In the packet - three buns with sesame seeds, and three green buns - what a picture! A poem praising buns

Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Now, with the lid off, we can see clearer. What shall I choose, the ones with the sesame topping, or the green ones? 

Singaporeans like green. They think it suggests fresh green plants or fruit.

Looking at the picture, savouring it, is like eating twice.

Three green buns. Sounds like the nursery rhyme, Three Blind Mice. 

The Story Of Six green Buns

Six green buns

Six green buns

We're all so happy when breaktime comes

Six big buns.

The order of eating is all rhearsed

We let the visitors go first

We want them all to share the fun

Five green buns.

I'm watching the numbers carefully

To be sure there's one left for me

Four green buns.

I think I ought to hand them round

I need some food so I survive

We all need food to stay alive

Three green buns

Good, someone says, Already had

I smile because I'm very glad

If they'd all gone I would be mad

Three green buns.

Three big buns.

Three big buns.

The green one is my favourite one

I ate the green one, now it's gone

Two big buns

One of them has sesame seeds

It looks delicious, it was indeed

One big bun.

No-one saw that I took too

But I must leave one for you

Hurry, friend you must be fast

Or otherwise I'll take the last ...

With two of us - I have to share

I'll share with you to show I care

No big buns.

No big buns.

But we have shared our memory

What we ate for last weekend's tea 

Green been paste, kaya, (and) sesame

Three big buns.

I'm looking forward to next weekend

Three dollars isn't a lot to spend

In Singapore eating never ends

I dream about them every day - six green buns.

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Who Knows About Christmas? Questions You Could Ask

Problem
I went to a Toastmasters International Meeting at an advanced club in Singapore. The Toastmaster of the Day asked if you believe in Santa Claus and Why and I won a ribbon for an impromptu two minute speech starting without a second's hesitation: "Yes, I believe in Santa Claus because I have met him. He was in Finland in his Santa Claus house where he answers letters from children all over the world. I was taken there by the tourist board for Finland ..."

The following evening I thought I would ask a similar set of questions about Christmas, to an audience including some shy speakers of English, a mixture of Chinese and Indians, either Singaporean Chinese or expat Asians. I started, as is usual, with an experienced speaker, who gave a fluent although rather predictable speech on how Christmas had become a commercial event.

However, when I moved to giving an opportunity to visitors and newer members, I got hesitant and off the point and unoriginal answers. Nobody planned Christmas in advance.

Nobody thought to divert the topic into planning life in advance. Maybe I should have started with instructions on how to answer a table topic. Why didn't I? Firstly, we were short of time. Secondly, and the evaluation guide in my manual asked my evaluator to say whether I had kept my remarks to a minimum to allow extra time for speeches.

Another question I asked was about a typical Christmas time meal. What will you and your family eat over the holidays?

A typical meal was what they always ate at home. A Singaporean Chinese woman said she ate chicken rice, the classic Singaporean dish served all year everywhere in Singapore. An Indian man said his wife made the best biriani.

Whilst in theory I could have asked who was Christian, I felt this was an intrusive question. Maybe I could have asked one person to say why Christmas was dreadful and another to say why Christmas was delightful. I could have given simple non-controversial answers from my own life; no transport, shut restaurants, high price meals.   My worst Christmas was alone as a student in London, starving. The hostel served no food served Christmas day, the restaurants were shut and public transport was not running.

After the Singapore meeting, I spent the next 24 hours puzzling over the answers my questions evoked, and what I had done wrong.  How could I put it right?

Firstly I should have started by questioning the audience. I could have asked questions such as: How many of you have had a traditional British Christmas dinner of turkey followed by Christmas pudding? If none, simplify, "How many of you can explain one of the Christmas customs?"

In England, although we have a large number of residents and visitors from all over Europe and Asia, every local newspaper writes up the origin of Christmas and customs ranging from crackers to trees.

Newspaper give out the same analysis for Diwali and other religious celebrations. But do I read them? How clear am I on the origins of Diwali or Chinese New year? I'm pretty good at autumn festival and Chinese New Year because I have lived in Singapore on and off for twenty years, and I have heard several speeches on the festivals. Maybe it's time for me to prepare a talk on Christmas customs, or a handout.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Malay and Indonesian words

Malay / Indonesian

Singapura - Singapore

Orang Singapura - Singaporean (s)
Penduduk Singapura (Singapore residents)
tidak - no
untuk - for
yang - that
saya - I
bagaimana - how
adakah - is there
meningkatkan - improve
peluang - opportunities
pekerjaan  - work
maju - advanced
dalam - in
kerjaya - workout
kop - head
kopi - coffee
tanyalah - ask
d i k e m a s - packed
kini - now (letter n in both words)
pada - on
februari - February

Singapore
Singaporeans
Singapore residents
no - t i d a k
for - u n t u k
that - yang
I - saya
How - bagaimana
is there - a d a k a h
improve - miningkatkan
opportunities - peluang
work - pekerjaan
advanced - m a j u
in - dalam
work out - kerjaya
head - kop
coffee - k o p i
ask - tanyalah
packed - dikemas
now - k i n i (remember keen to do it now)
on - pada
February - f e b r u a r i

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English and other languages.
See my other posts on Malay in this blog.
More posts on travel in my latest blog on website:
http://luxurytravelforless.co.uk

Discounts in Chinese shops in Chinatown

I looked around a drug store in Chinatown in Singapore whilst waiting for my Chinese Mandarin speaking friend to arrive. She is a good friend who stayed with me in London several times. She can always find me a shop which sells what I want, and take me there.

I told her on the phone, "I'm looking for lavender-scented cosmetics which I heard were not attractive to insets, and might even repulse mosquitos."

She told me about the shop which was near the station, so we were meeting there.

I asked the shop assistant for a discount.
The assistant said, 'no discount, fixed price'.

She looked at the lavender with me. I said, "I am not buying it because it's more expensive than in London."

She spoke to the shopkeeper and came back grinning. She said, "It's expensive because it's imported from England. But I have negotiated a reduced price for you."

She linked arms with me.

Afterwards I told her that the shopkeeper had told me 'fixed price'. She looked at me as if I was mad.

I said I reckoned that local people (Singaporeans speaking Chinese) got the negotiable rate. She said it could be even more localised. People who worked in the same block got a discount.

In Harrow we have weekly offers in the Council newspapers, but they are not regular discounts for local people, but weekly promotions.

That is not so unusual. Some councils reckon local tax payers have paid for the local museums and should get a discount or free entry.

In Asian countries it's good to ask a local person to negotiate, especially if they are the hustling, business-like sort. If they don't manage to negotiate a deal, they will know another place with more amenable staff or a wholesale store or a discount store or a cheaper district or a cheaper mall or a market.

My friend went back to work after lunch. Before catching my train home, I popped back into the store. I later went back to the shop. I bought some more, asking first whether I could still have the same discount.

She asked, "Is the Chinese lady your sister-in-law?"

I took my change. "No. I said, "Just a very good friend."

"Oh," said the assistant. "She said she was your sister-in-law."

I made a hasty exit.

If I had had my wits about me, and not been unnerved by the original hoo-ha I would have remained sufficiently confident to laugh it off and reply, "She calls me her sister or her sister-in-law because our families are so close."

That is what my friend would have said next time she went back into the shop.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, auth or and speaker.

Update on Eating Mangoes Dropped From A Tree

My family have risked their lives eating a mango dropped from a tree onto a pavement. (NB, being English, when I say pavement I mean what Americans call a sidewalk, the area for pedestrians.)

The Mango was half missing already. So did it have worms inside it?

Two members of my family risked everything by eating it. I did warn them, "If you eat half eaten fruit, you will get worms and drop dead, or vice versa."

Unfortunately I only muttered it to myself.  I'm generally considered something of a spoilsport. I call it cautious.

One person picked up the mango and washed it and cut it up, and ate half of the remainder,  and washed it. They said it tasted delicious but was a bit tough and stringy.

Other Singaporean residents say many local fruits have to be picked when green and ripened in the house.

One person has gone to lie down. This could be too much drink (alcohol), or not enough water (dehydration), or getting old, or the dreaded mango.

Maybe I can write a song:
Ten Singaporeans sitting on a bus
Ten Singaporeans sitting on a bus
One fell off, but didn't make a fuss
Nine Singaporeans sitting on a bus.

How about
Ten Singaporeans waiting for a bus
One had missed dinner, but didn't make a fuss
He picked a found mango, it happens all the time
From the ground by the bus stop - then there were nine.