Singapore
Monday, March 13th, 2006 -- By ET
Just came back from Singapore. This is actually my second time to visit this beautiful city. Like in other Asian cities, every time you go, there should have been some changes. Most notably, this time, I visited the Esplanade Theatre.
It looks like the shell of durian from the outside, (nothing can be more representative than durian for tropical fruits, ironically, durian is strictly forbid in the hotel I stayed due to its strong smell). Inside, there are very unique stores and cafes. From the yard, you can see the Merlion park across the Singapore river.
Singapore and Hong Kong, are probably the two most westernized cities in the east, however, they are both extremely safe at night. At 11pm, you can see groups and groups of teenagers walking (they look very polite and well behaved), the restaurants are full everywhere, although taxi’s are generally accessible everywhere, at 11pm, it gets really hard to catch one on the road because people are busy taking them to go back home. Six years staying in the US, I almost forgot the feeling of taking a walk at 11pm and see streetful of people. To some people, crowd is an issue, to me, I like it, at least, the positive aspects overweights the negative ones. The crowd not only means a safer place, it also transforms a happy and energetic spirit. American people are famous for the laid back life style that they do not care what they wear. In Asian countries, what you wear defines your social status, so people do their best to look good, consequently, you feel very pleasant walking on the street to look at people.
Food has been very important in the Asian culture. People sign business contracts during dinner, people resolve issues with meals, people greet each other with "have you eaten yet?". Singapore is truly a cosmopolitan city just by looking at the food. In addition to a wide variety of western food options, there is a huge number of Asian possibilities. Singapore’s local food is influenced by the Chinese, Japanese, Malay, and Indian foods.
I visited a restaurant called "Rice Table" (Thanks, Leonard! Your recommendation is superb). Unlike US cities, buildings are not required to put street numbers on them, this made it very difficult to locate the restaurant, I walked for almost an hour trying to find this place, but in retrospect, it is worthwhile. The centrepiece of Indonesian cuisine is the ‘rijsttafel’, a phrase coined by the Dutch, which literally translates as ‘rice table’. Served in the old days, enjoying a rijsttafel involved first heaping a dollop of rice onto your plate and then adding a spoonful of each dish as it is borne out by a waiter. The Rice Table presents its rijsttafel in a modern Dutch way by laying out the different dishes on a ‘rechaud’ or food warmer. Sample the milder dishes first like the Ayam Panggang – grilled chicken, Sayur Lodeh – vegetable stew, and Terong Kecup – eggplant in soya sauce. Then work your way to the more fiery ones like Kangkong Belachan – spicy water convolvulus, Daging Rendang – spicy beef stew, and Sambal Udang – prawns in chilli paste. Because the food is kept warm throughout the entire meal, you can take your time while enjoying the rich flavours of piping hot Indonesian food. It is cheap too, the meal cost me 20 singapore dollar (about 14 USD).
It is indeed exciting to walk in the shopping centers (the one near my hotel was Takashimaya), not because the different stores and brands there, but because there is bound to be some great restaurants inside.
There are a lot to write for Singapore, its history, its culture, the Chinatown, the river, etc. But the most impressive is the food, I’ll be back again for sure, and next time, will bring Jade (the big gourmet) with me.
