From a Westerner’s mindset, Singapore is an incongruous combination of social impulses...
On the one hand, it has paternalistic government and harsh rule of law. On the other hand, it has ethnic diversity and wide-spread celebration of cultural differences.
For Americans like me, who've grown up associating democracy with diversity and totalitarianism with...well, with Nazis...it's a lot to wrap your head around!
Because drawing hard lines between us-es and them-s is not permitted in Singapore, cross-pollination of cultures, and cuisines, thrives. The guiding principle for the combination of flavors, cooking styles, and ingredients seems to be one question everyone can relate to -- Is it yummy?
There’s something childish about yummy food. It’s like the grown-ups left the house and the kids opened all the cabinets and had a wild food party. There’s no hesitation about adding marshmallows, chocolate chips, AND peanut butter to ice cream if it will make it more delicious. (Ben & Jerry’s is all about yummy, come to think of it.)
In Singapore, yumminess is taken to another level. First off, the “cabinets” are big here…the entire range of Chinese, Malaysian, Indian, and Western flavors, And the results can be kind of crazy. Not only do the boundaries blur between cuisines, but also between dinner and dessert, high and low…even fishy and fruity. Here are some examples:
Charcoal-grilled Kaya toast. Plain white sandwich bread with a healthy smear of butter and a layer of something called "kaya," effectively coconut custard in a jar. Take the whole thing and grill so the bread is crispy on the outside and partially saturated on the inside with the sweet and salty filling. Serve with mind-bendingly potent and sugary coffee. I knew I was going to have a bellyache afterward, but couldn't resist the combination of flavors and textures and temperatures. Mmm.
(This photo taken at Killiney Kopitiam, 67 Killiney Road, Singapore.)
Rojak. I couldn't get enough of this dish. It’s probably the healthiest thing I ate in Singapore, but actually calling it “healthy” would be a stretch. The version I had was fresh waterchestnuts, cucumber, and pineapple mixed with two kinds of scissor-snipped, deep-fried bean curd, tossed in a dark, sweet dressing made with prawns and soy, and topped off with roasted peanuts. An outrageously addictive texture and flavor adventure for your mouth. Oh, and it’s served with toothpicks so that you can strategize your way through the dish, skewering first one chunk of pineapple, then one bean curd strip, then one cucumber… Please God, let there be a rojak vendor in Hong Kong.
(This photo taken at Zion Riverside Food Center, Zion Road and Ganges Ave, Singapore. Read about it first on ieatishootipost, a great hawker food blog.)
Ice Kachang. You must try this. Even after I tell you what goes in it. Try it anyway. From the bottom of the bowl up: candied waterchestnuts, red beans, and maybe grass jelly, if you happen to have it on hand. Then, a mound of snow about 6” tall, created by running a single block of ice through a 19th century ice-shaving machine. Top with three kinds of syrup: bright red, green, and blue (one of them tastes like molasses, I forget which). Then, a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk and a scoop of…sweet corn. Yes, you heard me right. When I started eating this weird dish, the whole world evaporated around me. It was just me and the mountain of snow and flavors and textures; and I was riveted all the way through. Every single bite was interesting, surprising, and delicious.
(This photo taken at Holland V Food Center, near Buona Vista MRT, Singapore.)
In case you’re wondering, yumminess is not just a hawker center phenomenon. The main motivation for E and my trip to Singapore was to eat at his favorite restaurant: The Tippling Club. Haute cuisine for sure. Our 10-course tasting menu included in its arc the usual suspects like fois gras, Wagyu, and lobster. But, where gourmet snobbery would tell us that these kinds of ingredients should only be paired with wine, Tippling says “screw that” and draws the yummiest possible potion from the entire range of refreshment.
My favorite was an Asian
Course #1
AMOUSE BOUCHE – Vichyssoise, caviar, asparagus dumplings, soy and wasabi emulsion (a bite of exquisite Spanish ham also showed up)
Course #2
CHILI CRAB – celery, cashews, seaweed
MICHELADA – sapporo, yumi, soy, spice, togarashi
Course #3
ESCARGOT – parsley, garlic, moss, wild herbs
MUDDLE, MUDDLE, TOIL, AND TROUBLE – pisco, tomato, black olive, rosemary, thyme, citrus
Course #4
FOIS GRAS -- spiced gaufrette biscuit, granny smith
Mb’S APPLE PIE – roast apple calvados,cinnamon, italian vermouth,apple liqueurs, citrus
Course #5
FROSTED GARDEN -- porcini soil, baby root vegetables
ZIND HUMBRECHT, 2003 -- rotenberg, pinot gris, alsace, france
Course #6
KINGFISH -- edamame, soy tofu, black radish
NO BLOSSOMS AND NO MOON, AND HE IS DRINKING SAKE ALL ALONE! -- junmai daiginjo sake, noilly prat, orange blossom water, lemon verbena grape mist
Course #7
SURF ‘N’ TURF -- wagyu, lobster, chive juice
BOUCHARD PERE & FILS, 2006 -- beaune du chateau (rouge) 1er cru, burgundy, france
Course #8
PRE DESSERT – snow musli
Course #9
ALOE VERA -- yuzu, thai basil, peanut crumble
JESUS MALVERDE -- don julio blanco, avocado, agave nectar, citrus, orange blossom
Course #10
CHOCOLATE -- orange, green tea, orange blossom, coriander
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST -- don julio reposado, grapefruit, rare luxardo maraschino, ardbeg stain
As a long-standing advocate for yumminess, I was surprised to find that Singapore was too much for me. Five years in SF taught me to be aware of the impact of food on my body and energy level, and I just can’t tolerate feeling lethargic or hungover. Besides, all of that yumminess brings with it a unique frustration: your body is simply not big enough to contain it all. E laughed at me when I groaned, “I just wanna get not full so I can eat some more.”
