Singapore and China's cultures

Collage of Singapore's culture

For Singapore youth culture, we often use social platforms such as snapchat and instagram to interact with our friends. Also, the charades app is very popular amongst teenagers, as we can play it when we are out with our friends and it entertains us very much. There is also a Singapore version of it, and it is easy for us to guess the word or action as the words given are part of what we say daily. Also, there is a lot of stress to strive for the best in everything in Singapore, as everyone is very competitive. With peer pressure and the high expectation of parents, it is hard not to give in to the pressure that we face. There are 3 pictures of childhood snacks in this collage. This is because even though we used to eat them when we were young, we still do eat them, and eating these childhood snacks brings back fond memories of our childhood.

Collage of China's Culture

For China's youth culture, the social platform largely used is QQ. QQ is represented by a penguin that as a red scarf tied around its neck, and we think that it is the Chinese version of whatsapp, the social platform we use to talk to each other in Singapore. From our understanding and Chinese movies we watch, we often see children playing with jump ropes which is why we have included that into our collage. Also, we have heard about bing ting hulu, which is widely popular amongst all in China, especially the youths. Bing tang hulu consists of candied fruits on bamboo skewers and iscommanly available on most China cities, and we hope to try it when we go to Shanghai and Suzhou. Fried broad beans are also very popular in China and many will eat it as snacks. China is indeed a food paradise. Thus, we look forward to learning more about China's culture and experiencing them. 

Shanghai Food Information

Shanghai dishes usually look red and shiny, for they are often pickled in wine and their cooking methods include baking, stewing, braising, steaming, deep-frying, etc. Fish, crab, chicken are "drunken" with spirits and are briskly cooked, steamed, or served raw. Sa;ted meats and preserved vegetables are also commonly used to enhance the dish. Sugar is an important ingredient in Shanghai cuisine, especially when used in combination with soy sauce. Another characteristic is the use of a great variety of seafood. Rice is dominantly served over noodle or other wheat products. Shanghai cuisine stresses on using condiments and keeping the original flavours of the materials and has features of being fresh, smooth and crispy. It aims at harmoniously arranged. Now, special attention is being pad to low-sugar and low-fat food, a good quantity of vegetables and nutritional values. Generally Shanghai cuisine is mellower and slightly sweet in taste. Sweet and sour is a typical Shanghai taste.

Suzhou Food Information

Suzhou is a paradise for gourmets, with its long history and thousands of years of culinary experience and culture. The characteristics of Suzhou cuisine lie in its delicate preparations, emphasis on ingredients quality and it uniqueness in their dishes look and taste. Suzhou food delicacies tend towards the sweet side while retaing the ingredients' natural flavour.

Shanghai must-trys

1.Shengjianbao (生煎包)

These crispy-bottomed dumplings are filled with pork and broth, pan-fried, and garnished with sesame seeds and chopped green onions. Dip the crispy, chewy morsels in vinegar or eat them hot right out of the pan, but be careful—the soupy innards are hot. The dumplings can be found on nearly every block in the city, including at Yang’s Fried Dumpling, inside the new food mall at Wujiang Lu. If you’re near shopping district Xintiandi, stop by the dumpling stand at 173 Songshan Lu, near Taicang Lu, or take it inside at chic Shanghai Tang Café.


2. Xiaolongbao (soup dumpling, 小笼包). 

The delicate, steamed cousin of the shengjianbao is a Shanghai staple, 

and locals swear by their local purveyors of these hot, hearty soup dumplings. Xiaolongbao from tiny street stalls are almost always filled with pork, but larger stands and brick-and-mortar shops offer crab roe and shrimp varieties. Popular restaurant Fu Chun cranks out the authentic dumplings from 6:30 a.m. to midnight, while Taiwanese chain Din Tai Fung takes them upscale, with fillings including black truffle.

3. Chuanr (skewers, 串儿, pronounced “chwar”)

Originating from Xinjiang, China’s westernmost province and home to a predominant Muslim population, these kebabs are sold outside nightlife spots and taxi lines. Chuanr stand offerings include lamb, chicken, beef, seafood like shellfish, and vegetarian options like eggplant and tofu. Unless you request otherwise, your skewers will be topped with cumin seeds, salt, sesame seeds or sesame oil, dried pepper flakes and a spicy sauce. To find these hearty skewers, check the intersections of Yuyuan Lu and Wulumuqi Bei Lu, Changle Lu and Fumin Lu, and Yongfu Lu and Fuxing Lu.


4. Jian Bing (breakfast crepe, 煎餅)




Youtiao. Photo courtesy of ShanghaiExpat.com.

Crepe batter made from mung bean flour is topped with an egg or two, then chopped pickled greens, scallions and cilantro are sprinkled on top. When your crepe is golden brown, the cook will smear on a combination of red bean, hoisin and chili sauces before tucking in the jian bing’s most essential ingredient—alternately fried tofu, wonton skin, or dough. You’ll find these crepes in back alleys and on side streets—try the crepe cart just behind The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai, on the northeast corner of Xikang Lu and Nanyang Lu.


5.Cheese Butter Lobster 黄油焗龙虾

It is new-fashioned Cantonese dish. It tastes creamy, fresh, and mellow. A Chinese-Western combined dish, it is very popular in Japan and Southeast Asia.


6.Smoked Fish Slices

Ideal for those who like highly spiced food, Shanghai's "smoked" fish slices (fresh fish marinated and spiced to taste like smoked fish) make a tasty dish.


7.Beggar's Chicken

Beggar's Chicken calls for a stuffed and marinated chicken, sealed tight with layers of lotus leaves, and then wrapped in parchment paper or wax paper along with mud.

This unique cooking technique produces tender, juicy, and aromatic chicken, with the original taste of the chicken perfectly retained and trapped. The bones just fall off the chicken after hours of baking, and the meat is bursting with intense fragrance. Beggar's chicken is a real Chinese delicacy that cannot be missed.

Zhiweiguan, established in 1920 in Changsou Road, Putuo District, offers this dish.
HISTORY: According to the legend, beggar's chicken originated in the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911).


8.Pepper Duck

Pepper duck is a famous dish in Shanghai. Charlie Chaplin, world-renowned master of comedy, praised this dish as "a lifelong unforgettable gourmet".

The dish calls for half or a whole marinated duck, lightly fried and served with plum sauce and steamed bread. With a bright red color, crispy skin, and tender meat, Shanghai pepper duck will reward you with a pleasant experience. Autumn is the best season to enjoy this dish.
9.Roast Duck 烤鸭

Beijing roast duck is bright in color, crispy in skin and tender in meat. Taken together with a special paste, scallions, steamed pancakes, it is very delicious. This world-renowned dish is not only available in Beijing, but also in Shanghai. It is roasted in an open fire Cantonese style, combined with the culinary art of Beijing duck. It is known as Shanghai roast duck.

Suzhou must-trys

Suzhou is the center of eastern catering culture. Suzhou Cuisine as an important branch of Chinese cuisine, it boasts its own and unique characteristics. Here are descriptions of several famous Suzhou dishes. After looking at all these mouthwatering snacks, I can't wait to fly to Suzhou to try them!

1.Song Shu Gui Yu

Song Shu Gui Yu means Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish in English. Song Shu Gui Yu is a signature of Suzhou cuisine. It is basically a whole mandarin fish adorably cut and fried in the shape of a forest squirrel. Covered in a tasty sweet and sour sauce, the steamy, fleshy chunks fish meat remains tender within the lightly breaded crust.
HISTORY: A well-known traditional dish in Suzhou regarded as the required dish in the banquets and feasts in the south area of the Yangtze River. It is recorded that when the Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty visited the south area of Yangtze River, the chef in the Songhelou Restaurant well satisfied him with the Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish. He carved on the boneless carp, covered yolk paste on it and fried it, then scattered some sweet and sour sauce on it. The dish shaped as a squirrel, tasted crisp and soft, sour and sweet. The emperor felt very content to the dish, thus from then on it was widely spread and named as the Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish.








2. Xiang You Shan Hu

There are different dishes in different seasons in Suzhou. Xiang You Shan Hu (stir-fried eels) is a seasonable dish too. The eels are fat and tender during summer. At this time, this dish is very popular in Suzhou. It is so named as it crackles when the hot oil is poured onto eels. When the Xiang You Shan Hu is taken on table, you can still hear it crackles and smell the mouthwatering aroma.









3.Chicken Steamed in Watermelon

The chicken is rich in nutrition and the watermelon is not only a kind of popular fruit in summer but also has the function of clearing the excessive internal heat and inducing diuresis. This is a course of perfect dish with the balance of both fruit and meat.
It is as well a tasty dish. The chicken is so tender and it actually pulls apart at the middle of the watermelon. The chicken soup is very mellow and overall.









4. Ba Fei Tang

Ba Fei Tang in English is called Bafei Soup. It is a famous soup originated from Shijia Restaurant. Ba Fei Tang is the stewed by liver and meat of the barbel. As a incomparably fresh soup, Ba Fei Tang is a must try in Suzhou.
Si Jia Restaurant Address: 18 Zhongshi Street, Mudu Town, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China









5. Biluo Xia Ren (Shrimp)

Biluo Shrimp is another representative of Suzhou dishes. Biluo refers to Bi Luo Chun Tea grown in Xishan Mountain of Taihu Lake. Many Suzhou dishes are made of the shelled shrimps, and the Biluo Shrimp is a traditional one. This dish is cooked by juice of green Bi Luo Chun Tea and fresh shrimps.

History of Food in Shanghai 

Shanghai cuisine has a history of more than 400 years. Traditionally called Benbang cuisine, it originated in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1840). Shanghai dishes usually look red and shiny, for they are often pickled in wine and their cooking methods include baking, stewing, teaming, deep-frying, etc. In the later part of 19th century after Shanghai became a major domestic and international trading port, Benbang dishes underwent some substantial changes by adopting certain merits of other cuisines.

A few examples of some of the history of Shanghai food are given below:

Braised Hairy Crab

The history of Chinese eating crabs dates back to as early as the Western Zhou Dynasty. As recorded in both Zhou Rites and Zi Lin (a reference book on philology) in the Jin Dynasty, the history lasts 2700 years or so. It is around the Mid-Autumn Day every year that the hairy crab is gradually on the market. Ever since the ancient times, eating crabs has been a refined pleasure which requires careful study. Li Bai, a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty, once wrote in his poetry about the bliss of having good wine and delicious food while savoring crabs.

Yellow Mud Snail

Historical documents show that the mud snail was first eaten by coastal Chinese in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). However, it only became popularized in Shanghai 50 years ago by Ningbo immigrants who had brought the snails with them during a massive immigration wave.