Needless to say, it's been getting busier and busier as Chinese New Year draws closer. A constant medley of traditional festive songs fill the air wherever you go. Fortune cats squint cheerfully down at customers as they haggle with vendors for the best prices. Stepping into Chinatown is like stepping onto and into a red carpet. Nearly every shophouse lining the narrow, bustling streets is filled to the brim with all manner of goods in every shade of red imaginable. Decor, floor mats, storage containers, signage - the color red is auspicious in Chinese culture, symbolizing good luck and prosperity, and you would be hard-pressed not to find it everywhere during an occasion such as this.
Very popular during Chinese New Year, but not uncommon otherwise, bakkwa (also known as bah kwa) is a smoked, preserved pork snack normally sold in thin, square slices. It may be served alone or together with other foods, and is sometimes be cut into circles to represent coins (wealth). Prices for bakkwa hit a high around this time of year, with some brands which normally cost 23SGD per kg going up to as high as 50SGD per kg!
The queues for bakkwa get ridiculously astoundingly long, sometimes taking up to three hours before reaching the front of the line (you can't even see the bakkwa shop in question in this picture):
I'd introduced Michelle to bakkwa a couple months back (when it was cheaper) and trying a bite of it at first she didn't seem too impressed and described it as being "similar to beef jerky". After eating a full square slice of bakkwa the opinion was upgraded to "delicious". I quite enjoy bakkwa myself and we both treat ourselves to a couple slices sometimes, but for now I'll wait for the prices to deflate. Ching chong.
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