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Monday, November 17, 2008

"Cunctando regitur mundus"

Me: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasians_in_Singapore - shepherd's pie is a eurasian dish???????

Gabriel: "Foods commonly associated with Eurasian culinary traditions" not "Eurasian dishes"

Me: chapati is a food associated with Indian culinary tradition
nasi lemak is a food associated with Malay culinary tradition
char siew is a food associated with Chinese culinary tradition
It would take a humongous stretch to put shepherd's pie in the same category.

Gabriel: "Today, Eurasians use tamarind, lemongrass, lime and galangal to create exotic curries, sambal, soups and vegetable dishes. Occasionally they use alcohol to add body to meat and fish dishes. From the Peranakans they acquired a taste for sweet-and-sour dishes along with the art of chopping vegetables, which they stirfry the Chinese way. Signature Eurasian dishes include curry debal (devil’s curry: spicy Eurasian meat curry; see the recipe) and feng (pork curry; a Christmas speciality that is best eaten a day old), as well as European conventions such as chicken pie, corned beef cutlets and shepherd’s pie."
--- World Food: Malaysia and Singapore / Tan Su-Lyn, Mark Tay

Me: based on that last sentence, bread and potatoes are also part of the Eurasian culinary cuisine.

Gabriel: How about Borscht soup and Hong Kong?
In the same way that Rice is part of the Chinese culinary tradition
Just because rice is part of the Chinese culinary tradition doesn't mean it's not also part of the Indian culinary tradition

[HK coffee shops have a tendency to sell rebadged, watery minestrone as "Borscht soup" here. It apparently dates back to a "Western diner" fad in the late 70s / early 80s]

Me: hk people would recognise borscht soup as part of their [bastard] culinary tradition no eurasian would recognise shepherd's pie as "eurasian" culinary tradition
NO ONE ASSOCIATES SHEPHERD PIE WITH EURASIANS.

I can acknowledge how rice would be recognisable as part of Chinese and Indian culinary tradition. I [still] fail to see how shepherd's pie is Eurasian culinary tradition.
British culinary tradition, yes. Eurasian???

Hell, borscht soup in the HK context is arguably more Eurasian culinary tradition than shepherd's pie.
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