China Town in Singapore

http://www.chinatownology.com/chinatown_singapore.html

In 1819, Stamford Raffles (later Sir Stamford) of the British East India Company established a trading settlement in Singapore. Before leaving for Java, he appointed William Farquhar to be the first British Resident and Commandant of Singapore from 1819 to 1823.

When Raffles returned in 1822, he had plans for an orderly city segregated by ethnicity. This vision unfolded in the Jackson Plan of 1822 where four ethnic areas were designated for the different ethnic groups.

The plan was also shaped along economic lines as wealthy Asians were free to choose their residential areas; within their ethnic area or in the European Town.

The ethnic Chinese were allocated the area southwest of the Singapore River and Chinatown was born. The physical landscape was shaped from 1843 when authorities leased land for development. A product of this development is the introduction of "five foot ways"; a covered walkway with a depth of five feet to shelter pedestrians from rain or sun.



Within Chinatown, each dialect group occupied distinct areas and built social institutions such as clan associations to serve the collective needs of each dialect group.

The very early Chinatown stretched inwards from Telok Ayer Basin. Telok Ayer Street was originally located very close to the sea and the Hokkeins community built the Thian Hock Keng Temple （天福宫） in 1840 for migrants to give thanks to the Sea Goddess, Mazu （妈祖）for a safe journey from China to Singapore.


As the Hokkien population grew and the Hokkien clan association known as the Hokkien Huay Kuan was formed to address the needs of the migrant population.

The Hakkas built their Ying Fo Fui Kun, 应和会馆, Clan Association further down the road while the Teochews built the Wak Hai Cheng Bio at the Philip Street. The Cantonese congregate around Smith Street, Temple street and Mosque street area. Chinese communities also developed outside of this official Chinatown. For example, Hakkas lived around Bugis area.

Generally speaking, Chinatown covers Kreta Ayer, Telok Ayer, Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Pasoh. Today, most of the original structures had disappeared and high rise buildings were built in their place.

The present Chinatown that is featured in tourist brochures and marketed as Chinatown is in fact the Cantonese section of a larger Singapore Chinatown. It is the Official Chinatown in Singapore.

Official Chinatown of Singapore
This Official Singapore Chinatown is known to the locals as Niu Che Shui (牛车水) literally translated as “Ox-cart water”. Niu Che Shui is pronounced in different ways by each dialect group and so there are many ways of referring to Singapore Chinatown.


How many ways can Singapore Chinatown be referred to?

This Chinatown continued to develop as Singapore prospered. From as early as the 1950s, people began setting up stalls offering a range of goods and gradually developed into a night market. This nigh market with the noise, crowds, range of goods and food stalls began attracting tourists as well and was featured in many postcards in the 1960s to 1980s.

This night market ended on 30 September 1983 when the stalls were relocated into a high rise complex. To many Singaporeans and even tourists, this moved killed the spirit of Chinatown. Ironically, in 2001, Smith Street was converted into a food street and in 2003 stalls offering souvenirs were reintroduced. Perhaps, the authorities should have developed the night market by improving its facilities rather than to adopt a “slash and burn” attitude only to have it reintroduced 20 years later.

Although archways are common in other Chinatowns, Singapore Chinatown did not have an archway till one was built by the Singapore Tourism Board possibly to enhance the “Chinatowness” of Singapore Chinatown.

Some tourists felt Singapore Chinatown was too sanitized, too touristy and too kitsch, lacking a sense of “Chinatowness” while locals felt it is catered for tourists and not locals.

Uniquely Singapore
Singapore Chinatown does have its unique features. Being a multi-racial and multi-cultural society since its founding, Singapore Chinatown is not the exclusive sphere of the ethnic Chinese. From its very early days, Indians and Muslims had lived alongside the Chinese. Indian Temples, Mosques, and churches can be found alongside Chinese Temples and Monasteries.

During major Chinese festivals, the mosque and Indian Temples put out large greeting banners to send their best wishes for the festival. On the other hand, festivals in mosque and Indian temples are attended by the Chinese. These individual initiatives reflect the spirit of a multi racial and multi cultural society.

In 2009, the local Chinatown association introduced Hungry Ghost Festival tour that was very well received by tourists, locals and expatriates. Hopefully more of such activities will be presented in the future.

Meanwhile, Geylang in Singapore has emerged as a new Chinatown with a totally different character.

Now Singapore has 2 Chinatowns; an “Official Chinatown” and a “People’s Chinatown” in Geylang.

Flavours Of India & Background of Indian Food

Flavours of India
India is a vast country with a rich heritage as reflected in its various people, cultures and cuisine. We, at Little India, have chosen to present some of the more sophisticated and internationally renowned dishes. Our dishes with its Tandoori chicken, tikka masala, currys and other delicacies are complemented with Naan breads and Basmati rice.

Spices of life
5000 years ago, the Himalayan sages conceived the use of spices and herbs as a natural means to balance the metabolism of the body. This knowledge became the corner stone of the Ayurvedic 'Science of Medicine'. It is the variety and combination of these spices that nourishes both body and soul - an experience to cherish.

Tandoor - A Timeless tradition
Villages in India have traditionally used mud stoves (Chulhas) and clay ovens to cook their food. One such oven is the Tandoor which is shaped like a barrel and fired by charcoal. The food, prepared first in a special marinade, is spiked on long metal rods and then cooked in the Tandoor.

Acceptance of Indian food in Europe
When immigrants from the indian subcontinent came to Europe. They took both their food and culture with them. Ultimately this food has become so popular and created innovations such as the Chicken tikka masala. Further, some european countries has accepted many indian dishes as their national dishes.

History of India- Background on Indian Food
India's first major civilization flourished for a thousand years from around 2500 BC along the Indus River valley. Its great cities were Mohenjodaro and Harappa (now in Pakistan) where an advanced urban civilization flourished. Shiva a great symbol of Hinduism is thought to have been from this culture.

In 1500 and 2000 B.C Aryan invaders from central Asia invaded and secured control of northern India and pushed the original Dravidian inhabitants south. The Aryan rule was interrupted shortly in 325 BC when Alexander the Great attacked the Indus River region and captured large areas of North India and ruled till his death in 323 BC. The Aryan rule continued and its Gupta Empire was the most glorious with its peace and prosperity and is considered as "THE GOLDEN AGE" in Indian history.

In 1192 Muslim power arrived in India on a permanent basis and within 20 years the whole of the Ganges (North India) basin was under Muslim control. The Mughal emperors are the giants of Indian history and of Muslim rule in India. The built the Taj Mahal, combined Hindi and Arabic languages to give rise to a new language Urdu, and generally ushered another golden age of building, arts and literature

British power in India was initially exercised by the East India Company, which established a trading post at Surat in Gujarat 9 Western India) in 1612. The British were not the first or the only European power with a presence in India in the 17th century but they soon established their dominance over India which lasted about 200 years. Opposition to British rule began in earnest at the turn of the 20th century.

Gandhi, an attorney, returned from South Africa to his motherland to question British rule and insisting on India’s freedom while adopting a policy of passive resistance, or satyagraha. At the same time WWII dealt a deathblow to colonialism and Indian independence became inevitable.
Within India, however, the large Muslim minority resented the impending majority Hindu rule and tensions began to mount between the two. Faced with a political stand-off and rising tension, the viceroy, Lord Louis Mountbatten, reluctantly decided to divide the country and set a rapid timetable for independence. When the dividing line was announced, the greatest exodus in human history took place as Muslims moved to Pakistan and Hindus and Sikhs relocated to India. The effects of that move are still felt in India and Pakistan today and the resentment that it caused still divides the two countries.

Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru became the first Prime minister of independent India. India became a Republic on 26th January, 1950 and Dr. Rajinder Prashad was nominated as the first President of the Indian republic.

Herbs and Spices in India
A lot of care and thought goes into the preparation of every Indian dish. A study into their recipes reveals a lot of surprises. Every single ingredient of the dish is there with a purpose and compliments each other. In fact, the succession of dishes also keeps in mind the flavor and 'nature' of the spices, whether hot or cool.

¤ The Use of Spices and Herbs

Spices and herbs used in Indian cooking are either fresh or dried – in which case the flavor changes for each form. However, that is not all: the dried spices and herbs are used in various ways. They can be used whole or grounded (more often than not still pounded at home!) and they may be roasted, fried, deep-fried, half-done, well-done … all according to the taste that the cook wants to give to the eventual dish.

Some of the commonly used ingredients in Indian food are as follows:

Chilli The spicy curries of Indian cuisine are flavored by hot fiery red and green chillies. The red chillies are usually dried, ground and then sprinkled into dishes as they are being prepared. The green chillies may accompany the food, as part of the salad, or can be dunked whole into curries, so as to flavor them without making them too spicy. Except when you mistakenly put them in your mouth, of course!

Coconut
The coconut is popularly used in the south Indian and Goan cuisine. Freshly grated coconut, coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut oil, the clear liquid inside it – almost all parts of it are used to give an interesting and unmistakable flavor in various dishes. You can't be indifferent to coconut, either you like it or lump it.

Garlic
The distinctive pungent flavor of garlic flavors most of the Mughlai food. This is a 'hot' ingredient and is generally cooled down by other spices.

Ginger
The flavor of ginger might be delicate but it manages to stand out in a crowd of other ingredients in any dish. It is used widely in both vegetarian and meat-based dishes. Ginger tea is drunk all over India to cure sore throats.

Basil, coriander (cilantro), mint and parsley
These herbs are usually used fresh, in leaf form, in Indian cooking. They are usually used as cool-downs to balance other 'hot' ingredients in a dish. Dried versions of these herbs – both grounded and whole – are also used to give food completely different flavors.

Fenugreek
Called methi, these seeds are square, flat and yellow in color. They are used sparingly and are never allowed to burn as they have a slightly bitter taste.
Saunf
Another common spice, saunf, looks and tastes like anise seed, but is slightly plumper. Apart from as part of a meal, they are also roasted and eaten after meals (usually with sugar) as a mouth freshener and digestive.

Garam Masala
Hundreds of spice mixtures are used daily in kitchens all over India to give surprisingly different flavors to food. The garam masala is one of the commonest. It gives a strong distinctive aroma and taste to the food. It combines cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom seeds, dried bay leaves, cinnamon stick and dried red chilli. There’s no fixed `recipe’ as such, which will tell you exactly how much of each you have to use; every house has its own mix. All the ingredients mentioned are, by the way, commonly used in Indian cooking.

Mustard Seeds
These little reddish-brown seeds are used more often in the southern and eastern Indian cooking. They give a nice perky flavor to even the blandest of things. They are usually popped in oil before use; except of course when they are used to flavor pickles, which they often are.

Tamarind
is used to give its characteristic sour flavor in many ways in Indian cooking. As a sauce, it makes a chocolate-colored sweet-sour mixture which is poured over chaat (Indian snack), yogurt and so on to make quick nutritious snacks. On its own it is used to flavor sambars and rasams, to give lentil that sharp taste so associated with the food down south.

Saffron
Kesar, zafraan… saffron is known by many pretty names in India. And whatever the moniker, it is always expensive. Undeterred Indians use saffron very commonly in cooking – what helps of course is that even a pinch of the spice goes a long way in flavoring and coloring dishes. The use of saffron became popular in India with the coming of the Persian cooking, so it laces most Mughlai food like those dreamy pilaus, raans and kormas. These dishes are quite spicy and hot and saffron, known for its cooling properties, was probably added for balance. Saffron is also used commonly in north Indian sweets, like kheer (thickened milk with dried fruits, to which rice, semolina and so on are added).

Rose water and extractThe rose, by any name, is very popular in Indian desserts. Rose extract is called gulkand and is very strongly recommended as a 'cooling' food in India. Laddoos (sweet balls) and paan (betel leaf; also see Delhi, Food & Drink) often contain gulkand. Few drops of the aromatic rose water are often used to flavor delicate sweets like rasgullas (light cottage cheese dumplings floating in syrup) and so on.

Source(s):
(www.indiansite.com/cuisine/herbs)

The Silk Routes

The Silk Routes (collectively known as the 'Silk Road') were important paths for cultural, commercial and technological exchange between traders, merchants, pilgrims, missionaries, soldiers, nomads and urban dwellers from Ancient China, Ancient India, Persia and Mediterranean countries for almost 3,000 years.

Extending 4,000 miles, the routes enabled people to transport goods, especially luxuries such as slaves, silk, satin and other fine fabrics, musk, other perfumes, spices, medicines, jewels, glassware and even rhubarb, as well as serving as a conduit for the spread of knowledge, ideas, cultures and diseases between different parts of the world (Ancient China, Ancient India, Asia Minor and the Mediterranean). Trade on the Silk Road was a significant factor in the development of the great civilizations of China, India, Egypt, Persia, Arabia and Rome, and in several respects helped lay the foundations for the modern world.

Although the term the Silk Road implies a continuous journey, very few who traveled the route traversed it from end to end. For the most part, goods were transported by a series of agents on varying routes and were traded in the bustling mercantile markets of the oasis towns.

The ruins of a Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) Chinese watchtower made of rammed earth at Dunhuang, Gansu province
The central Asian sections of the trade routes were expanded around 114 BCE by the Han dynasty, largely through the missions and explorations of Zhang Qian, but earlier trade routes across the continents already existed.[citation needed] In the late Middle Ages, transcontinental trade over the land routes of the Silk Road declined as sea trade increased.

Though silk was certainly the major trade item from China, many other products were traded, and various technologies, religions and philosophies as well as the bubonic plague (the so-called 'Black Death') also traveled along the Silk Routes.

Overland silk routes

The Silk Road in the 1st century.
As it extends westwards from the ancient commercial centers of China, the overland, intercontinental Silk Road divides into the northern and southern routes bypassing the Taklamakan Desert and Lop Nur.

The northern route started at Chang'an (now called Xi'an), the capital of the ancient Chinese Kingdom, which, in the Later Han, was moved further east to Luoyang. The route was defined about the 1st Century BCE as Han Wudi put an end to harassment by nomadic tribes.

The route travels northwest through the Chinese province of Gansu from Shaanxi Province, and splits into three further routes, two of them following the mountain ranges to the north and south of the Taklamakan Desert to rejoin at Kashgar; and the other going north of the Tian Shan mountains through Turpan, Talgar and Almaty (in what is now southeast Kazakhstan). The routes split west of Kashgar with one branch heading down the Alai Valley towards Termez and Balkh, while the other traveled through Kokand in the Fergana Valley, and then west across the Karakum Desert towards Merv, joining the southern route briefly.

One of the branch routes turned northwest to the north of the Aral and Caspian seas then and on to the Black Sea. Yet another route started at Xi'an, passed through the Western corridor beyond the Yellow Rivers, Xinjiang, Fergana (in present-day eastern Uzbekistan), Persia and Iraq before joining the western boundary of the Roman Empire. A route for caravans, the northern Silk Road brought to China many goods such as "dates, saffron powder and pistachio nuts from Persia; frankincense, aloes and myrrh from Somalia; sandalwood from India; glass bottles from Egypt, and other expensive and desirable goods from other parts of the world." In exchange, the caravans sent back bolts of silk brocade, lacquer ware and porcelain.

The southern route is mainly a single route running from China, through Karakoram (Pakistan). Here it is nowadays the international paved road connecting Pakistan and China as the Korakoram Highway. It then continues to Turkestan–Khorasan region, Mesopotamia, and into Anatolia, with southward spurs enabling the journey to be completed by sea from various points. It starts out southwards in China. Crossing the high mountains, then it passes through northern Pakistan, over the Hindu Kush mountains, and into Afghanistan, rejoining the northern route briefly near Merv. From there it follows a nearly straight line west through mountainous northern Iran and the northern tip of the Syrian Desert to the Levant, where Mediterranean trading ships plied regular routes to Italy, and land routes went either north through Anatolia or south to North Africa. Another branch road traveled from Herat through Susa to Charax Spasinu at the head of the Persian Gulf and across to Petra and on to Alexandria and other eastern Mediterranean ports from where ships carried the cargoes to Rome.

Maritime silk routes
As much as 1400 years ago, during China's Eastern Han Dynasty, a sea route, although not part of the formal Silk Route, led from the mouth of the Red River near modern Hanoi, through the Malacca Straits to Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka and India, and then on to the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea kingdom of Axum and eventual Roman ports. From ports on the Red Sea goods, including silks, were transported overland to the Nile and then to Alexandria from where they were shipped to Rome, Constantinople and other Mediterranean ports.

Another branch of these sea routes led down the East African coast, called "Azania" by the Greeks and Romans in the 1st century CE, as described in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (and, very probably, 澤散 Zesan in the 3rd century by the Chinese),[12] at least as far as the port known to the Romans as "Rhapta," which was probably located in the delta of the Rufiji River in modern Tanzania.

The Silk Road extends from Guangzhou, located in southern China, to present day Brunei, Myanmar (Burma) Thailand, Malacca, Ceylon, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Iran and Iraq. In Europe it extends from Israel, Lebanon (Collectively, the Levant), Egypt, and Italy (historically, Venice) in the Mediterranean Sea to other European ports or caravan routes such as the great Hanseatic League fairs via the Spanish road and other Alpine routes. This water route in some sources is called the Indian Ocean Maritime System.

( source : From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )

Raffles Hotel Singapore

Raffles Hotel

The hotel was founded by the four Armenian Sarkies Brothers (Martin, Tigran, Aviet, and Arshak Sarkies). They opened the 10-room colonial bungalow at Beach Road and Bras Basah Road owned by an Arab trader and philantrophist Syed Mohamed Alsagoff on 1 December 1887.

Alsagoff developed the site of his late father's estate until it became the most modern building in Singapore at the time. Sarkies was a tenant on favourable short-term lease. The original location was by the seaside, although continued reclamation means that the site is presently some 500 metres away from the shore.No Asians were permitted as hotel guests until the 1930s.

Designed by architect Regent Alfred John Bidwell of Swan and Maclaren, the current main building of Raffles Hotel was completed in 1899. The hotel continued to expand over the years with the addition of wings, a verandah, a ballroom, a bar and billiards room, and further buildings and rooms.

The Great Depression spelled trouble for Raffles Hotel and, in 1931, the hotel went into receivership. In 1933, however, the financial troubles were resolved and a public company called Raffles Hotel Ltd was established.


Raffles Hotel in 1932 showing the added verandah.Upon the start of the Japanese occupation of Singapore on 15 February 1942, it is commonly said that the Japanese soldiers encountered the guests of the Raffles Hotel dancing one final waltz.[3] During World War II, the Raffles was renamed Syonan Ryokan (昭南旅館, shōnan ryokan?), incorporating Syonan ("Light of the South"), the Japanese name for occupied Singapore, and ryokan, the name for a traditional Japanese inn.[4] More than 300 Japanese troops committed suicide in the hotel using grenades following the liberation of Singapore.

The hotel survived World War II despite the hardships Singapore faced and the use of the hotel at the end of the war as a transit camp for prisoners of war. In 1987, the government declared the hotel a National Monument.

In 1989, the hotel closed for an extensive renovation, at a cost of S$160 million. The renovation was carried out by Ssangyong Engineering and Construction, a South Korean construction firm acclaimed for its overseas projects.

It re-opened on 16 September 1991, after being restored to its state during its heyday in 1915. The hotel has built an extension with a similar design, for a shopping arcade and new rooms.


Interior view of Raffles HotelIn announcing the 18 July 2005 sale of parent company Raffles Holdings, Colony Capital LLC chief executive Thomas J. Barrack said in part as the purchaser, "We deeply respect the historical significance of the Raffles Hotel Singapore and we consider it our responsibility to protect that legacy".

On 16 September 2007, the hotel celebrated its 120th anniversary with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who turned 84 on the same day.

The hotel also houses the Raffles Hotel Museum, which showcases the rich history of the hotel. The museum was created after the launch of a well orchestrated heritage search by international public relations consultant. People from all over the world returned items and memorabilia of their stay at the 'grand lady of the far East'; photographs, silver and china items, postcards and menus as well as old and rare editions of the works of the famous writers who stayed there. These items are displayed in the museum along with photographs of its famous guests and visitors.

The Kartika Wijaya is a colonial-style hotel located in Batu, East Java. The address is at Jalan Panglima Sudirman 127.
It was founded in 1891 by the Armenian Sarkies Brothers, who were also the founders of the Raffles Hotel in Singapore

(source : wikipedia )

Bread Terminology

Pita Bread is made from wheat and usually consumed in the Middle Eastern Regions such as Arab and it is also a familiar sight in Greek and North Africa. Pita bread has its own lineage, such as Kebab and the Indian Pita. The usage of Pita bread varies from wrapping to ‘scooping’ meals and sauces.

Tortilla Bread is famed as a Latin specialty. The thin, flat bread is made from cornmeal or wheat flour. Do not mistake the Mexican Tortilla with the Spanish Tortilla de Patatas, which is a round potato omelette sometimes seasoned with vegetables.•

Naan Bread is commonly used as a staple food in India, Pakistan and other South Asian Territories. The mixture is made from wheatflour, leavened with yeast and cooked in tandoor ovens, which gives the fluffy, filling bread its savoury, smoky flavor. •

Chapatti Bread is another South Asian delicacy. The light bread is made from Atta (drumwheat) flour, and usually eaten with Dal (lentil soup)•

China also has its own flat bread, called bing. Sometimes, the savory bread is eaten with Peking Duck and it has several modified versions, such as the Gian Ceng Bing and Jian Bing.

Probably one of the most popular bread items in the world, the Baguette, is a typical item to shop for every morning in Paris. The long staff of bread had become an icon in itself, and is usually present in each meal during the day. Another famous French item is the croissant. •

The Japanese have a bread of their own, called Anpan. ‘Pan’ is the Japanese word for ‘bread’ and the Anpan is bread filled with sweet bean paste. Japanese breads are usually very soft and has a fluffy texture.

Pao / Bun / China