Growing Up in Nonya kitchen

Then, Pasir Panjang was a small-scale equivalent of the
romantically fabled setting for The Great Gatsby. It was
a residential area for many affluent Peranakan Chinese
families. The estate she was born at had a special name.
It was called ‘Riviera’ and it had the distinction of being
one of the few in Singapore to have a sea pavilion jutting
out into the water.

My mother’s family, and my father’s as well, belonged
to a distinct group of Chinese settlers now known as
Peranakans. They traced their ancestry from the earliest
wave of Chinese immigrants to arrive in Southeast Asia,
particularly in Malacca. Their men were known as Babas,
and their womenfolk, Nonyas. Although I cannot explain
factually how the men became known as Babas, I do
know that in many cultures, fathers are affectionately
called ‘Baba’. ‘Nonya’, on the other hand, originates
from the Portuguese word for lady—‘dona’. This is not
unexpected considering that the Portuguese occupied
Malacca very early on. It is assumed that these Chinese
migrants were men who left the mainland and ventured

Clockwise from top left: ‘Maidstone’ at 42 Cairnhill Road, where my
grandfather threw parties to celebrate his mother’s birthday;
Cheang Hong Lim, my mother’s great grandfather; Mrs Cheang
Hong Lim née Yeo Bee Neo; Cheang Jim Chuan, my mother’s
grandfather; Chan Kim Hong Neo, wife of Cheang Jim Chuan;
Chia Gin Tee, mother of Chan Kim Hong Neo.

to this unknown region to seek their fortune from as early
as the 15th century.

There is a romantic legend that these men had originally
escorted a Chinese princess who sailed to this region to
marry a local prince. I personally think that these men who
came hundreds of years ago bore the same strong Chinese
predisposition for seeking a fortune and improving their
lot in life. Most of them hailed from Fujian province (hence,
they are called Hokkien); they did not bring with them
the women from China as it was illegal to do so. They
concentrated on building their livelihood; their foremost
need was to earn money first. As they settled, they
married the local slave girls from the Indonesian islands
and formed a community that intermarried frequently.
I would not be surprised if some Portuguese and Dutch
blood got thrown in along the way, given that Peranakans
sometimes display European physical features.

Having put their roots down early on, the Babas capitalised
on their knowledge of the land and their loyalty to the
British Crown, serving as a a conduit between the colonial
administrators and the locals. They acquired wealth
through farming rubber and other commodities, shipping
and trading. They were highly Anglicised and were among
the first to draw the benefits of higher education, often