Hi guys, welcome to another episode of Ask TSL! Today, we will be answering some uncomfortable questions about race and religion!
Are you guys ready?
I'm nervous. But let's go.
First question: Is it true that Muslim ladies are not allowed to wear tight fitting clothes and paint their nails?
Yeah, as far as I know, this is true.
If you are very strict about your religion and beliefs.
One of the things about religion, now that we live in modern times, If you are very strict about your religion and beliefs.
One of the things about religion, now that we live in modern times,
It's become a lot more dependent on your personal beliefs and relationship with your religion.
If you're a very traditional Muslim that would be true.
In terms of painting nails, there's also wudhu-friendly nails.
Part of the process of preparing for prayers is the ablution process,
which is when you have to wash yourself.
One of the things that you can't have is painted nails.
Wudhu friendly nail polishes - water can penetrate the nail polish.
It's like that. I don't know what the technology is but I've seen this around.
And again, in terms of tight fitting clothes,
more traditional Muslim ladies would prefer to wear looser fitting clothes.
To not showcase too much of their figure.
"Why is gold jewelry so popular among Indian ladies?"
Firstly, I think that gold complements the brown skin tone.
We love that.
Also, from what I heard from my grandparents, gold was a lot more affordable in the olden days.
They always felt like it was a good investment.
They would buy gold jewelry all the time and they'd keep it at home and pass it down the generations.
- Gold value increases over time. - Yes.
As years go by, from what I heard, in my family we exchange the gold,
top up a little bit more, and we get the latest designs.
So it just keeps going on and on and on.
It's not only just a luxury item.
But it's seen as wealth.
Sometimes when you go to weddings... Wow. A walking gold store.
Like jewelry store.
I guess... What they have, they want to flaunt it.
This is a funny question.
"Why are my Chinese friends so bad at their mother tongue?"
I know right?
- What do you mean?! - No, legit.
In my friend circle, I just pick half of them and all of those won't be able to speak Mandarin very well.
Although they are not very fluent at it.
It's honestly quite hard.
Also in Singapore, you can get away with just speaking English.
That's why a lot of people from our generation will be like, "Just speak in English lah."
You don't exactly need to speak Chinese unless it's to the caifan stall aunty.
I think that for a lot of people, up to a certain stage, like university, you don't need to use Mandarin anymore.
And if you don't speak Mandarin at home,
like you're an English speaking family, all the more you won't speak Mandarin at home.
I'm going to say that it's not exclusive to Chinese people.
Anyone who has a second language or Mother Tongue, if you don't use it,
you will very easily lose it. I can speak Malay in a casual setting.
But if you were to put me on Suria to read the news,
I cannot! I can read the teleprompter.
Tell you what it means? Not sure.
"What is considered Eurasian? Is it angmoh mixed blood?"
Ok, the term "Eurasian" is "European" and "Asian", right?
Because "Europe" and "Asia",
and it's not wrong because all our ancestors are from Europe.
My surname is Neubronner, right?
There's a lot of other iconic Eurasian surnames, like 'De Souza'...
Yes!
But those are the ones that are really common in Singapore,
and you're associated because technically your lineage of your family line is from Europe. But those are the ones that are really common in Singapore,
and you're associated because technically your lineage of your family line is from Europe.
"Is it angmoh mixed blood"?
To put it simply, yes, it's basically that.
It's just that your ancestors have that particular name because they came from that particular family line. That's about it.
For another race, let's say Chinese, right,
Their bloodline is literally Chinese Chinese.
But for Eurasians, a lot of times they are mixed with multiple different blood types,
not just European and Chinese.
Well, in my DNA test video, I have European blood from across the region. not just European and Chinese.
Well, in my DNA test video, I have European blood from across the region.
So not just one concentrated area.
The question is: "What if you go overseas and can't find Halal food to consume?"
I think that generally, it's advisable that you eat Halal food
wherever you go, anywhere you go.
Nowadays, the Internet is so accessible that there's always a way to hopefully find some Halal food.
Some people would choose not to travel to that location.
- Ohhh. - If you're personally not so conscious,
there are ways around it. For example, you can find vegetarian food.
You don't eat any meat. Some people would choose to eat fish.
Up to you lah.
"Why do Bollywood movies have so much singing and dancing?"
- My question is... "Why cannot?" - Ok, let me just educate you all real quick.
So Indian Bollywood movies - Bollywood means Hindi movies.
We have Kollywood, Tollywood, Mollywood.
Eh? So cute!
Let me guess. Kollywood is from Kolkata.
Wrong!
Kollywood is Tamil.
Wait really?!
- Mollywood leh? - Mollywood is Malayalam.
- Oh... - Tollywood is Telugu.
Ah! Cool sia.
There's so many.
I was today years old.
Now to answer the question - why so many singing and dancing?
I think, in general, Indian culture is filled with singing and dancing.
- Celebration. - Yeah, it's a very celebratory thing.
It happens all the time.
If you watch movies, any of the language's movies,
Somehow, the song will come in... Got no sense one.
It will be like... They will look at each other and the music starts.
One scene of them dancing in the mountains,
then they'll go back. Fall in love already.
- Transition. - It's like a dream sequence.
- I love that. - It's just a part of how these movies are made.
And I've seen Hindi or Tamil movies with no music and dance.
But it's just an entire Indian cultural thing.
It adds to the oomph of it.
If it doesn't have it, it's weird. How do you watch a movie with no song and dance?
Actually, I don't really understand this (question).
Sorry, I'm shocked at the question.
"Why do some Chinese people not like to shower in the morning?"
It's a thing meh?
It's a common thing that people like to say. They like to discuss this.
When I was in school,
people would say, "Why they never shower?"
When you say this, is it because when you went to school,
all your other Indian or Malay friends got bathe.
- Yes. - Only your Chinese friends never bathe?
- Ok, I think it's something we've heard when growing up.
I don't go to my friends and say "Eh, you never shower today ah?"
I've never said that before!
Growing up, people like my Chinese friends would ask me, "Hey Sangee, why is your hair wet?"
Or they'll say "Must shower in the morning meh?"
And I'm like, "Y'all don't shower in the morning?" It's a genuine question, right?
They'd be like, "I showered last night so I don't need to shower this morning."
- I still have friends who say, "I showered last night, so I don't need to shower today morning." - That's why.
But that's not about what race you are what.
No no no...
The reason why, especially for the Malay Muslim community, the reason why we shower/ wash up in the morning,
is because we have to pray.
- The reason why - I'd never forget... - Say, say.
She told me, um...
Right?! Correct?!
She said, "It's 5 AM in the morning. How to shower?!"
And I'm like, "Your house got hot water what!!!"
I triggered.
- Honestly, I've heard this reason so many times.
So many damn times.
- From your Chinese friends?! - Yes!
- The stories are coming from our Chinese friends, not other races! - I love how you're answering this question better than I am.
I have never heard this.
I think it's because parents would say that to their kids. "It's cold in the morning. Don't bathe."
- "Must bathe at night..." - You know why?
- It stems from a Chinese belief about cold. You'd get arthritis.
It's an interesting thing to note because as a Chinese, I don't hear these as much.
- Of course. - For some reason.
- So you shower or not? In the morning? - Sometimes.
But my friends say I don't.
- It's a running joke. - It's a running joke about Adria, that she never showers.
- I've seen her shower. - Oh?
When we go overseas. No no no, not that way! - I've seen her shower. - Oh?
When we go overseas. No no no, not that way!
"How do you choose which mother tongue you want to learn in school?"
My dad's side - my grandmother is full Chinese. Grandfather is Eurasian.
My mum took Malay. My dad took Chinese.
So technically I could've learned Malay as well.
- So... - Can you not take a Mother Tongue?
If I'm not wrong, cannot. You must choose one. Usually they follow the father's side.
I don't believe that is true, because my brother is married to a Chinese lady. His kid is studying Chinese.
I wish I learned both though. That'll be really good.
Honestly, Malay is not that difficult to learn.
"Why is a mama shop called a mama shop?"
I love this question. Such a good question.
I think I know why. Because 'mama' in Tamil means 'uncle'.
For example, the mama shop is downstairs, right?
Their family and friends will call them 'mama'.
- Which is like 'uncle'. - "Uncle, I want this."
So maybe it could've started off with that logic.
"Why you always call him Mama?" "He's my uncle what."
Then it's uncle, uncle shop, mama shop.
So maybe that's why it's that. But I've called every kind of provision shop 'mama shop'.
- Same! - Very interesting.
Next.
- The question is... - Super stereotypical...
"Why do many Malays enjoy football?"
Let me answer this question by saying that this Malay doesn't enjoy football.
This question is silly. You're assuming an entire race of people to love football.
But I think... Just to give potential reasons why,
in the kampung days, something like football was very easily accessible.
As a game. in the kampung days, something like football was very easily accessible.
As a game.
And I wouldn't say it's racially linked. But I don't really have the answer lah. I don't like football. How?
You like football?
I mean, I can't say that Malays are exceptionally good at football! I don't know...
- This is just stereotypes. - Just talent.
Some Malays are talented fashion designers.
And good singers.
Yeah, always win Singapore Idol...
3 out of 3!
Even The Final One also. Malay winner.
A question many children have asked.
The question is, "Why do Indian women dot their head with black or red dots?"
So...
At one point of time, I'm just gonna admit it.
I wear it just because it looks nice on my face.
It's actually to represent your third eye.
Oh...
What I've heard - I may be wrong. Don't quote me on this.
The dots we place on our forehead is to represent that. Because we have our third eye,
It's to keep you in a calm and composed manner,
because technically it's said that if your third eye is open, you'll see things you're not supposed to see.
A lot of things will be... not balanced.
- It's not just for women. Men also wear them. - Oh!
But they don't wear the dot we usually see.
For example, if you've ever seen during prayers or religious things,
we'll put something on our foreheads... It's a very sacred part of the body.
The red ones are always to represent married women.
When Indians get married, they'll put the powdered version on their foreheads.
To signify that you're now married.
In Hindi they call it bindi. In Tamil they say pottu.
There's different ways to say it.
"Why do Chinese families prefer sons over daughters and is it still common these days?"
No!
Huh? You sure it's not common?
Huh? What!
- The favoritism damn strong, bro... - Ok, hold up.
In the past, it's a very known thing.
There's a saying called 重男轻女,
it's the thinking that sons are better than daughters,
because sons carry the family name,
when you're a daughter,
you will marry into someone else's family, and you're part of that person's family already.
But for the sons, they'll still be within the family.
Some of the parents are like, "When I grow old, who's gonna take care of me? Provide for me?"
So I think that they think that if they have a lot of sons,
and only sons,
They'll have a lot of people to provide for them.
Do you think, Chinese parents, or parents in general,
don't have favoritism towards their sons? They have!
- Don't think so... - I think have!
I tell you... You can tell when parents have favoritism towards the sons.
Sometimes I hear people say, "You have to ask him (son) to ask your mother. If we (daughters) ask, cannot."
The girls cannot ask. But when the son ask the mother, the mother will have a change of heart.
HAVE. EXISTS.
Let me tell you, this exists even till now...
- In the more traditional Chinese families. Based on my experience. - I agree.
I don't know if it exists for other races.
Not just traditional families - families, till today,
even in Indian culture, my friends will say,
"If my brother did that, they wouldn't say anything.
"If I did that, it's a problem."
I've never really experienced it for myself, because for Chinese, one of the key things is that (sons) carry on the family name.
But that doesn't occur for the Malays because we don't have a family name.
It's really something that as a society, we are moving out of.
Yeah, of all these things that trickle down. From a long time ago.
"Why is it common to see Malays hold their weddings at void decks?"
Nowadays, in the modern era, Malays also got go for banquets!
Why is it common?
How I can surmise why they enjoy holding a festive occasion in a
community facility,
The Malay culture, they value the community.
It's like that.
It's about celebrating with the people you live around with.
In these modern days, we don't live in a kampung.
The void deck is the next closest alternative to a community space.
Sometimes, people have it at the CC.
Oh ya!
It holds that same cultural significance.
Thank you for watching this episode of Ask TSL and thank you MCCY for making this video possible.
We hope that this video has answered some questions you might have had of our friends of different races!
And if you have such questions yourself,
you can ask and discuss in a respectful manner,
so as to get to know each other, rather than assuming.
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Bye!