Singapore, Eat, Shop, Eat !
Singapore’s awe inspiring Gardens by the Bay.
March 8, 2014
Singapore, Singapore
I was younger and effectual during my working life in Singapore. I met my husband while he was
flying for Singapore Airlines, one of the best Airlines in the world. We left in 1998 and returned after ten years. That trip, was brief and we saw most of our friends and enjoyed some local food. Since then, we have never visited Singapore without savoring its must eat delicacies to revive the true sense of this Island country.
Singapore is one of Asia's most popular tourist destinations. The tiny island country prides itself in being squeaky clean, and crime free, which is good in the eyes of a visiting tourist. Here, there are four official languages and four major races that intermixes with each other's lives everyday. The predominant languages spoken are Mandarin, English,
Tamil and Malay. They are announced in the ultra clean Mass Rapid Transit (MRT).
It is a place so obsessed about cleanliness; that there are heavy fines for things such as not flushing public toilets, littering, picking flowers and fruit from public trees, etc. Signs of these heavy fines are plastered everywhere enough to scare one not to even think of chewing gum and spitting it out later on. We've laughed and joked about it, and called Singapore a “Fine” city
Another one of of my most memorable images of Singapore is one about its food. It is where I had a dramatic awakening of my culinary tastes. The chili and sambal paste that I used to abhor as a teenager, are now part of my regular
Singapore fix. In Singapore, one can find a good place to eat 24 hours a day!
Indeed eating is integral to the Singaporean lifestyle and a way of life and part of the culture. It is not just a habit but a national obsession as well. People greet each other by saying “sudah makan?” or have you eaten? Instead of “hello, how are you?” A person’s favorite hawker delight tells a lot about his or her character.
Hainese Chicken rice.
In every corner of Singapore, every ethnic kind of food is well represented, be it a quick fast food snack, Asian, or Western gourmet food in high end restaurants and hotels. Some hawkers are so popular and draw a daily crowd. Everyone has a favorite, and to a Singaporean, no place is too far if it concerns a favorite lip-smacking favorite
dish. If they have to travel to the other side of the island to get to a hawker stall they heard sells the most palatable mee goreng, they will do it, and it is nothing out of the ordinary.
Indeed, when we got to Singapore, I was so eager to makan (eat), and of course, shop! There was the instant connection to two of Singapore's favourite pastimes. I felt rejuvenated going to our old and favourite Singapore eatery. This hawker stall serves one of the best “”char kway teow. Our good friend Peter Tan drove us to Ghim Moh for that dish and my nephew Aldrin lined-up for more than half an hour to get a plate of this favourite noodle dish. The next dish we tried was the nasi lemak followed by chicken rice or Hainese chicken rice. It is as close to a national dish as it can come. The recipe is simple; steamed, tender chicken, served with cooked fluffy rice, sliced cucumber and chilli sauce on the side.
Another Singaporean way of life is shopping. I can still recall, my brother, asking my then twelve year-old daughter, “Where do you want to live? In Manila or Singapore? She replied, “ Orchard Road,” without batting an eyelash. Her witty reply elicited a roar of laughter from those around her.
One of the most popular forms of local architecture in Singapore are the the shophouse—rows of charming narrow units that speak of Asian heritage and culture.
Everyday, there is shopping in Singapore and there are lots of bargains and sales for the shop-a-holics. The phrase “Shop till you drop” is definitely applicable Singapore way of life.
Our first day in Singapore was spent trying out several dishes, and meeting up with our family friends. The next day, we only had a few minutes to meet up with my nephews, Aldrich and Aldrin. Then Peter Tan and his daughter Elin took us to the Garden's by the Bay.
“You've got to see it,” cajoled Peter.
And he was right. As soon as we entered the Garden's by the Bay, we were struck by the size of the air conditioned dome that houses plants from several continents of the world. They were neatly arranged like the European gardens and very colorful as well.
The most striking area was the Cloud Forest where one can walk on steel hanging bridges to enjoy all the plants and flowers on display.
“Anything that Singapore does, it does with an impact, “ I said.
We were really impressed with the Garden's By the Bay and wished we had extra days in Singapore.
Though Singapore is a trend setting and a fast -forward city, at the end of our stay, I wasn't surprised that our most memorable moment in the Lion city was something we didn’t plan like shopping and eating!!!