79. BEING PERANAKAN

I have a small group of Peranakan and Eurasian friends whom I mingle with quite often. Love their food, love their humour, most of all, love the colours of the Peranakan dresses, the intricate artwork of their clothes, jewelery, furniture and crockery. Even the language can get colourful.

I've always been familiar with all things Peranakan, growing up as I did in Malaysia where I had Peranakan neighbours and relatives, where Malays and non-Malays wore their national dress almost everyday - the samfoo, cheongsum, baju kurong, baju panjang and the kebaya.

When Singapore dedicated a Museum to them it was almost like a trip down memory lane to see the things they were best known for all in one place. The Museum in Malacca is far better being an old typical Peranakan house - intricate, showy, beautiful. They are working on something similar in an old Peranakan house in Singapore.









































This must be our original drag queen long before other usurpers came on the scene. He sings in Malay, Indonesian, Japanese, English of course and Chinese dialects.

In China and many South East Asian societies, male cultural performers often play women's roles without hang-ups. They apply their own make-up, fix their wigs, organise their costumes. They are very often excellent cooks, bakers and housekeepers, many are unmarried either because they are hard to live with being more domesticated than most women or they simply prefer to live with their mothers being such mama's boys!

This semolina cake specialist is as decorative as the cakes he makes...check out his bling. The sugee cake is often associated with the Eurasians, its origin is more Indian, possibly Malayan/Singaporean Indian or Anglo Indian