Whenever I come to the city state, I try to plan in advance what kind of foods I will enjoy on this trip, and as most of these visits were work related I always arrange free time for some street food so I will not be stuck only with the air-conditioned international fusion stylish restaurants my clients take me to. The two main items in every visit is spicy Malay noodle dishes, full of msg but worth the side effects, and the great Indian vegetarian food you can find in small lovely eateries around town.
Whenever I go to places around the world I try to document the faces I see around me, on the street, in simple outdoor food halls, on the subway.
Singapore is always a bit of a challenge in this aspect as the characters around are so obviously not Singaporean that it is very hard to pinpoint what is the 'Singaporean' look, that mix between Malay and Chinese, between dark skin and moon face and Chinese eyes. One of the suspicion I have is that the "real" Singaporeans are in the air-conditioned offices and it is the immigrants that walk around the streets, but maybe that is just the small Marxist in me trying to raise his head.
As one does, I have drank my share in Singapore slings sitting in rattan comfortable chairs with large fans slowly swaying overhead, and felt the colonialist spirit on me, and you can see the old houses with the decorations and the regalia around town reminding of an empire and prestige, but I do believe the future of Singapore is more interesting.
maybe a little less picturesque and romantic, but much more interesting, and the more it gets culturally diverse, the more fun it is to return there for a visit, even if it is only for a couple of days of meetings.
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