ALL THINGS BIG AND SMALL 2.0

* This article was actually written about a year ago. The year of the Pig is now coming to an end, and Chinese New Year on Feb 07 will usher in the year of the Rat. The Pig is an animal, as useful as can be An icon of happiness and prosperity They say that the Pig is most intelligent I can vouch that it is not belligerent Pigs are productive and breed like rabbits Though I can’t say much about their mating habits What I like most about pigs is not what they do What I like most about pigs is a bowl of pork rib stew Pigs ear, pig’s tongue, pig's brain and pig’s tummy The last when cooked with white peppercorn is real yummy Pig’s liver, snout, kidney, skin and even pig’s tail Does something good for appetite, they never fail This year it is, the Year of the Pig This year, I think I’ll make it big And the reason is as clear as a Fig For I was born in the year of the Pig Not just any Pig, but a pig of Gold 600 years in waiting, lo and behold The Golden Pig has come to my door Not much...

From Top Left clockwise: (1)Pockets of sheer delight, Tofu cakes sliced open like a Bagel and filled with: duck meat, belly pork, fish cakes, chopped Chinese sausage, prawn fritters, pig's tongue, pig's ear's, duck liver, cucumber, boiled squid. (2) The Chili sauce that you dip the Tau Kwa Pau into: a spicy, piquant mixture of chili, vinegar, the gravy from braising the pig and duck, garlic, onion and green chili [peppers]. (3) The stall: you can see the whole braised duck hanging, and other parts in the trays below. Many years ago, a hawker in Katong [a district on the Eastern side of Simgapore sold braised duck, belly pork, pig's tongue, fish balls, Chinese sausage, fried prawn fritters, duck eggs and tofu cakes. This was eaten with cucumbers, and a fantastic sauce made of chilli, vinegar,sliced green chilli, and the brown gravy left fom the braising. On some days he couldn't finish selling all his food. So he came up with the ingenious idea of chopping up all the...