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.

Jewel of India Restaurant, Little India, Singapore

Jewel of India restaurant in Singapore was the choice of a Singaporean Indian friend. He knew of the restaurant from being involved in the researching and writing of a book about Indians in Singapore.

The restaurant is in the Park Royal Hotel. But not part of the hotel. Separate entrance in mall below, entrance at the side of the building.

Initially we were confused about the hotel's location. We came out of Farrer Park MRT station (the railway, mostly underground in the city centre, but with overground and monorails outside in the far suburbs). From the exit which we chose, we looked across the road to the Park Hotel which was being renovated. However, going back along Kitchener Road along the side of the shopping mall, we quickly saw the Park Royal Hotel.

Again, we were confused. The roadside has a blocked off entrance. Walk past the wall of water and you find the entrance to the building. The restaurant entrance is in a small indoor shopping area.

The manager was extremely helpful. We moved tables, found the new table was too wide for confidential or quiet chatting, so he moved one of the bench seats closer to the table and turned down the music.

The manager offered to ask the chef to cook up food to my specifications. I wanted non spicy. I asked for korma - white sauce with nuts. I got cashew. Very nice. Two others opted for biriani. The biriani choice was good. (Lamb, as usual, I found too tough. I always opt for chicken.

Our friends had rightly surmised that one dish is enough for two. The

The menu is on an electronic device like an iPad attached to the underside of the table, only one per table so you have to take turns if you are four on opposite sides of the table.

Drinks
I chose mango lassi to start. Always good. I also tried somebody else's order of lime juice, very refreshing.

Buffet
I looked at the buffet, available at lunch and dinner. It included rice, a curried chicken, vegetables. My family insisted that my diet did not allow me to succumb to the temptations of a buffet.

When I got home and looked at my photos, I realised that the buffet food was kept hot on a cooking range, rather than the more common candles.

The Food
The food was copious. I had the chicken korma and was pleased. We ordered biriani chicken and biriani lamb. The manager suggested mixed breads, garlic nan and others.

Some greasy fried poppadum came up first to go with a slightly spicy green dip.

We also had a bowl of white raita - yogurt sometimes with cucumber added - not an extra order, it came with one of the dishes. Yogurt is always a soothing stomaching calmer if the food is too spicy.

Despite ordering only three dishes between four, we had enough leftovers to provide a takeaway for a snack.

Take Away In Singapore
In Singapore's heat it's not a good idea to carry leftovers about. I saw a sign in Nee Ann City's basement fish department saying that if you are buying food to take home, you should get it home within an hour. It is better and safer if you are eating in an air conditioned restaurants - as opposed to an outdoor hawker centre where your food has already been on the table an hour - or live nearby and/or are going straight home.

Price
The price was about £10 per person. That's for three main meat dishes shared by four, breads, rice, two non-alcoholic drinks - and enough left over for a takeaway for one couple.

Toilets Outside Restaurants and Business or Social Meeting Rooms
I had had an upset tummy earlier and was rather concerned about eating spicy food and having a long delay before finding a toilet. The toilets are disconcertingly not inside the restaurant but you have to use the public toilets at the end of the corridor outside. This is often the case in Singapore, OK when the public toilets are nearby, not if they are a distance away and you are in a large group.

At Singapore's Chymes complex (lots of restaurants around a converted church, with toilets hidden up a flight or two or stairs, I once left my toilet visit to the end of the evening and lost my group who went off to another venue without me. It ruined my evening. If there's any danger of losing your group, go out to the toilet during the meal.

On another occasion, at a Community Centre (I think it was Yu Hua) I was locked out of a Toastmasters Meeting where I was a judge in a speaking competition. At the end of the half time buffet food and comfort break, I had to race along a corridor, then down two flights of stairs to the ladies toilet, then find my way back. Firstly, during competition speeches, the doors are sometimes locked to stop latecomers, The meeting room door automatically shut unless somebody held it open. Luckily,somebody came out so I was able to enter unobtrusively and nobody realised my narrow escape from disaster.

I enquired some time ago about regulations in the USA and England. In my local area in London, the requirement was for a restaurant to provide toilets if they had more than four or six seats. Normally I ask for the toilet before ordering food and if there's no toilet on the premises I take my business elsewhere.

Surrounding Shops and Stalls in Little India
You can take the MRT straight home. If you do not have food to take straight home, you might wander back towards Little India station, along the famous shady sheltering, the covered 'five foot ways' outside the shops, established as a building regulation or norm, by Sir Stamford Raffles.

Near Little India station we found a fruit and vegetable stall.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author of twenty books including Quick Quotations (for speakers and writers); and forthcoming novel, The Tailor and The Spy (Lulu.com and will be distributed shortly through Amazon and other sites.)