Excessively Uniquely Singapore

Met up with my classmates for dinner at Newton for a little bit of catching up. Food spread was huge with the usual stingray, squids and shell fish varieties. It was also a good thing that another classmate called at the last minute to ask if we were eating out somewhere or else we would have had to really stuff ourselves.

Which brings me to the next topic. I received an email from a friend way back in poly whom I have not been in touch with for years. She's based in Canada now and she recently came back to see her folks and introduce them to her fiance. She went to say that during their stay here she brought him around and he was surprised at how much and how often we ate.

Likewise, a few months ago my friend came back from New Jersey with two of her friends who wanted to travel to Malaysia then to Cambodia. We decided to introduce them to our local fare and brought them to Adam Road for Tulang, Roti John and Rojak. A few days later I caught up with my friend who said that although her friends did enjoy the food, it was a mild culture shock for them to see so many dishes placed in front of them in a single sitting.

It never occurred to me that perhaps we have a reputation for eating a lot. Maybe it's our culture that eating is also a pastime given the huge accessibility to food; eateries and food courts everywhere you go. Compared to other places where towns and malls are vastly separated by long drives, we can either take a walk, ride a bus or train and we're within reach of food. And we should thank the urban planners for that...