ALL THINGS SINGAPOREAN

I managed to leave the house under my own steam yesterday for an evening’s entertainment, thanks to the new meds for the gastric pain.

Ignoring the occasional twinges in my stomach area, I met EP for a good dinner of wagyu beef and black pig katsu at Tomton before the evening show. I knew I would probably have to pay for it later with an expanded waistline and maybe recurring gastric pain (I am supposed to be on light fare), but like a typical Singaporean, the foodie in me said “Heck! Eat first, worry later.”

Most people have an angel and a devil sitting on their shoulders; not me – I have a foodie on one, and a dieter on the other. Foodie won this round. The black pig katsu is an old favourite and has never failed me yet. And we all know how much I love pork. The thin, crispy and light batter which melts in the mouth coupled with the tender, fatty pork – pure ambrosia. The restaurant had a wagyu beef version promotion going on, so we tried that as well. It wasn’t too bad, but the beef was too rare for my liking, and the batter combination didn’t turn out so great with beef. I would personally stick to the pork after this, and leave wagyu for when I feel generous enough for a steak at Morton’s of Chicago. Ohhh….the thought…..

We encountered crowds of people at the Marina area and belatedly remembered the National Day Parade rehearsals that were going on in the area. We were therefore lucky enough to be able to catch the helicopters flying past overhead with the Singapore flag , the fighter planes choreograph and the cannon salute out at the bay area. It sometimes surprises me the number of Singaporeans who would actually turn up for affairs like this. I suppose not everyone is a lazy, unpatriotic and apathetic homebody as I.

The evening show was SingDollar!, a local musical comedy by Dream Academy starring the best known names in the local comedy scene. I was happy to find amongst the cast Kumar, the undisputed drag queen of Singapore, whose other shows I have not been able to catch due to his popularity and my laziness in ticket purchase. The plot was about money woes that had befallen a motley crew of Singaporeans and foreign workers, centered in a coffee shop in our beloved red light district of Geylang. There were the usual politically incorrect satirical pokes at the local political and social situation and news and roof raising spoofs and the usual adult references. The format has always been the same; the difference is only in the content. No matter, we were still hugely entertained and holding our sides throughout the show, and still emitting chuckles even as we walked out of the theatre to supper.

One of the reasons I enjoy attending local comedy productions, including some of the stand-up comedies by local comedians such as Hossan Leong, is the freedom to indulge in a little local politically incorrect, sometimes outright libelous heckling without the fear of being sued for defamation. To hear the comedians speak the minds of those on the ground, to hear them voice our petty thoughts for us and secretly nod our heads vehemently in the dark of the theatre and yelling “Yeah, that’s it!” in our hearts of hearts, while at the same time allowing us to maintain our politically correct, tolerant and open minded front in the light of the day. Hypocrisy, yes….but I am all for hypocrisy that allows a nation to maintain a peaceful existence but which also allows us individuals to vent our petty, ungenerous frustrations in a civilized manner.

While I enjoyed productions such as Avenue Q, the connection was not so immediate, because the show was after all, based on life in America. Some of the jokes pass over our heads, and even if we did manage to catch the punch lines, we are unable to identify as intimately. Local productions are based on issues that happened in our own backyard, on stuff close to our hearts. Is it any wonder then that I have continued to support a number of such local comedic productions since being introduced to them a number of years ago?

By the way, I found out only today that the Liverpool team did a bumboat tour on the Singapore River. It seems like I missed the affair by a few hours, since the crowd had apparently already dispersed when I reached The Central for dinner. No loss there, since I am no football fan, though some of those boys ARE really cute. After reading the papers today though, I would have gotten myself a ticket to the match between the Lions and the Liverpool team if I could have laid hands on one, just to cheer the Lions on. It seems only right that our very home team should have at least the same kind of support shown to them as a foreign one. That is my one patriotic moment amongst many uncaring ones, so treasure it. I do hope that the Singaporean Liverpool fans will also cheer the Lions if they do score.

We have another date next weekend with SSO for a night of Spanish themed music. I can hardly wait for that, because they are playing Ravel’s Bolero, which is one of my favourite pieces of music (SB calls it fifteen minutes of driving her crazy). More on that next time.