Silat and satay may seem an odd combination, but if silat combat demonstration could help sell sticks of the grilled skewered meat, why not? A gateway proudly proclaims the name of the hotel, with a modern edifice in the distance beside what looks like a pavilion in traditional mushroom architecture, so the spectators are likely hotel guests. Comfortably seated under a makeshift canopy, the spectators, especially if they are foreigners, are regaled to the gastronomic delights of satay while watching the pugilistic skills of the indigenous martial art found only in the Malay archipelago. But what’s really ‘hot’ comes from the sparks and embers of the burning charcoal as the cooks grill the marinaded chicken and beef meat to perfection. Dipped into succulent peanut sauce, the satay tastes heavenly. This artwork was part of four commissioned jobs for a hotel in 1972. The artist Khaw Sia based the work partly on a 1967 composition in gouache on paper, depicting satay sellers and joget dancers under a canopy of Chinese lanterns, which was shown in the exhibition, Artists Imagine A Nation: Pictures of People and Places from the collections of Khor Seow Chuan and Friends in 2015. It was organised by the LaSalle College of Fine Arts in Singapore.