酸 甜 苦 辣 has proved to be a recurring theme that has surfaced twice in a span of five days. First as a rite of passage at a Singaporean gate-crashing wedding ceremony. This crazy local/Chinese tradition typically involves the groom and his groomsmen to be put through a series of embarrassing and hilarious tests to prove their sincerity for the bride. (It’s also the only time where a bunch of sober men can get away with stripping, dancing, kissing and singing like madmen without offending their in-laws). So where does 酸 甜 苦 辣 fit into all these celebrations? Ahh… being Singaporean… we love our food. So where our usual gastronomical pleasure lies, we can also use our love of food to cause pain. Enter the deadly concoction of 酸 甜 苦 辣!
酸 | Vinegar
甜| Honey with sugar
苦| Uncooked bitter gourd
辣| Garlic chilli sauce with chilli padi
The madness of this concoction has a deeper meaning of course. It is meant to symbolize the taste of Life. Where there is sweetness (甜), there might be a bitter (苦) aftertaste. Likewise, what could begin as bitterness (甜), could end up in sweetness (甜). Where there is soured relationships (酸), let spicy (辣) excitement revive your soul.
Interestingly, the poignancy of 酸 甜 苦 辣 surfaced again when we organized a special hair-shaving night for one of the sweetest poi-bois in town – enter Recruit Clayton Chwee. The about-to-be enlisted young soul braved the Mad Barbers of Haji Lane, as we went wild shaving off his signature shoulder length hair. We honestly couldn’t help ourselves! But we just had to play with his hair! Check out some of the amazing looks that we created that night!
- Mad Barber No. 2
- Mad Barber No. 1
- The School Girl
- Where’s the Luau?
- The 1st Shave
- Floppy Mohawk
Our wicked ceremony was finally capped off with yet another round of 酸 甜 苦 辣.
酸| Lime Juice
甜| Ameretto
苦| Campari
辣| Tabasco Sauce
Long live 酸 甜 苦 辣 rituals! I’m pretty sure I’ll see it quite a few more times in this lifetime. I wonder if anyone has got really bizarre stories to share? Please feel free to comment! I’d love to hear them!












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