Friday, August 12, 2011

National Cook Curry Day - Cook A Pot of Curry - PH

PhotoHunt theme : One

 My yummy, spicy Curry Laksa

I ♥ Curries!

National Cook Curry Day - Cook A Pot of Curry
Location : Everywhere in Singapore
Date : 21st August 2011
Time : 13:00 - 23:30



We just celebrated our National Day but I was frustrated by the story of a local Indian family who had to stop cooking curry when their neighbours, who are from China, are at home because they didn’t like the smell of curry.

When one is a guest in another person’s home country, one should respect the citizens' right to their cultural norms and traditional practices, you shouldn’t ask the people to stop their cultural practices that are the norm of that country.

Curry and prata for breakfast or supper

Curry has always been part of our Singaporean culture.

We are Singaporeans and we LOVE our curries!! 

Come 21st August, we are going to have a National Curry Cooking day!! 

Curry Crab

Singapore is our homeland; it is where all of us belong. When we say the pledge, it is to remind us that we are the citizens of ONE nation, we are ONE people, ONE Singapore. So let us strive towards our goals, together, for all of us have a part to play. Onward Singapore! Together as ONE we can make a difference.

The Story :

When neighbours disagree ...
Case 1: A family, who had just moved here from China, had resorted to mediation because they could not stand the smell of curry that their Singaporean Indian neighbours would often cook. The Indian family, who were mindful of their neighbour's aversion, had already taken to closing their doors and windows whenever they cooked the dish, but this was not enough.


"They said: 'Can you please do something? Can you don't cook curry? Can you don't eat curry?'," said Madam Marcellina Giam, a Community Mediation Centre mediator. But the Indian family stood firm. In the end, Mdm Giam got the Indian family to agree to cook curry only when the Chinese family was not home. In return, they wanted their Chinese neighbours to at least give their dish a try.

via The Today Paper

42 comments:

  1. Can't the family from China just moved elsewhere and find a neighborhood with people who don't eat or cook curry?

    I know some people find certain Chinese food smell not appealing too.

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  2. i love curry.. i did not know there is a curry day.. thanks for sharing the info.. so how was the curry?

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  3. Lina,
    Of course the Chinese family has choices.

    Nobody forces them to come to Singapore, stay in the heartland where their Indian neighbours suffocate them with the smells of their curry.

    But being new immigrants, they told our fellow Indian brothers and sisters not cook or eat curry. Selfish, right? Got logic anot?

    They should do their homework before coming over to Singapore.

    We are a multi-racial country and almost all these people cook and eat curry. Actually wherever they move in Singapore, there will be suffocating curry smells. :D

    Yeah, some Chinese food smell worse.

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  4. Hi Baterya,
    Singaporeans just started a Cook Curry Day. :)

    Curries are absolutely delicious.

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  5. i love all kinds of curries. they're tasty, spicy, appetising and the leftovers are always awesome.

    all these curries look delicious especially the curry crab.

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  6. I like curry, but it gives me heartburn. Really bad heartburn.

    Have a terrific day. :)

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  7. I hope this gets a good resolution.

    I am ONE with you in saying no one should stifle another one's culture.

    Happy weekend.

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  8. Happy National Day to Singapore! Oh there's a National Cook Curry Day? Hmmm, maybe Malaysia should have a National Cook Asam Laksa Day! Haha!

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  9. I love curry too. That's too bad. Can't they just go back to China and mind their own business?

    Have a fabulous weekend.

    Liz @ MLC

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  10. Well said ECL. The idea of a curry day is one I would subscribe to in a hearbeat!

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  11. Well, I hope they try the curry and learn to love it. I've never eaten curry, but cannot imagine that it would smell any worse than cabbage or collards, which I dearly love. I really enjoyed your post!

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  12. let's have a curry party at that particular block and enjoy ourselves! lol

    First it's curry, then next time no kangkong belacan? If they can't integrate and tolerate our cultures, then perhaps they made a wrong decision to come here!

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  13. Interesting post ECL. Shakes my head. You are right, cooking curry is the norm in Singapore, so you are stuck with it. Their neighbours are indeed too accommodating!

    Have a good weekend.

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  14. oooh i love curries, esp indian, thai and nyonya curries!!! the spices, the aroma, the spiciness.... yummy yum yum!!! :)

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  15. whoa. what an interesting, sad, enlightening story. the world truly needs more tolerance and respect from each other.

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  16. it is sad that all over the people are getting to be intolerant of others culture

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  17. I love curries!!!! and what bad manners the Chinese neighbors are showing, tsk tsk. Respect and tolerance are key in a neighborhood, particularly if you are the new one.

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  18. Nom Nom Nom Curry. Go back to China if they do not like the local food. So delicious and a highlight of my time in Singapore.

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  19. I love curry! It's only now that I've fallen in love with Asian flavors. I've told the hubby why is it that we don't have a lot of restaurants that serve this kind of food.

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  20. I love curry. I can't imagine complaining about what people cook no matter what it is. If the neighbors have a problem with the auroma they should get a fan.

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  21. PS I meant to answer your question about my post. The ducks are wild. Hunting isn't allowed in city parks so the ducks are safe. The only thing allowed on that lake is fishing. Guns or any type of weapon are strictly forbidden there.

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  22. Bananaz ♥ Curries too. Wah the China mali neighbours so terror. Wait till one day they get to smell durians.

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  23. We Singapore Chinese has no problem with our Indians neighbors cooking curry and we can tolerate the smell even if not all chinese like curry smell. Why these PRCs like to create problem for us?? All these while we have been living in harmony with all races, if they can't tolerate go back to China, we dont need all these trash here.

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  24. How come suddenly there is this Curry Day? :p

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  25. In the end, Mdm Giam got the Indian family to agree to cook curry only when the Chinese family was not home.

    This is C***.
    I lived in Singapore for 16 years. Everyone eats and loves curry. In Singapore, you can open your windows and the wind will blow away the aroma very quickly.

    Also for your story, Does Mrs. Giam know when in Rome , do what the Romans do. I had lived with PRC people in NTU, very few people are like that.

    Having said that, 30 years ago, we moved to a small flat in New Zealand, previously inhabited by an Indian couple. Because in winter, people tended to close all the windows. The curry smell seeped into the curtain and sofa and wall paper. The smell was different from the beautiful Malaysian and Singaporean curry.

    What we did was when we got home, we opened all the windows and sliding range doors.

    Some landlords do not want to rent out their houses to Indians for this reason.

    I had been renting for a long time, the house doesn't have a hood. I open my door and window when I cook.

    Happy Singapore Day, it was 1990, when we first arrived in Singapore, I was impressed with the celebration.

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  26. I think the family from China should maybe move back to China if they don't like the smell of curry! LOL

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  27. Happy National Day to your beautiful country!

    I am sorry about the incident. I hope love, respect and tolerance shall be exercised by everyone especially when they are simply migrants.

    May you have a lovely weekend, ECL.

    Hugs!

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  28. Yummy! You sure know how to cook!
    I had my curry yesterday too :)

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  29. i have joined Cook a pot of curry day too :D well done singaporeans!

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  30. Let's make the 3rd Sunday in August as Singapore Curry Day from now on.

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  31. looking yummy!! i should have born in Singapore♥
    Happy Belated Birthday!!
    niki

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  32. I love my Curry, I love my Nasi Lemak and I love my Bak Kut Teh. I am a Singaporean at heart. We have evolved to be a Nation, despite our colour,creed and culture.Singapore is what its today because our forefathers have worked very hard to built this Nation. DON"T let this OUTSIDERS take it away from us. Let's stay united and show the world that we are Singaporeans whatever our social economic status can be.
    Majuelah Singapura.

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  33. Oh me too, love curries but sad to say that is one dish I just can't master boo hoo!

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  34. So it's been years since I cooked curry... ooops! hahahhahahaha

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  35. I regret that the Today reporter brought up the incident which actually happened several years ago. If the report is true, I agree the newly immigrate Chinese couple went too far in demanding their Indian neighbor.

    There are also inconsiderate local neighbors. For example, my Indian neighbor burns incenses in the corridor every night and sometimes even set out fire to burn certain plant tree. The smell is so strong (and likely toxic) that we feel suffocated and dizzy even though we keep the door and windows close. We request them to burn them before 9pm or move the incense inside their house, but they refuse. I recognize burning incense is a religious ritual and my Buddhist parents also do that in my home town. However, I don't think a religious or cultural practicing should be at the expense of neighbor' health. Singaporean have an outcry with Indonesian haze problem in the press and online and involve the government in the dispute.

    My neighbor occupy the our corridor space with their flower pots, which I don't mind. However, every time they water the flower water fills the pots and spill the whole walkway with potential dengue hazards. I accept this inconvenience and don't report to NEA or complain to town council.

    I feel some media reporters of local English media like to use isolated incidents and patriotism to provoke stereotype and discrimination against other community. Ironically it is they who often label mainland Chinese with nationalism. How do you feel if the local PRC community also organizes a Stinky Toufu Day? I feel the society is no longer gracious.

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  36. In my opinion, there are two ways to cook curry.

    One is to cook the meat first without the curry spices in microwave oven or in pot.
    When the meat is cooked then only add in the curry spices and santan and cook in shortest time for the meat to blend with the spices and santan.

    The other method, which I think has caused the controversy, is to mix all all the stuff and stew these the whole day with the curry smell permeating the whole block of flats and also the clothes our mothers put out to dry.

    I there are exam-studying children, the curry-smell-filled study room could be just as bad as a cigarette smoke-filled room.

    At one time in Britain when a whole- day -curry- cooking family moved into an apartment the property price for the block of flats would drop.

    So to those supporting the curry cooking day, please be sure you know what you are supporting and also the implications.

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  37. Hi normanwee, the difference between curry and cigarette smoke is the latter is harmful, but the former is harmless.
    So there is no comparison between the 2.

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  38. Esta comida con curry me apasiona cocinas muy bien,diariamente tambièn lo uso,abrazos y saludos.

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