Category: Tour

Contents:
– Kim Choo Kueh Chang: bite and gallery visit
– East Coast Road Shophouses
– Church of the Holy Family
– Soon Soon Huat Curry Puffs: bite
– Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple + Udipi Ganesh Vilas: bite
– Red House Bakery

• Kim Choo Kueh Chang

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When we entered, we went to the gallery first, but before we explored, our tour guide gave us an introduction to the Peranakan culture.

She started off with explaining the meaning behind ‘Katong’. In the past, the current Katong area was near the sea. At that time, a species of sea turtles called Katong that had not been extinct then was present at that beach. Fishermen decided to name this area after the turtle, hence the name. Before Raffles’s arrival, an explorer from China named Cheng Ho came to explore Singapore. Amidst that, some of his men fell in love with the locals who were mainly Malays or Indonesians. This is the reason why another term for Peranakans is “straits-born Chinese”.       

The men who came with Cheng Ho were wealthy, and because the land in Singapore then were suitable for plantation grounds so these men bought land to develop into coconut plantations. While the poor families squeezed into shophouses, the rich ones lived in villas by the beach.

Later on, right before we started to explore the gallery in Kim Choo Kueh Chang, our tour guide gave us a brief explanation behind wedding beds of Peranakans. It is prepared by the mother of the bride, and on it lies a few bowlsters, and at the side on the floor, a rooster, a symbol of good luck. She also mentioned about how a young boy up to 2 years old would roll on the bed in hopes of the first child to be a boy.

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Kebaya, comprising of a tunic and a sarong. It did not have buttons and the richer ones would use European lace, which was a symbol of authority and wealth. They were usually made of batik or cotton.

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As we explored later, we noticed metal containers with flowery designs stacked together, which were used to store meals. They are called “tingkat”.

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Their cutlery and plates were mostly ceramic with flowery designs or with peacocks.

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The tea set they used then was a mix of European and Chinese culture, but more of a Chinese influence on the the European culture.

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As we explored deeper, we found embroidery made out of many small, colourful beads. They usually depicted flowers. The Peranakans usually used these pieces of art on their clothes or shoes.

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Right before we set off to our next destination, we had to chance to take a quick bite into jiu cheng gao ;D

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• East Coast Road Shophouses

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Interior architecture of the shophouses
– narrow staircase
– a few rooms upstairs (for a few families)
– 1 shared bathroom
– 1 shared kitchen
– Spiral stairs (back exit)

Must have for shophouses: 5 foot way
– used for small businesses
– protect pedestrians from hot tropical sun and rain

Uses of the shophouses
– simpler or old-looking ones: family run businesses (3rd generation)
– aesthetic or well maintained ones: beauty hotel, welfare shops, restaurants

• Church of the Holy Family

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This is a Roman Catholic Church, by far the one of the largest church and has the longest history in East Coast.

Officially known as the Church of the Holy Family, it is affectionally called the ‘Katong Church’ or ‘Katong Catholic Church’ by the older generations. It was the first church to be built along the eastern part of Singapore. As communities were mainly Peranakans and Eurasians, this church became a focal point for anyone to seek shelter.

In the 1820s, the Lasalle brothers started off in small huts. Later in 1902, Eurasian landowners who joined the Lasalle Brothers for mass at their timber houses mooted the idea of building a church. A wealthy Eurasian landowner, James Leonard Scheerder donated a piece of land to be used to build a chapel in Katong. He only allowed the land to be used for a chapel, if not so then the land would be passed down to the next generation. the number of people grew due to migration, and in 1933 Peranakan Chinese came, resulting in more people. Also in 1932, the church was finally built. In 1936, the first Peranakan mass was held. Later on, the church underwent renovations, which was completed in 1999.

Unlike other churches, this church would have mass on the Chinese New Year Eve as there were many Peranakans who attended the church. This makes the Church of the Holy Family unique from other churches in Singapore.

• Soon Soon Huat Curry Puffs

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Currently, the 3rd generation boss is operating the shop. Her grandmother (tao kae ma which means ‘grandmother boss’ in hokkien) used to operate a hawker stall near geylang in the past because they lived there. At that time, they were poor. Most of their neighbours were Malay but a lot of Chinese lived with the Malays as well, and they made curry puffs by hand and sold it. At first, the grandmother made soon kueh, but she learnt how to make curry puffs later on and sold them. She adjusted her recipe through trial and error. The business went well and they shifted location. Although the curry puff and soon kueh became famous, the 2nd gen boss wanted to give up the business later as she was tired. The current boss, the 3rd gen, felt that it was a pity to give up the family business and decided to quit her job as a secretary, later taking over the business.

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We got a chance to eat the curry chicken puffs here in Soon Soon Huat, and they were so delicious! Although it was slightly expensive, but it was worth it!

• Aesthetic houses (not on the itinerary)

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As we walked to our next destination, we spotted these well-decorated houses! This area used to be near the sea before the government reclaimed the land, hence they were elevated so that the residents would be safe in their houses when the tide was high. Currently, these houses are rented out by Eurasians. Because of their uniqueness, they are worth more than 5 thousand dollars!

• Sri Senpaga Vinayagar temple + Udipi Ganesh Vilas

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We learnt more about gods in the Indian culture as well as the architecture of this temple. Elephants are used as the god of protection has the head of an elephant, hence they use elephants to protect the temple from danger. Also, the doors of the entrance is built at a high height. This is because in India, when the king visits the temple, he would be carried on a seat to enter the temple; with the high doors, the king will not be affected when entering.

Have you ever wondered why the rooftops of temples are so high? Well, that’s because in India, a relatively big country, people have to travel long distances daily to go to the temple for their prayer which was not convenient for those living very far. With a high rooftop, these people would be able to pray to the god statues located at the rooftop which could be seen from afar, making it easier for them to pray without travelling long distances. Fun fact: this temple’s rooftop is 21m high!

Before we headed off to Udipi Ganesh Vilas, we learnt more about the differences between Northern and Southern India regarding food.

North India: Spicy but still tolerable, eat with fork and spoon, usually use wheat in their cooking, serve food in steel plates with compartments

South India: Chilli hot (not tolerable), eat with hand, usually use rice in their cooking, serve food with banana leaves, eat curry fish head

When we were at Udipi Ganesh Vilas, we got the chance to try a traditional Indian snack! We guessed that it contained condensed milk, raisins and nuts. Most of us didn’t really like it was it was too sweet for us but it was an interesting experience trying it!

• Red House Bakery

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The name Red House Bakery was derived from the façade of the two-storey shophouse that was painted red. It was originally known as Katong Bakery and Confectionery Co., started by Jim Baker, before it was taken over by Heavenly Wang. But thankfully, the original sign is still hanging till this day. The place was famous for its traditional cakes and pastries such as its curry puffs and soft swiss rolls. It was also known as a favourite hangout for local bands during the 1960s.

Not only that, it was also the space for casual meetings for families who wanted to matchmake their children to suitable partners. There were even ‘matchmaker’s screens’ where prospective couples were introduced, had tea, before going off to the nearby theatres for a movie. As the bakery was located within an active retail, entertainment and community hub in the 1950s, the bakery was located in what was “often considered the ‘traditional’ heart of Katong. “

That concludes the end of our tour in Katong/Joo Chiat! We discovered so much of Katong and Joo Chiat during this learning journey despite the heat. 😀

Curious on how our interviews went? Check it out here!

• LUNCH !! (bonus)

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328 Katong Laksa was so delicious!! Sadly Jamie couldn’t take spice so only 4 of us ate it. However, it sure SPICE-D our learning journey!

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At some point of time, we couldn’t take the spicyness of the laksa, and we decided to get one cup of coke and share it! We’ve never seen so many people share a cup of coke before! Surely, it was empty after a short period of time ;D