Fasting & Feasting by Anita Desai & The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

          It took less than a day to complete this highly readable novel by Anita Desai. Initially, I thought it was a novel about the Ramadan or family food rituals and celebrations. A reader commented online how the title of this novel was inappropriate or misleading but I disagree.

            Fasting and feasting is not to be taken literally as there isn't a lot of it in the book until the second half where we get the feast part in America. Rather, fasting and feasting is symbolised in the deprivation of Uma or India's young girls brought up for the marriage system. They are deprived of desires for autonomy, careers and education while their brothers and sons are force fed all the best opportunities in life. So fasting would describe Uma's fate and feasting would describe her little brother, Arun's fate. 

The following youtube video brings out the idea of fasting and feasting very well. 

          In the second half of the novel, where Arun is in America, I begin to find the familiar extremes eating/health habits which strongly echoes Michael Pollan's view about Americans' eating culture in "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals", which is an important book on food politics in this age of industralisation of food  production. In Pollan's book, he talks about Americans' eating habits and the food fads control people's lives and reveal how people had no idea how to eat healthily.  

           Pollan talks about an America over-spilling with food; "the astounding productivity of American farmers proved to be their own worst enemy, as well as a threat to public health". The abundance and feasting is as big a problem as fasting. 

Watch the following video to get the gist of Pollan's book:

America's Food Crisis: The Omnivore's Dilemma

To discover more, watch the following:

Michael Pollan: The Omnivore's Dilemma

          A character documented in Pollan's book, Joel Salatin, a revolutionary farmer speaks the following words worth chewing over. The words, "to eat with reckless abandon" is strikingly similar to the scenes portrayed in Anita's novel, especially in the character Melanie. 

Image from Eatluv.

CLICK here for an excerpt on The Young Reader's Edition of The Ominivore's Dilemma. 

Spice Power

Curry masala (top left), vegetable curry served with Ikea flatbread (top right)

vivid colours of grapefruits and navel oranges (bottom left), juice (bottom right).

See Instagram. 

Despite the intense heat of the day, Mom & I decided to make curry. It's her typical vegetarian day where she intends to settle on simple stir-fried greens. But I thought it'll be perfect making a curry so I could toss in the Indian cottage cheese, i.e. paneer, I bought at Mustafa a few days back. 

I settled on Jamie Oliver's Curry Base Sauce recipe as a reference to make my own spice blend/masala today. 

Of all the ingredients, I ended up with the following for today's curry:

I carrot

1 cauliflower

3 potatoes

1 bowl of paneer

a bunch of organic long beans

a bowl of pasteurised milk

a bunch of chopped coriander

salt

water

______________________________

For the blend:

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

half tablespoon black pepper berries 

(I misread teaspoon as tablespoon)

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon red chili powder

1 tablespoon turmeric powder

I didn't have garam masala, so I added

3 Bay leaves

half a teaspoon of cloves

1 cardamon seed

Perhaps it was because I added 4 times the black pepper needed because of my misreading, the curry turned out really hot and we had to add sugar to it. Otherwise, it would have been the perfect curry for today. Mom enjoyed it despite the spiciness. Grandma had trouble trying to stomach it. Dad was nipping the beans off. So I guess today's kitchen experimentation went ok! Yes! *Curryskill Unlocked!* 

Later, it was suggested some cold juice might help quell the fire in our tongues and I got my paws busy squeezing juice. Although I drank none of the juice, it was nice knowing the juice was gone right after it was made. 

Souvenirs from the Singapore Gardens Festival

Other than admiring the gorgeous Orchids, landscaping designs and Bonsai during the Singapore Garden Festival this year, we bought some beautiful souvenirs home. My dear and I chose 9 embroidered birds to bring home this festival. 

New Juice Recipe!

A visit to a Tea House near my place in Sutera Utama, Skudai, Johor Bahru led to the discovery of this wonderful combination of English cucumbers and green apples! 

The rainy season of August did not stop me and my family from enjoying this refreshingly sunny juice. 

This delicious juice of the earth is a great way to brighten up a monotonous afternoon. 

Ingredients used (Serves about 4):

5 small green apples

3 English cucumbers

Ice

A Personal Reflection on Babi Pongteh

Image from Annielicious.

Although my mother was never capable of making dishes using exquisite ingredients that graced the tables of the affluent, I will always regard her as a good cook. Even though she knows nothing of preparing Shark’s fin or abalone and such, I will remember her cooking—especially her Babi Pongteh.

My mother arrived in Singapore three decades ago, from Malacca, in search of employment. She found work in manufacturing in a company producing cassette tapes and met my father. Since her marriage, she seldom returned to her hometown. But on the occasions we do visit her birthplace, we remember the eating.

Her place in Malacca was surrounded by farms producing kangkong, chillies, asparagus and all manner of popular Asian greens. She grew up eating free fresh vegetables tossed into the wok with sambal belachan and chilli padi. When my maternal Grandfather was alive, he would wander into the asparagus fields—half naked, and only dressed in a sarong—to pick the shoots for the dishes that would welcome our arrival. He was an intuitive cook who learnt to cook like most chefs in the older generation; he was one who learnt to cook by watching, rather than from recipes like we do today. It may be hard for many of us to imagine doing the following, but he made all his delicious food on charcoal and wooden stoves under a tin-roof kitchen. Among all the dishes he made, the Babi Pongteh was the one my brothers and I missed when he was gone. The person who made it afterwards just did not made it the same.

It was the dish my mother tried to replicate in the modern kitchen in Singapore. Without a doubt, it was different from the one my grandfather made. But this particular dish is what connects my family and me to the asparagus field of Malacca and the memories of my grandfather in his sarong. For those who grow up in the Singapore today, the links between our country and Malacca may not be very obvious. Yet the Babi Pongteh reminds me of this link, of the time when Singapore was part of Malaysia, when people on both sides of the shore shared blood ties and a common heritage.

Despite the heritage importance of the Babi Pongteh, it never fails to make me wonder, just like the Singapore Rojak or Laksa. I find myself imagining the moment when this dish was born. What could have been the inspiration for this fusion dish whose tau chioh (or fermented beanpaste) speaks of its Chinese-ness and the copious amount of onion paste, giving it a heady aroma points so strongly to the indigenous influences it has wonderfully soaked up? This marriage of onion and fermented bean paste created under the sultry heat of the tropics holds plenty of promise for us. It points to something in the atmosphere here, conducive for wonderfully delightful marriages between unlikely elements.

So I will bring the Babi Pongteh along with me when I move out and have a family of my own in future. It will be a precious heirloom I hold close to my heart and make for my children. It would not taste the same as my mother’s or my grandfather’s. That doesn’t matter. But it will remind my children, of where we come from, especially when my future father-in-law is a great Teochew cook and would make plenty of traditional Teochew dishes rarely seen anywhere these days.  

Remembering the Travelling Satay Man

Image from MummyICanCook.

Younger Singaporeans, especially those who grew up in the brand new housing estates of the country island, have no inkling what the Satay man is or understand the privilege of having one.

A decade or two ago, which seemed like a long time back in the fast-paced city of Singapore, the travelling Satay men visited neighbourhoods like bees buzzing from flower to flower. In our eager pursuit of progress and GDPs, we left the travelling Satay men to a nostalgic distant past. I liked to imagine the inhabitants of these honoured neighbourhoods yearning for the weekly or bi-weekly visit of these Satay men. Excitement follows wherever the Satay man goes as the tantalising smell of barbecued meat creeps into the conglomeration of boxy apartments, luring its inhabitants out. Sometimes the smell lingers too, though we would have gotten our fill of delicious Satay to not be bothered by it.

In some neighbourhoods, the Satay man announces his arrival by calling out “SAAA-TAY!” or honking a little horn. But when enforcement was stricter, and their presence was illegal on the streets, we know the Satay man is here when we smell him. When we reach the spot where the mobile charcoal stove puffs away with diligence, money in hand, there would already be a couple of customers. We would stand around, in silence, enthralled by the embers and the smoke while the Satay man works his magic. As the sun sets and the sultry heat of the day slowly dissipate, the neighbourhood comes alive with the buzz of people heading home for dinner after work. The Satay man chooses his timing well—usually beginning his day at this moment. We might be thinking about school, about the day we had, losing ourselves in the memories of the day we had, or busy planning for the coming evening, yet these thoughts sink to the back of our mind when the meat sizzles and drip animal fats into the hot coals. The smell of the sugar caramelising and the delicious fat burning is thought arresting. We are brought back to the present and we would eye the Satay man’s movements hawk-like, our mouths watering at the idea of savouring those little pieces of meat in the privacy of our homes with the people we love.

Many late afternoons and early evenings, our lives have been enriched by these short and transient visits by the Satay man. As my siblings and I stepped into adulthoods, these were wonderful childhood memories we would recall fondly. If we had a choice between a cleaner Singapore where street food are all institutionalised into Hawker Centres or one where street food like these could thrive, I would choose the latter. Even if the risk of getting diarrhoea or food poisoning is present, the possibilities of bringing people in the neighbourhood closer to each other, and having a great reason to love the place you grow up in would be enough to compensate.

In this current Singapore, allowing street food back on the streets would raise many concerns. We might see a greater diversity of them, Thai, Pilipino, Indonesian, Chinese, Indian etc. But we should be given the opportunity to choose and to take the risk of discovering if we have found a gem or a disappointment. Perhaps, with greater openness towards a street food culture, Singaporeans will not only discover what the new inhabitants have brought to this island through food, and the cacophony of voices may begin to amalgamate and sing in unison. 

5 Ways to Stay Positive while Job Hunting

Staying optimistic in a job hunt is essential. 

Nobody would employ desperate, glum-looking employees. Interviewers can smell a candidate rotting of pessimism and low self-esteem from miles away. 

So keep your spirits high by these 5 methods:

(1) Put yourself in good company

Having the support of friends, family and acquaintances can give you the extra boost. Say yes to outings, dinners and parties. You might discover you are not alone in your job hunt and you might get unexpected help. Talking to people who care for you may open up opportunities as they link you up with other people. It is also heart-warming when they include you in their prayers and give you their best wishes. 

Getting out of the house, doing something meaningful with the people around you also improves your social skills, preventing you from turning into a hermit or sociopath who thinks "I hate the world that hates me. Everybody hates me, that's why nobody is employing me!"

But if the people closest to your are a bitter and sour bunch, stay away from them and choose the company to immerse yourself in.

   

(2) Volunteer: Be involved in the community

You can't be devoting 24/7 of your time sending out resumes non-stop. In the middle of job hunt, take time to volunteer and get in touch with your community.

Find out what your community needs. When you provide for others and lend your skills, expertise and energies to better the community around you, it keeps you feeling wanted and it proves your ability to contribute to society.

Volunteering your skills keep your skills alive. You might even acquire new skills and gain experiences to boost your portfolio. Of course this shouldn't be the motivation but in giving, people often find themselves getting back so much more.

So if your interviewer asked what you have done in the months you were job hunting, you could honestly say you haven't been idle and  you can boast the skills and experiences gained.

(3) Do the things you love

If you have a hobby and felt you never had time for them while you were working or studying, do them now. 

If you always wanted to make that film, read that book, check out that place, meet up that person, do it now. 

If you love to play your guitar but didn't have time for it while working, play your guitar and do what you love. 

If you love to game and never had the time to game, take some time out to game. 

But here's the catch, indulge in moderation. Do the things you love to keep your passions and dreams alive but don't forget your goal of getting that job you want.

(4) Update & Upgrade

Not having work doesn't mean you simply let yourself lose track of time and the world. Keep yourself informed of what is happening around the world. Stay connected to your community. Know what is happening rather than withdraw into your private world of  internal struggles. Read the news and you will realise you are not alone. 

There are millions who are in the same struggle--jobless like you and me. Keeping yourself open to the world allows you to see beyond your own tiny perspective to look at the greater picture. Learn that the systems are changing and that the world is changing. Then internalise these facts and strategise how you can adapt and survive in this changing world.

In addition, sign yourself up for classes, training or workshops to equip you to meet the needs of employees. They can give you greater confidence in presenting yourself to prospective employers.

(5) Love yourself

Do not put yourself down even before the world has. If you do not perform the way you wanted to during interviews, please do not bang your head on the wall or torture yourself with self-blame and negativity. Performing badly in a dozen of interviews or tests does not mean the end of the world. 

There are still countless opportunities out there. Society has a place for everyone, you just have to find it. What you should do is to give yourself a hug, accept that you have not done your best and recognise that you will get better as you learn from the mistakes of each interview.

Give yourself plenty of hugs. If you are on the point of depression and an anxiety attack, remember that everything bad is not forever. Cry if it gives you the relief, eat some chocolates. When the negative emotions have drained off, everything will be ok. The unhappiness will be over. If you are already on an all point low, things cannot get lower and it can only look up.