This is not a cookbook. It is the story of a people. In the Malay Archipelago - encompassing Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia - the ingredients in a dish reflect the richness of the region. Sublime flavours build ties of kinship, while familiar foods hold their own in tales of kings and dynasties. In the heart of this region lies Singapore. Here, the grandeur of Malay cuisine reflects the eclectic origins of its people. It is central to their art of living. It is their unwritten story. And what better way to chronicle the story of a people than through its food? This landmark publication explores in detail the history and culture of Malay food in Singapore. How did Malay cuisine evolve to its modern-day form? How has geography influenced the way Malays eat? What cultural beliefs shape the rituals of Malay gastronomy? What does food tell us about the Malay worldview? Chapters include: the art of foraging; techniques of preservation and preparation; sweets and savouries; food as medicine; aesthetics and symbolism; cultural exchanges and adaptations; feasts and celebrations. Coupled with over 400 stunning photographs from travels around the region as well as 40 detailed recipes for recreating key Malay dishes (both the popular and the obscure), this highly anticipated book is set to be the definitive work on Malay gastronomy. Includes dual measures.

"The Malay population makes up Singapore's three largest ethnic groups. This book provides an analysis of the debates on religion, politics and citizenship of Malay Muslims in contemporary Singapore. Comprehensively and convincingly argued, the author examines their disadvantaged circumstances in the fields of politics, education, social mobility, and freedom of religious expression."--Publisher's description.

What happens after a country splits apart? Forty-seven years ago Singapore separated from Malaysia. Since then, the two countries have developed along their own paths. Malaysia has given preference to the majority Malay Muslims—the bumiputera, or sons of the soil. Singapore, meanwhile, has tried to build a meritocracy—ostensibly colour-blind, yet more encouraging perhaps to some Singaporeans than to others. How have these policies affected ordinary people? How do these two divergent nations now see each other and the world around them? Seeking answers to these questions, two Singaporeans set off to cycle around Peninsular Malaysia, armed with a tent, two pairs of clothes and a daily budget of three US dollars each. They spent 30 days on the road, cycling through every Malaysian state, and chatting with hundreds of Malaysians. Not satisfied, they then went on to interview many more people in Malaysia and Singapore. What they found are two countries that have developed economically but are still struggling to find their souls.

This book explores race and multiculturalism in Malaysia and Singapore from a range of different disciplinary perspectives, showing how race and multiculturalism are represented, how multiculturalism works out in practice, and how attitudes towards race and multiculturalism – and multicultural practices – have developed over time. Going beyond existing studies – which concentrate on the politics and public aspects of multiculturalism – this book burrows deeper into the cultural underpinnings of multicultural politics, relating the subject to the theoretical angles of cultural studies and post-colonial theory; and discussing a range of empirical examples (drawn from extensive original research, covering diverse practices such as films, weblogs, music subcultures, art, policy discourse, textbooks, novels, poetry) which demonstrate overall how the identity politics of race and intercultural interaction are being shaped today. It concentrates on two key Asian countries particularly noted for their relatively successful record in managing ethnic differences, at a time when many fast-developing Asian countries increasingly have to come to terms with cultural pluralism and migrant diversity.

This new appraisal of their relationship offers groundbreaking new insights into the way in which the Malaysian and Singapore states see both themselves and each other.

Over the years, the Englishes of Singapore and Malaysia have developed into varieties in their own right, ranging from the sub-varieties spoken by people with high levels of English-medium education and of higher socio-economic status. This text volume illustrates this from a range of examples of spoken and written Singapore and Malaysian English as well as advertising pamphlets, newspaper advertisements and literary texts. The introduction to the volume sketches the historical and ethnic background, the increase in the functions of English in the colonial and earlier post-colonial period and the divergent language policies which have led to a decline in the status and functions of English in Malyasia but an ever increasing emphasis on it in Singapore. Each text is accompanied by a set of notes which explain grammatical and lexical characteristics and give information about the background of the text.