ST×NLB Cross-References: Rich, like rice cooked in coconut milk

SINGAPORE - This week’s ST×NLB Crossword was constructed by Russ Hoe from the National Library Board, who is part of a team of 40 volunteers from both organisations. Here’s his message to solvers:

Indeed, this puzzle is rich with culture, including references to art, theatre, cinema and more. As usual, the full answer key is at the bottom of this story.

French artist Auguste Rodin’s famous bronze sculpture The THINKER (8A) can be viewed around the world. The original sits (and thinks) at a museum dedicated to Rodin’s work in Paris, but there are two replicas in Singapore: one at OUE Bayfront in Marina Bay and another at Resorts World Sentosa.

Local director Anthony Chen’s debut feature, the 2013 drama film ILO ILO (12A), derives its name from the Iloilo province in the Philippines. The film follows Filipina domestic helper Teresa who moves to Singapore in search of a better life amid the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Chen was the first Singaporean to win a Golden Camera award for best feature at the Cannes Film Festival.

According to theatre legend, William Shakespeare’s play MACBETH (7D) was cursed by a coven of witches offended at the Bard’s depiction of real incantations. Many productions of the play have reportedly suffered misfortune ranging from financial ruin to fatal accidents, so it is often referred to euphemistically as “the Scottish play” to avoid invoking its name.

Singapore’s Chinatown makes two appearances in this week’s puzzle. For first-time visitors, some MUST-SEE (16D) attractions include the ornate Buddha Tooth RELIC (10A) Temple and the nearby Sri Mariamman Temple next to PAGODA (21A) Street, which was reportedly named for the Hindu temple’s gopuram, or entrance tower.

And then there’s a rather different type of culture. As we know from secondary school biology lessons, PETRI (1D) dishes are used grow bacterial cultures in a laboratory environment. Not exactly the most appetising of dishes; we’ll have a plate of Nasi LEMAK (13D) instead, thanks.

11A. [Full body make-up?] refers not to body paint but to DNA, which is the genetic make-up of all living organisms (as far as we know, anyway).

25A. The word SHADE can refer to an area shielded from the sun or a slang term meaning to subtly insult or express scorn towards someone else. The latter meaning was first popularised in Jennie Livingston’s 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning, in which drag queen Dorian Corey explains the term: “Shade is, I don’t tell you you’re ugly. But I don’t have to tell you, because you know you’re ugly. And that’s shade.”

3D. In the popular Pokemon franchise, Professors are researchers who study the creatures and are typically responsible for giving players their first Pokemon. Many of the Professors are named after types of trees, including Professors OAK, Elm and Birch.

15D. Nanyang Technological University is sometimes jokingly referred to as Pulau NTU (NTU Island in Malay), a dig at its inaccessible location in the far west of Singapore. But that does not deter scores of tourists from visiting. In 2024, NTU introduced new measures after overcrowding and safety concerns were raised by students and tourist numbers have since stabilised.

Book recommendations

Let the week’s clues inspire your next read, courtesy of NLB. Follow the links to borrow.

14A. “As we go about our daily lives, CASTE is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance.” – Caste: The Origins Of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

17A. “I would SOMETIMES lose sight of the present without Chloe, hallucinating that the breakup had never occurred and that we were still together, as though I could have called her up at any time and suggested a film at the Odeon or a walk through the park.” – On Love: A Novel by Alain de Botton

30A. “An ABANDONED plastic bag clambered up, higher and higher in the sky… the wind made it suddenly seem as if gravity was just a choice, not a scientific fact.” – The Phone Box At The Edge Of The World by Laura Imai Messina

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1. Far from a finished product (9): PROTOTYPE

6. “I gotchu ____”; slang for friends or relatives (3): FAM

8. The _______ — statue with poor posture (7): THINKER

10. Buddha’s tooth in Chinatown, for one (5): RELIC

11. Full body make-up? (3): DNA

12. Philippine province (6) or Anthony Chen’s feature directorial debut (3,3): ILO ILO

14. Rigid social system that forms the title of a bestseller by Isabel Wilkerson (5): CASTE

17. Survey option between often and seldom (9): SOMETIMES

19. Marie Kondo: “This one does not _____ joy.” (5): SPARK

21. Tiered structure after which a street in Chinatown is named (6): PAGODA

23. Carly Jepsen’s middle name (3): RAE

25. Sun shield or scorn (5): SHADE

27. Pet pamperer (7): GROOMER

29. Arabic for festival; another name for Hari Raya (3): EID

30. Like the old Changi Hospital (9): ABANDONED

1. Dish of culture? (5): PETRI

2. Like gathering storm clouds (7): OMINOUS

3. Hardy tree or first Pokemon professor (3): OAK

4. Story spun instead of told (4): YARN

5. Uncertain sound; it’s only human (3): ERR

6. Open-air cinema event: _____ at the Fort (5): FILMS

7. Shakespeare’s Scottish play (7): MACBETH

9. Old name for Tokyo (3): EDO

13. Rich, like rice cooked in coconut milk (5): LEMAK

14. It keeps clauses apart (5): COMMA

15. Local uni sometimes preceded by “Pulau”? (3): NTU

16. Too good to miss, as a movie might be (4-3): MUST-SEE

18. Circus presenter; Hugh Jackman starred as one in 2017 (7): SHOWMAN

20. Word following Emmy, Grammy or Edusave (5): AWARD

21. “As ___ my last email” (3): PER

22. Nostril-stinging (5): ACRID

24. What flows from Spanish taps (4): AGUA

26. Oft-misreported figure when one is running late (3): ETA

28. NSF’s countdown target, often (3): ORD