Malik Watkins's Bloglines

With all that I’ve seen intensively in a short amount of time in Singapore, nothing stands out more than the availability of Food!! Food and Food and Food, and more Food!! Anthony Bourdain said that, “if New York is the City that never sleeps, Singapore is the City that never stops EATING”!!!!

From the earliest times, Singapore was known for its street food, from the earliest days when the harbor first became busy, and travelers and traders from other parts of the world converged, there was always a ready supply of street food vendors. Today, it has become a part of the accepted culture of Singapore. In fact, street food vending became so prolific, that the government got involved. To ensure safety, cleanliness, and top-notch service, the Government of Singapore instituted the Hawker Station Program. This program resulted in the building of centers where vendors could get access to a structured station, fresh water, areas to wash utensils and cutlery, as well as a place to sit and eat. They even provide guidance on how to provide good customer service. These areas are representative of Singapore overall….in one facility there will be a section for Muslim Food (halal), Indian Food, and Chinese Food and all the other varieties of the area including Malaysian and Indonesian.

Restaurants/Street Food

Singapore is replete with Restaurants of all kinds that, for the most part, stay up all night. At any given time of the night when you wake up, you can walk right down the street to get whatever is yummy for your tummy. This was one of my favorite places open practically all night:

And this is a sample of the variety of food they offer…not just your usual buffet, it sits in the pot until you are ready to call it home 🙂 While I am usually very open to trying all types of new things based upon the culture at hand, one of their specialties is Frog Leg Porridge…usually I am very adventurous, but since no one I was with ordered it….think I’ll just pass 🙂 But, the other items were absolutely delicious:

And, if you ever get a chance to try and authentic Clay Pot…you’ve got to go for it. They cook the food then put it on a hot plate that sits in the middle of the table to keep it smoking….RIDICULOUSLY GOOD!!

Of course, we can’t get away from food without talking about the fruit. Obviously, based upon the climate in South East Asia, you can spit on the ground and a tree will grow. So, you have access to practically every fruit that there is…most of which is difficult to pronounce and to be honest, some of them look kinda strange 🙂 more pictures of those later on…but, most are absolutely fresh and delicious. This is a stand I frequented. This is not one of your regular juicers…you pick the fruit you want as it sits in front of you and they turn it into juice on the spot…unlike some of the others, you do get some of the pulp with it…delicious and most refreshing during some of these hot Singapore days.

I may add a section just on the Food as there is so much of it…but, right now I have been full for days…just can’t stop eating…which is very uncharacteristic of me…but, it is just that good and plentiful 🙂 and, my feet still hurt….