Читать книгу Asian Accents - Lisa Kim-Tribolati - Страница 7

A style both old and new

Pink, jade, turquoise and lemon: the elegant facades of terraced houses shimmer in the heat of the afternoon sun. Louvered wooden shutters are tightly shut against the glare while on the ground floors, the ornate pintu pagars, or half doors, guard the privacy of the occupants while allowing tropical breezes to enter. Welcome to Emerald Hill Road, Singapore.

When we moved to Singapore we were both lucky enough to find ourselves living in the renovated shophouses that fringe this colorful road. Shophouses are a traditional form of terraced house built early this century in the Malay Peninsula by the Peranakan communities (descendants of the Chinese traders who married Malay women). The interior spaces of these historic homes are long and narrow; on average, shophouses are just 18 feet wide. The open or enclosed central courtyards let in light and are perfect for the more casual style of entertaining encouraged by the equatorial heat.

This relaxed, leisurely style of entertaining exemplifies what we have come to think of as "the new Asian style", and inspired us to write this book. In the modern Asian home, the traditional furnishings and flavors of the Orient are infused with a Western sense of freedom and whimsy. In the realms of both food and decor, tradition has been spiced up with humor and a knack for the creative combination has replaced the formal. Inexpensive paper Chinese lanterns are coupled with rare and exquisite porcelain, and an airy lychee mousse might follow a piquant Cajun gumbo; all served on a fresh banana leaf. In today's international kitchen, cilantro and ginger are as much a necessity as olive oil and garlic.

Above all, the essence of this new style of decor and entertaining is a sense of balance and serenity; modernity is now at ease with tradition. This tranquility is also at the heart of life on Emerald Hill Road, Walking down this street you can imagine what life was like when this area was a nutmeg plantation. Children still play on the street and at night, the scents of different cuisines linger in the jasmine trees. Dainty bats dance in the light of the five-foot walkways. As for the cats of Emerald Hill Road... they are a book on their own.