“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s witty comedy of manners—one of the most popular novels of all time—that features splendidly
So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s witty comedy of manners—one of the most popular novels of all time—that features splendidly civilised sparring between the proud Mr Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century drawing room intrigues.
Last week during the September school holidays, finally GG and I caught Crazy Rich Asians. I had read the book a few years back when it first released and was actually looking forward to the movie when it was announced.
The film was super hyped here in Singapore and probably rightly so since the movie is set in this city-state and would bring tremendous world attention, especially the tourism dollars here.
The movie, to me especially, didn’t live up to the book. But then, that’s me and there’s rarely any movie which lives up to the movie in my head, so I’ll let that ride. The film is an unabashed and cinematic depiction of Singapore and the Singapore Tourism Board should be happy with the outcome of the dollars they have spent on this movie. The movie is a celebration of Singapore and even though I am sure not all scenes shown as Singapore has actually been shot here, it was fun to see familiar landmarks on the big screen and try to decipher where a particular scene could have been shot.
Crazy Rich Asians follows Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), a Chinese American economics professor at NYU who’s been dating fellow professor Nick Young (Henry Golding) for over a year. For their spring break, Nick invites Rachel to visit his home of Singapore, where he’s returning for his best friend Colin’s (Chris Pang) wedding. Rachel decides to join him, meaning it will be the first time she’s met his family, including his mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh). Plus, it gives Rachel the chance to visit her college best friend, Peik Lin (Awkwafina), who also lives in Singapore. However, when Rachel and Nick are upgraded to first class on their flight, she quickly realizes her long-term boyfriend hasn’t been completely upfront about his family – particularly how wealthy they are – and it takes her by surprise.
Once they arrive in Singapore, Rachel is quickly accepted by Colin’s fiancée Araminta (Sonoya Mizuno), and she’s invited to the bachelorette party, while Colin and Nick must suffer through a bachelor party thrown by their former classmate Bernard Tai (Jimmy O. Yang). However, Rachel’s approached by Nick’s ex-girlfriend Amanda (Jing Lusi) and feels less than welcome. Things only get worse when Nick introduces Rachel to Eleanor, who decidedly doesn’t think Rachel is good enough for her son. With the help of Peik Lin – and some allies in Nick’s family, Nick’s cousin Astrid (Gemma Chan) and second cousin Oliver (Nico Santos) – Rachel must decide if she wants to fight for Nick, or escape from the extravagant world of Singapore’s rich and famous in favour of her relatively quiet life in New York City.
The film is fun, light and frothy and I loved Rachel’s character. She is a smart, well read and an independent woman who is not afraid to call out Nick when he is wrong. Another strong woman on the show was Astrid played by Gemma Chan. I loved her in the book and though her character was not as well fleshed out as I would have liked it, I am looking forward to her story in more detail when the sequel comes out.
Someone watching this movie may think Singapore is filled with Chinese millionaires and billionaires as almost everyone in the film is Chinese and a millionaire. You would be hard pressed to find other races in the film (Singapore is a multi-cultural and multi-racial society), not even in scenes which show them socialising (except for the one where Rachel befriends the Malay princess Intan).
All in all, this is a fun film and for those who don’t know Singapore, this is a good starting point. Singapore is shot very well and I am sure the STB will use parts of the film as marketing campaigns moving forward.
My verdict: Do go and see the film, you won’t regret it!
Laos, 1979: Dr Siri Paiboun, the twice-retired ex-National Coroner of Laos, receives an unmarked package in the mail. Inside is a handwoven pha sin, a colourful traditional skirt worn in northern Laos. A lovely present, but who sent it to him, and why? And, more importantly, why is there a severed human finger stitched into the sin’s lining?
Siri is convinced someone is trying to send him a message and won’t let the matter rest until he’s figured it out. He finagles a trip up north to the province where the sin was made, not realising he is embarking on a deadly scavenger hunt. Meanwhile, the northern Lao border is about to erupt into violence—and Dr. Siri and his entourage are walking right into the heart of the conflict.
I had been craving for some Palak Paneer for a few weeks now when I chanced upon this recipe on Facebook from Chef Sanjyot Keer of Your Food Lab. The recipe was intriguing enough to tempt me and when I chanced upon some spinach over the weekend, I knew it was time to try this recipe. This is very different from the usual recipe that I make which is inspired by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipe which is very simple. This one is slightly more complicated, but was super delicious and was a hit at home!
Palak Paneer
Ingredients:
2 big bunches spinach or palak, chopped
1 big cup frozen paneer (soaked in hot water for 30 minutes)
1 big pod of garlic, grated or chopped finely
1 large onion, cut in half and then sliced vertically
4-5 green chillies
1 bunch of coriander leaves
1/2 cup beaten yoghurt
2 tbsp ghee or oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp black or pink salt
Salt to taste
1 tbsp lemon juice
Method:
Take a large pan and boil water in it. When the water is boiling, blanch the spinach in it for 2-3 minutes and remove. Soak it in a large bowl of iced water for a few minutes before removing and draining the water. This preserves the lovely green colour of the spinach.
When the spinach is cool, blend it with the green chillies and coriander leaves into a smooth paste and keep aside.
In another pan, heat the ghee and when warm, add the cumin seeds and let it splutter.
Then add the chopped or grated garlic and let it saute for a few minutes.
Next, add the sliced onions and let the onions slightly brown.
When the onions start to brown, add the cumin powder, turmeric powder and red chilli powder and mix well. Then add the black or pink salt and season with salt.
Now add the beaten yoghurt and mix well. Let the masala cook well and the ghee start to leave the sides of the pan.
Then add the spinach puree and let the palak cook well. When the spinach starts to bubble, add the paneer pieces and let it cook for a few more minutes.
Now gently sprinkle the wholewheat flour a bit by bit and let it get absorbed into the gravy. This is to thicken the gravy.
Lastly, sprinkle the garam masala and the lemon juice and switch off the gas. Serve hot with Indian flatbreads or jeera rice.
You can also add fresh cream as the last step before adding the garam masala and the lemon juice as well as a garnish. I didn’t have cream at home and omitted this step.
In the early 1980s, Colin Thubron wrote a book about his travels around the Soviet Union in an old Morris Minor. In the late 90s, post–Soviet Union, he decided to explore Siberia—this time by truck, by bus, by boat. The result is an evocative account of an extraordinary region. He travels through exotic cities and deserted villages, meets nostalgic old Stalinists and aggressive Orthodox churchmen, and generally interweaves Siberia’s fascinating history with a description of the place today.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s witty comedy of manners—one of the most popular novels of all time—that features splendidly
Laos, 1979: Dr Siri Paiboun, the twice-retired ex-National Coroner of Laos, receives an unmarked package in the mail. Inside is a handwoven pha sin, a colourful traditional skirt worn in northern Laos. A lovely present, but who sent it to him, and why? And, more importantly, why is there a severed human finger stitched into the sin’s lining?
Palak Paneer
Memories and Such 