Raya Cookies Roundup

The final shopping in preparation for Hari Raya Eidulfitri has finally ended.

Meet Wifey straight from work today at MacDonald's in Singapore Post.

The peak-hour heavy rain made it harder to get a cab from work, but it certainly did not deter any Raya Shoppers from congregating at all the available fast-food restaurants there.

Seats were already "booked" while everyone waited to buy food just in time to break the day's fast at 6:59pm... the 16th day of Ramadan.

We did not have to venture further into the Geylang Serai Raya Bazaar when we found Ms. Ana's stall who was selling homemade Raya cookies to serve our visiting guests during the holiday.

We tasted the samples and were hooked to eventually buy all 6 types of cookies... a one-stop cookie-shop! Phew!

Wifey picked a varied range, from dark chocolate-topped cookies sprinkled with chopped nuts called Chocolate Moments, to the more traditional must-have pineapple tarts... my favorite.

Not forgotten, we bought the most popular TV snacks with guests... Singkong, an Indonesian spicy-cheese tapioca crackers. Put it in your mouth once and find yourself hard to stop snacking after that... much like popcorn.

I spent S$142.00 in total after a good bargain with Ms. Ana. It ended-up as a one-stop shop for cookies that we decided to have her contacts for future Raya with home delivery.

Though a little pricier than buying factory-made cookies which can easily be bought in many supermarkets and at the bazaar too, the delicious tastes made-up for the price, like you would bake it for yourself.

Not that I will bake cookies myself, I hate baking and cooking... being in the kitchen. The only love I have about cooking is getting to eat the food.

At the same time, it is good to know that we are helping the self-motivated and entrepreneurial housewives getting some extra income too this coming holiday.


Next stop, the ever-blooming fake flowers shopping. We managed to get the Bird Of Paradise stocks which cost S$9.90 each to brighten-up the dark willow branches for the hallway and some stocks of white Lilacs to dress up the telephone rack.

Our Raya Shopping is now done! Phew!

With an extra weekend available, I am able to spare the last days before Eidulfitri helping my parents with cleaning their home, changing the sofa covers and hanging new drapes.

It is always exciting to see your home and everyone else's homes so beautifully decorated to receive guests... family, friends and distant relatives visiting each other's home to closer ties again.

The whole month of Syawal to celebrate Eidulfitri visiting friends and relatives as well as being visited in returned has always been the highlight of the wonderful times of the year.