I think if there is one thing everybody in the world can agree on, it would be that everyone loves food. This attitude is especially prevalent in Singapore, where food is a culture- not simply a way to fill up your stomach. The food here reflects the diversity of the people that live here: Malay, Indonesian, Indian, Italian, Mexican- every cuisine on this planet can be found in bounties in Singapore. Singapore’s main center of eating isn’t at restaurants though- they take place in hawker stalls- large food court-type centers where food stalls are littered around tables and the whole place functions through self-service. Meals here are super cheap- a plate of rice and chicken will only run you about $3-4 USD and the options are endless. Some of Singapore’s signature dishes include Milo (Nestle-type drink), Fried Kway Teow (a type of noodles made in soy sauce and often paired with sausage and seafood), Stingray (tasted like fish? But tougher? I think that’s probably the best way for me to describe stingray), Black Pepper Chili Crab, and Kaya with Kopi (an amazingly warm piece of toast with cold honey and hot butter- literally the best breakfast food ever paired with the Singaporean version of coffee). Their national fruit? Durians (although curiously enough, is banned from pretty much anywhere that’s public in Singapore. You can get fined for bringing durians on any public transit and is frowned upon in most stores due to its scent, of which some describe as sweet while others deem repulsive and rotten). I’m enjoying all the cuisine offered here in Singapore, although I’ve only seen familiar titles here in Singapore. There’s a Starbucks just about every stop and McDonald’s, KFC, Long John Silver’s and especially Subway, are not uncommon sights. Out of curiosity, I stopped by McDonald’s and without a doubt, the menu is region specific and significantly better than in the US (although I will note that a meal at McDonald’s will often run more expensive than eating at hawker stalls). Some region-specific menu items include the twist and shake fries with crab seasoning, Singapore’s famous McSpicy (absolutely incredible although definitely hot), and Green Apple burst icecream (75 cents with a punch of sweet and tangy green apple).
fishball soup!
An impressive amount of satay~
me trying durians for the first time
stingray