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CULTURE IN SINGAPORE

2007-04-04T03:46:00.000-07:00

Culture

Enjoying Singaporean cuisine is a national pastime. Hawker centres and kopi tiams are well-distributed throughout the country.
Singapore is a mixture of an indigenous Malay population with a third generation Chinese majority, as well as Indian and Arab immigrants with some intermarriages. There also exist significant Eurasian and Peranakan (known also as 'Straits Chinese') communities. Singapore has also achieved a significant degree of cultural diffusion. One example is in Singaporean cuisine.The English used is primarily British English, with some American English influences. The local colloquial dialect of English is Singlish, which has many creole-like characteristics, having incorporated vocabulary and grammar from various Chinese dialects, Malay, and Indian languages. Singlish is spoken commonly on the streets, but the government frowns upon its use in official contexts. English became widespread in Singapore after it was implemented as a first language medium in the education system, and English is the most common language in Singaporean literature.

CUISINE

The cuisine of Singapore is often viewed by her population as a prime example of the ethnic diversity of the culture of Singapore. The food is heavily influenced by Malaysian, Chinese, Indian (specifically Tamil and other southern styles), Indonesian, and even Western traditions since its founding by the British in the 1800s. In Singaporean hawker stores, for example, chefs of a Chinese ethnic background might experiment with Indian influences such as tamarind, turmeric and ghee, while an Indian chef could serve a greater amount of coconut products and pork dishes (which are used more by the Malaysian chefs), and so on and so forth.
This phenomenon makes the cuisine of Singapore significantly rich and a cultural attraction. Most of the prepared food bought outside home is eaten at hawker centres or food courts, examples of which include Lau Pa Sat and Newton Food Centre, rather than at actual restaurants. These hawker centres are relatively abundant which leads to low prices and encourages a large consumer base.
Because it is often viewed by her population as central to Singapore's national identity and a unifying cultural thread, Singaporean literature often declares eating as a national pastime and food a national obsession. Food is a constant topic of conversation among Singaporeans who like to comment on the food they have eaten and the eateries around the country. There are some religious dietary strictures as Muslims do not eat pork and Hindus do not eat beef; there is also a significant group of vegetarians. Nonetheless, people from different communities often eat together while being mindful of each other's culture and choose food that is acceptable to all. There are also some halal Chinese restaurants that prepare Chinese food in a way that conform to Muslim dietary preference.
Food in itself has been heavily promoted as an attraction for tourists. It is usually promoted by various initiatives undertaken by the Singapore Tourism Board or the associations it deals with as one of Singapore's best attractions alongside its shopping. The government organises the Singapore Food Festival in July annually to celebrate Singapore's cuisine. The multiculturalism of local food, the ready availability of international cuisine, and their wide range in prices to fit all budgets at all times of the day and year helps create a "food paradise" to rival other contenders claiming the same moniker. The availability of a variety of food is often aided by the fact that Singapore's port lies along strategic routes.

A hawker centre in Lavender, Singapore.
The cuisine bears some resemblance to the cuisine of Malaysia due to the close historical and cultural ties between the two countries. However there are also significant differences. While a number of dishes are common to both countries, the way the dishes are prepared is often different. This is due to numerous evolutionary forks in their development, which gave rise to unique tastes pertaining to each country's cuisine.
As Singapore is a small country with high population density, land is scarce and is mainly devoted to industry and housing. Most of the agricultural produce and food ingredients are imported from other countries, although there is a small group of local farmers who produce some leafy vegetables, fruit, poultry, and fish. Nonetheless, Singapore's good air and sea connections allow it to import a large variety of food ingredients from around the world including expensive seafood items such as sashimi from Japan.

The majority of Singaporeans live in planned estates of high-rise, high-density HDB flats.
Singapore has several ethnic neighbourhoods, including Chinatown and Little India. These were formed under the Raffles Plan to segregate the immigrants, but now have a more diverse patronage. Many places of worship were also constructed during the colonial era. Sri Mariamman Temple, the Masjid Jamae Mosque and the Church of Gregory the Illuminator are among those that were built during the colonial period. Work is now underway to preserve these religious sites as National Monuments of Singapore.
Since the 1990s, the government has been striving to promote Singapore as a centre for arts and culture, and to transform the country into a cosmopolitan 'gateway between the East and West'.[34] The highlight of these efforts was the construction of Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, a centre for performing arts that opened on October 12, 2002.[35]

INDONESIAN CULTURE

2007-04-02T06:26:00.000-07:00

Culture of Indonesia
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Statue of Dewi Sri in Ubud, Bali.
The culture of Indonesia has been shaped by a long process of interaction and acculturation between original indigenous customs and a myriad of foreign influences. As Indonesia is located in the middle of ancient sea trading routes between Far East and Middle East, much of daily practices and art forms have been influenced by Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Islam, especially in many trading cities. Cultural mixture in Indonesia is complex and has to be distinguished from the original. Examples include Agama Hindu Dharma, a denomination of Hinduism now practiced by 93% of Balinese, the fusion of Islam with Hindu in Javanese Abangan belief, the fusion of Hinduism, Buddhism and animism in Bodha, the fusion of Hinduism and animism in Kaharingan, and many others.
The cultural mixture is noticeable in Indonesian art-forms. For instances, puppet shows, known as wayang, a traditional theater shows, used to spread Hinduism and Islam among villagers in Java. Javanese and Balinese dances have stories about old Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms. Islamic art forms and architectures are present in Sumatra, especially in the Minangkabau and Aceh regions. Traditional art, music and sport are mixed into a martial art form of Pencak Silat, formerly used as a self defence.
Western culture has influenced Indonesia, but mostly in modern entertainment, such as television shows, movies and songs. India has notably influenced Indonesian songs and movies. A popular type of song is the Indian-rhythmical dangdut, which is often mixed with Arab and Malay folk music.
Despite these high influences of foreign cultures, some remote Indonesian regions still preserve uniquely indigenous culture. Indigenous ethnic groups of Mentawai, Asmat, Dani, Dayak, Toraja and many others are still practising their ethnic rituals, customs and wearing their traditional clothes. With more than 300 ethnic groups and a long history of foreign cultural mixtures, Indonesia has a rich cultural diversity.

Dance

Young Balinese dancers.(Photo by G. Larson)
It is not difficult to see a continuum in the traditional dances depicting episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata from India, through Thailand all the way to Bali. There is a marked difference, though between the highly stylized dances of the courts of Yogyakarta and Surakarta and their popular variations. While the court dances are promoted and even performed internationally, the popular forms of dance art and drama must largely be discovered locally.
During the last few years Saman from Aceh in North Sumatra has become rather popular and is often performed on TV.

Cuisine

Nasi goreng (fried rice), a popular Indonesian cuisine.
Main article: Cuisine of Indonesia
The cuisine of Indonesia is significantly influenced by Asian culture, including Chinese and Indian as well as Western culture. However in return, Indonesian cuisine has also contributed to and influenced neighboring countries' cuisine such as Malaysia and Singapore. Padang or Minangkabau cuisine from West Sumatra are very popular in Malaysia and Singapore. Also Satay (Sate in Indonesian) that originated from Java, Madura, and Sumatra has gained popularity as a tasty street vendor food from Singapore, Malaysia, and all the way to Thailand. In the fifteenth century, the Portuguese arrived on the Indonesian shores with the intention of trading spices from Indonesia. Starting from the colonial era, many different countries have arrived in Indonesia and brought different cultures, as well as cuisines. Moreover, in the same century, many Arab traders also arrived in the nation and brought more of their ethnic culture.
Most native Indonesians eat rice as the main dish, with a wide range of vegetables and meat as the side dish. However, in some different parts of the country, such as Irian Jaya and Ambon, the majority of the people eat sago (a type of tapioca) and sweet potato.[4]
The most important aspect of Indonesia cuisine is that food must be halal, which is an Islamic philosophy. Similar in concept to Kosher in Judaism. Haram, which is the opposite of halal includes pork and alcoholic drinks.
Indonesian dishes are usually spicy, using a wide range of chillies and spices. The most popular dishes include nasi goreng (fried rice), Satay, Nasi Padang (Dish of Minangkabau) and soy-based dishes, such as tofu and tempe. A unique characteristic of some Indonesian food is the application of spicy peanut sauce in their dishes. Whether as a dressing for Gado-gado or Karedok (Indonesian style salad), or for seasoning grilled chicken satay. Another unique aspect of Indonesian cuisine is using terasi or belacan, a pungent shrimp paste to add taste for certain dishes, especially sambal oelek (hot pungent chili sauce). The sprinkling of fried shallots (small red onion) also gives a unique crispy taste to some Indonesian dishes.
Asian culture, such as Chinese and Indian, have influenced the cuisine of Indonesia in many ways, including the serving of food and types of spices used. It is very common to find Chinese food in Indonesia such as Dim Sum as well as noodles, and Indian cuisine such as Tandoori chicken. In addition, Western culture has significantly contributed to the extensive range of type of dishes. However, the dishes have been transformed to suit Indonesian people's tastes. For example, steaks are usually served with rice. Popular fast foods such as Kentucky Fried Chicken would be served with rice instead of bread , and sambal (spicy sauce) instead of ketchup. Some indonesian foods have been adopted by the Dutch, like Indonesian Rice Table or 'rijsttafel'.

Religion and philosophy

Main articles: Religion in Indonesia and Indonesian philosophy
Islam is Indonesia's main religion, with almost 88% of Indonesians declared Muslim according to the 2000 census [7], making Indonesia the most populous Muslim-majority nation in the world. The remaining population is 9% Christian (of which roughly 2/3 are Protestant with the remainder mainly Catholic, and a large minority Charismatic), 2% Hindu and 1% Buddhist. The Pancasila (the statement of five principles which are said to encapsulate the ideology of the independent Indonesian state) states that: "The state shall be based on the belief in the one and only God".

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2007-04-01T06:08:00.000-07:00

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