American novelist and screen writer, Raymond Chandler said, “It is not a fragrant world.”
One can only wonder what he meant. If you think about it, literally, it IS in fact a fragrant world. Though there may not be any ‘solid’ facts to prove it, haven’t you always felt that a scent as a key that triggers familiarity? But the point here is that this applies even to our palate-pleasers; ours, and perhaps, not so much, our neighbours. In a single word, curry. Oh, the aroma!
Singapore has a vastly mixed culture.
Bringing and maintaining unity among such a diverse public is a tough one. This might be the right time to say, hats-off to the people in charge. For they have been working so hard to keep the peace.
Curry Day in Singapore
What the foreign neighbours nibble on might not be exactly what our natives find mouth-watering, and vice versa too.
Nevertheless, to bring to an amicable end a dispute that arose 7 or 8 years ago between neighbours, the town council advised on cooking the culprit (in this case, an aromatic dish) while the other was away. Thanks to that, we now have a Curry Day.
Cook a Pot of Curry Day was celebrated on 21 August this year. It is interesting to note one thing. Not just within the country, but Singaporeans all around the world too took this chance. This, to make their favourite curries and get their foreign friends to have a go at it. Now that’s like taking a trip to your friend’s homeland right there.
The day is celebrated in good spirits. So much so that a café on Waterloo Street (Singapore) scrapped their Western-style brunch to fill the menu with a variety of curry. Without a doubt, it was all sold out.
A few employees of a well-known digital media company took this as an opportunity to get into the groove. They cooked a pot of curry or two…and those who didn't cook it themselves, took the effort to sit down at cafés and have it for a meal.
This tradition of Curry Day is more like an excuse. So as to get some scrumptious curry boiling away on the stove and gather around with friends and family; a day for cooking and sharing.
And being a people that love their food, a special day to cook up a storm is right down their alley. It really could not get better than this for ardent curry-fans and food fanatics. In addition, this may also be one of the best ways to encourage people from different cultures to come together and share a meal.
This could possibly be a good approach to create a sense of unity and harmony, as well as an opportunity to have a taste of what’s cooking in our neighbour’s kitchen. For all you know, it may taste better than it smells.
But what is amusing is that more than one country has their special version of ‘curry’.
Why worry about cultural barriers, when there is the chance to peek at the stuff being concocted outside of our geographical boundaries. So, forget about disputes over a pot. Let the kitchen be filled with the aroma of lip-smacking curry that is guaranteed to have everyone gobbling it up to the last drop!
Also read: 10 healthy slow cooker recipes for the entire family