Problem
What is it?
Answer
Unlike the ginger tea which I make in England, using a Twinings tea bag, which looks like a herb tea, ginger tea from a hawker centre in Singapore looks like a regular brown tea.
The first taste was pleasantly gingery. However, I soon forgot the taste. If you don't like ginger, that would be a good thing.
I do. I drank most of the drink without even noticing.
But that was because I was so engrossed in the conversation.
I had it at the hawker centre across the road, diagonally, from the Braddell Heights Community Centre, near Serangoon MRT (train station), on the circle line, and Nex shopping centre in Singapore.
The stall was Indian. Afterwards, one of our group ordered a big platter of food for our group of six to share. It was mee goreng, fried rice, but with egg and vegetables. Vegetarian but not vegan, so only five of the six of us were able to eat it. I could not see any egg. It came up with onion and ketchchup on the side.
To my surprise I ate some of the onion. I was hungry. I think that with curry or peeppery food you soon fail to notice the ginger flavour or any other flavour in your tea.
My general principle in Singapore is to eat and drink the same as the others. This has several advantages. If I don't like mine, one of them will finish it off. They will be able to explain the contents, the ingredients. They will be able to translate the meaning of the name of the food or drink.
I do not risk ordering something more expensive that everybody else. I can wax enthusiastic about their favourite food. I feel part of the group. I do not feel they are ordering something special for me.
The others ordered for me in Tamil. They spoke Tamil and so did the owners who were serving the food.
They also explained to me why Tamil was chosen out of two possible Indian languages. They claimed that Lee Kuan Yew heard from two groups who wanted their language chosen as the fourth official language, the one for the Indian minortiy. Lee Kuan Yew responded, "The Tamils supported me in my fight for independence, therefore they deserve to be rewarded with their language being chosen."
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
What is it?
Answer
Unlike the ginger tea which I make in England, using a Twinings tea bag, which looks like a herb tea, ginger tea from a hawker centre in Singapore looks like a regular brown tea.
I do. I drank most of the drink without even noticing.
But that was because I was so engrossed in the conversation.
I had it at the hawker centre across the road, diagonally, from the Braddell Heights Community Centre, near Serangoon MRT (train station), on the circle line, and Nex shopping centre in Singapore.
The stall was Indian. Afterwards, one of our group ordered a big platter of food for our group of six to share. It was mee goreng, fried rice, but with egg and vegetables. Vegetarian but not vegan, so only five of the six of us were able to eat it. I could not see any egg. It came up with onion and ketchchup on the side.
To my surprise I ate some of the onion. I was hungry. I think that with curry or peeppery food you soon fail to notice the ginger flavour or any other flavour in your tea.
My general principle in Singapore is to eat and drink the same as the others. This has several advantages. If I don't like mine, one of them will finish it off. They will be able to explain the contents, the ingredients. They will be able to translate the meaning of the name of the food or drink.
I do not risk ordering something more expensive that everybody else. I can wax enthusiastic about their favourite food. I feel part of the group. I do not feel they are ordering something special for me.
The others ordered for me in Tamil. They spoke Tamil and so did the owners who were serving the food.
They also explained to me why Tamil was chosen out of two possible Indian languages. They claimed that Lee Kuan Yew heard from two groups who wanted their language chosen as the fourth official language, the one for the Indian minortiy. Lee Kuan Yew responded, "The Tamils supported me in my fight for independence, therefore they deserve to be rewarded with their language being chosen."
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
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