Eat, Drink – and Desserts are on the Balcony!

I find furniture giant IKEA’s philosophy a good parallel to the revised objectives of the Dinner and Dance (D&D) committee in organising this year’s celebration. Aiming to be more inclusive than before, the committee boldly decided to lower the price of its D&D tickets to an unprecedented $38 for TPAS members, and $58 for non-members. The event was then guided by what this lower price could best procure. Just like IKEA, some frills were clipped, but without cutting corners overall.

With great resourcefulness, the ballroom of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry was secured as the dinner venue at a reasonable cost. Long-time caterers Guan Hoe Soon provided a delectable buffet spread of Nyonya favourites including ngoh hiang and bakwan kepiting, and even though a tight space meant that the buffet service had to be cleared quickly to make room for everyone to joget, savoury desserts of puloh hitam and chendol were doled out in generous portions on the ballroom’s balcony!

Nonetheless, the party vibe was not in the least dampened. Seven-piece band, The Locomotions, performed up-tempo favourites and guests needed no prompting to turn the area in front of the stage into their dance floor. During dinner, a simple slide show featuring photos from past association events prompted much reminiscing amongst the guests. Entertainment also came in the form of a light-hearted repartee between doyen G.T. Lye and Nyonya Mabel Lee and a medley of songs from the Peranakan Voices.

This being TPAS’ 110th anniversary, the occasion was also a time to take stock of how far the culture had come, and thank all our loyal supporters. Guests included representatives from the Singapore Tourism Board and the Joo Chiat Community Club Peranakan Interest Group, both of whom TPAS is proud to be able to count as its partners in cultural promotion.

Next year, the D&D committee will be organising two dinners – the 111th D&D, which will be held along similar lines as this year’s – and a fund-raising gala, The Peranakan Ball, slated for July 2011. Ready your stomachs for not one, but two opportunities to eat, drink and buat lao jiat!