Hakka Ban for Tea, for the National Library’s blog “Our Stories,” information on what the Hakka community in Singapore had eaten over the years, whether at home or outside, was hard to come by. Much of what I had managed to piece together were from either short sections in resources detailing the Hakkas’ migration towards the south of China, or brief blurbs in cooking blogs. This got me thinking about how helpful it would have been to have a comprehensive visual record of this part of Singapore’s culture — from the colonial times to the Second World War right through to the present.
That’s why I was excited when I was asked to be a part of a new National Library project called Contemporary Collecting. This project aims to acquire and preserve materials that represent not only our distant past, but also our recent history. We want to collect stories that will paint a “vivid snapshot” of life in Singapore during the 21st century. We hope that individuals will record and contribute stories of their daily activities as these capture their thoughts and lifestyles. It is also what creates and nurtures our sense of identity and belonging.
The Contemporary Collecting team is focusing on two main themes for the current initiative — Singapore Makan and Young Singapore. Since each theme warrants its own dedicated airtime, I’m going to dig into Singapore Makan first, because food is something close to all our hearts, or perhaps I should say, our stomachs.
Since the initiative started in October 2023, we have been receiving some pretty mouthwatering contributions and some lovely stories. Along the way, I have also come to realise that every family has a different take on a similar dish.
Take for example, a simple homecooked dish of steamed chicken with Chinese mushrooms. Cally Law, one of our contributors, adds goji berries, red dates, ginger and spring onions to the dish for a wholesome and tasty dinner.
This dish is also on rotation in my family but, as some of my family members do not like spring onions, we leave it out in our version. Instead, we add diced garlic and some sliced Chinese sausage for an extra dash of umami. One thing remains the same though — that stainless steel steaming plate. Its raised edge is perfect for retaining that nutritious chicken consommé that results from the steaming process.
The next dish is a childhood favourite — scallop porridge. Stemming from a mother’s desire to provide healthy homecooked meals for the family several times each week, contributor MY Lee packs her scallop porridge full of nutrients. Scallops may be the star of the show, but its supporting actors — pork slices, carrots and coriander leaves — complement the dish well, making for a quick yet comforting meal that’s easy on both the eyes and stomach. In fact, her son reportedly loves the colourful porridge so much that he asks for it every weekend!
Meanwhile, contributor R. Liu’s family’s version of scallop porridge includes ingredients such as fish slices, various preserved vegetables, anchovies, dried shrimps and peanuts. R. Liu remembers fondly how his or her mother would fry up a batch of chopped preserved Tianjin vegetables to go with the porridge, so the family could flavour their individual portions to taste.
I have also been steadily eating and drinking my way through everybody’s contributions on their favourite places to eat.
For instance, I work in the Bras Basah area, but had not known about Narrative Coffee Stand, a coffee joint in Bras Basah Complex, until recently, when I came across this contribution by S Tay. She shared that it is one of her go-to places for a good latte in town, and almost always, she gets a cup whenever she goes to her office.
Like S Tay, I am no coffee connoisseur, but I felt compelled to check it out given the glowing recommendation. Lo and behold, as I was in its vicinity one afternoon on the way back from lunch, the familiar smoky, aromatic scent of the chocolate-coloured brew wafted beyond Narrative’s closed glass doors and up through my nose, providing me a much-needed hit of pseudo-caffeine to stave off the post-lunch food coma. Before I knew it, I was stepping out the door with a takeaway coffee in one hand and a slice of banana walnut bread in the other. Who knew such an unassuming coffee shop could spark such positive vibes on a lazy Friday afternoon?
All these images are making me hungry again, and that banana walnut bread is just waiting to be eaten. I think I shall drop by the cafe just for that banana walnut bread now. Meanwhile, keep those pictures coming, the team is having a whale of time digesting them (and checking out new places for lunch). If you have yet to get on the bandwagon, you can do so here.
P.S. We are looking for volunteer documenters to join us in using visuals to tell our stories about food. Email contemporary_collecting@nlb.gov.sg for more information.
Rosxalynd Liu is a librarian with the National Library, Singapore. As a member of the Contemporary Collecting team, she is relishing all your recommendations and going on her food adventures around Singapore based on your recommendations in her free time.
