My World Tuesday - Chinatown - Chinese New Year 2010 - Long Queue at Bak Kwa Store

Bakkwa, or rougan is a Chinese salty-sweet dried meat product similar to jerky, made in the form of flat thin sheets. It is normally made from pork. (You can read more about it from wikipedia.

It is a very popular snack especially during Chinese New Year. People can queue for hours just to buy them. It dont come cheap and can cost from S$45 per kg. Although it is a snack, people do eat them with rice and even pizza now comes with BakKwa toppings.

Lim Chee Guan Bak Kwa Stall is very popular, every year during Chinese New Year, queues are formed and they can numbered more than 50 people. Lim Chee Guan Bak Kwa has a long history since 1938. My late mother in law is a loyal customer of his stall ever since the stall started...lol.

I have no idea why people would queue at the head office of the bak kwa stall. Lim Chee Guan has two other outlets, one opposite this head office i.e. People's Park Complex #01-25 (Chinatown MRT Exit C) - that's where I got my bak kwa without queuing. The other outlet is at ION Orchard #B4-37 (Orchard MRT).

You can visit his website.

A short video of the queue. Those at the front of the queue seems so happy that their turn is coming soon to purchase the Bak Kwa...hahaha.



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Chinatown - Chinese New Year 2010 Shopping Part 3

A must for the chinese family is a candied box/tray where we placed all sorts of candies with auspicious names. The candied box/tray consists of eight compartments and the tray meaning togetherness.

Melon Seeds (best is the red melon seeds) which mean the more melon seeds you eat, you will have more children .

This is the green tea melon seeds which is not so popular.

Sweetened lotus roots symbolising abundance, sweetened lotus seeds symbolising fertility, and all kinds of candies symbolising long-term sweetness.

Chinatown - Chinese New Year 2010 Shopping Part 2

Every year this company would set up stalls selling waxed ducks, chinese sausages , etc. There's even preserved pig trotters on sale.

I dont mind the chinese sausages and waxed ducks but not the pig trotters.

This year there are not many stalls selling the famous taiwanese muah chee. When it was first introduced in Singapore, almost every stalls sold the muah chee.

Cookies for chinese new year selling for four jars for $5. Come Chinese New Year's Eve, the price will be slashed to about fifty cents per jar. I am baking some cookies for chinese new year.

Chinatown - Chinese New Year Shopping 2010

At last, I did some shopping for Chinese New Year. It is only one week away from Chinese New Year. I wonder why this year I am so late for my CNY shopping.

I love the way this shop decorated its shop. I think they should get a prize for best decorated shop.

These are all the favourites for Chinese New Year Shopping. Red is a favourite with all chinese. These chun lians/couplets are also favourites with the chinese. Chun Lians are couplets written with well and good luck messages. Duilians are couplets written with a pair of messages/verses normally found pasted on the front of the doors. Duilians are permanent while chun lians are temporary decorations.



Lots of red in here with some artificial fire crackers as decorations.

This being the Year of the Tiger, so tiger stuff toys and decorations are plentiful in Chinatown.

I never like tigers and am fearful of them. I used to dream of tigers (those with orange and black stripes).

Oh I love these chinese paper cuttings. Did you know that paper was invented by Cai Lun in China? So paper cutting is of course originated from China too.

You can read the history of paper cuttings from wikipedia

Skywatch Friday - Chinese New year Decoration in Chinatown Singapore

At last, I did some shopping in Chinatown and get to take some photos of the decorations.

God of Fortune holding the gold ingot.

For other sky watchers, please hop over to Skywatch blog.