Little India

Last Saturday Singapore celebrated Deepavali -- a major Hindu holiday. It was no coincidence that prior to the holiday, Megan's 1st grade class took a field trip to Little India. I met the bus that afternoon to find Megan adorned with several pretty bracelets and a jewel on her forehead. :)

The field trip made quite an impression because in the days following, Megan kept asking to return to Little India so she could show us around. Our previous trip to that part of town mainly consisted of shopping at Mustafa's, a Singapore mega-store known for its variety of products sold at bargain prices and huge spice selection. During her field trip, Megan enjoyed visiting the wet market, touring a Hindu temple and sampling Indian food at a cafe. While Elizabeth's class didn't visit Little India, her teacher arranged for parents to visit the class to share food and traditions surrounding the Deepavali holiday. I appreciate the emphasis SAS places on providing an international education for the students, no matter their age. And I personally love learning more about another culture's holidays and traditions from my kids!

Megan and Elizabeth had a few days off for Fall Break so when Brian was off work Monday for the holiday, the 4 of us rode the MRT to Little India for the afternoon while Emily napped. First we ate at the Banana Leaf Apolo. I have to admit that I don't consider myself a fan of Indian food. I've tasted a few dishes in the past and didn't like the flavors. Brian, on the other hand, likes Indian cuisine so he was in charge in ordering our food.

Banana leaves served as our plates, which the girls found very cool. My only requests were naan (bread) and iced tea. We ate chicken curry (actually fairly tasty), charcoal mutton (I never knew food could be SO ultraviolet in color), battered prawns (hard to go wrong with fried seafood) and some cheese and garlic naan. The waiter brought our order and then returned with steamed rice and a couple metal buckets. He ladled two scoops of saucy mystery food next to our rice. One was cabbage-based and resembled sauerkraut. The other seemed to be tomato-based vegetables. Overall, the meal tasted better than I expected and now I know that if I ever travel to India, I can survive on bread. The naan was delicious.

We located the Hindu temple and I'm still trying to pronounce the name:  Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple. We then strolled down Serangoon Road to the Little India Arcade, a collection of little shops under one roof. The shops selling gold jewelry and traditional Indian clothing caught my attention with the ornate details and colors. It's no wonder Megan enjoyed this part of town so much! It was an enjoyable outing for everyone and I am glad Megan prompted us to explore more of Little India.