Join us for a Seasonings Roundtable
Recently, it feels like whenever I am on Instagram, the topic of racism never fails to come up. The recent slew of blatant racism in Singapore has been disheartening, and what scares me is that the racist people depicted in those video clips could have been people I know. COVID seems to have lifted the pot’s lid and let out all these sentiments that would otherwise be contained. It only goes to show how important it is for us to understand and humanize one another. More conversations need to be shared about “sensitive” issues that are often deemed awkward or taboo to bring up.
At 11am SGT tomorrow (Saturday, 12 June), Hafi and I will be hosting a Zoom roundtable with the contributors of the Hari Raya Puasa edition of Seasonings. As a follow up to the content within the issue, we will be discussing the following topics:
1. Given that there is a large religious component to Hari Raya Puasa, what are some pressures that one might face while trying to adhere to the 'expected mould' of being Muslim? How do new converts, non-religious Muslims, LGBT Muslims, or Malays who don't consider themselves Muslim approach the season of Ramadan and Hari Raya?
2. The recent Sarah Bagharib wedding photo saga happened partly due of a lack of understanding of Hari Raya Puasa traditions/ costumes. What, in your opinion, was so offensive about the incident and what misconception or stereotypes do people need to undo about the festival or about Singaporean Malays in general?
3. Given that Hari Raya in Singapore is so definitive of being Malay, how can a non-Malay Muslim celebrating Hari Raya feel part of the community?
4. Malay food tends to get a bad rep because the image of Malay food in peoples' minds tends to be that of Hari Raya food (e.g. rendang, ayam masak merah). What are some everyday dishes that enjoyed by the Malay community?
5. What are some misconceptions that people have of some Hari Raya dishes?
6. Given that more of us want to eat more vegetables and be more sustainable eaters, what are ways to create vegetarian versions of festival foods? What is the role that plant-based foods play in Malay cuisine?
We will be accepting questions from the audience, please come with an open heart and mind! To register, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/seasoningspanel. See you tomorrow!