Singaporeanisms - Code-Switching & Kopi Khoo
03:47 Share

Do I pay you pay now or cash? Cash, okay. I ask people, what's the most Singaporean thing about them? And I've found that the two most popular answers are language and food. First up, language. I think the most Singaporean thing about me is code switching.

It depends who you speak to. If you're talking to Singaporeans, it will be just very Singlish. It can go as deep as Inalien, right? But at the same time, if I would have to speak to perhaps a foreigner, then the enunciation would be a bit more articulate. Code switching is when a speaker alternates between two or more languages or language varieties in a single conversation.

The two varieties here are Singlish and Standard English.

I think growing up in Singapore with the focus of speaking English as our first language has allowed us to communicate, to reach out to different cultures. It sort of created the ability to code switch when necessary. I have seen this with other Singaporeans as well, right? If you just talk to other locals, it becomes very local, very Singlish.

But at the same time, if necessary, they would code switch and it would be very articulate. And I think that's what is pretty amazing as a result of growing up in Singapore. For Singaporeans who can code switch like this, what happens when they dream? I've never thought about that. Have I dreamt in Singlish? I don't know. I'll get back to you about that. MUSIC

Now I'm in Juchat in the east, where visitors snap pictures of colourful Peranakan conservation houses for social media. I wanted to check out a hole-in-the-wall café run by Madame Khoo, who literally made a hole in her kitchen wall so she could serve artisanal coffee at affordable prices to anyone in the lane behind her house. I think at my age, 73,

Being a barrister and doing hipster coffee, I think it's great. That's a pretty long career pivot, but there's a twist. Yeah, I don't drink coffee because my son set up this, asked me to join him, invited me to join him. So I was very nervous, but I gave it a try and prayed very hard that, my Jesus, if you want me to serve the people coffee, you need to guide me to give me the confidence. Right.

I am doing my very best but if you ask me to do coffee art, I'm still very very far away. But to brew a nice coffee for the coffee lovers, I think I made it. My cappuccino was fantastic and only cost me the princely sum of $3.50. You've been listening to people answer the question, what's the most Singaporean thing about you? Here is Kopi Khoo in Juchiat.

Check out this episode's show notes for more information or visit our website herehere.show. Catch you next time.