Singapore, the Abode for Hungry Wandering Souls! #FarMoreSingapore

This post won the Runner-Up Prize for the

Take Away Level: Singapore Blogging Contest

powered by Indiblogger &

Sponsored by Far East Hospitality

Header Image: Chef Ben Milbourne Meets Singapore Youtuber Dee Kosh

Ever travelled with a ghost of one who died midway between his meals?

Mind it, you are just about to! 😯

What’s that yuckyyy……looks like…..buns….stuffed with…..sheeshhhhh…..a cheese burger again! This must be the third eat-out I’ve reached. I don’t see people peck at anything better than burgers, steaks and turkey here. No wonder America is ever on top of the obesity list.

How I feel like moving on!

I am soaring high over the Atlantic Ocean now. I sense that I’ve been hungry for long; really long. Yeah, I am a hungry wandering soul rambling across the globe rummaging for food; food that can just not fill but overfill my heart, body, mind and soul.

Soon after I reach the quiet sandy beaches of the Atlantic Coast, I quickly check the menu in one of the French restaurants. Andouillette sounded cute until I read it’s made out of Chitterlings (Nothing nice, it means Pig intestines 😯 ) Before I would begin to imagine its preparation, I move to another eat-out. I see Choucronte Garnie. Guess what? Long-fermented cabbage with sausage……….I doubt if I am really reading an edible menu for humans. At the next place, I read Confit de Canard. Duck cooked in excessive Duck fat…..……I am already imagining how one would express ‘indigestion’ in French.

Alas! I am hovering again a little more to the East, while my famished soul takes a nap. Meanwhile I dock at a couple of more places where only bitter pills await me. What banausic food, some yawn-producing and yet some puke-provoking! Soon a familiar aroma bestirs me. Booo…!!! Looks like our dining place at home. Ma is coming with a plate of Idli, Dosa, Chutey, Sambar………the very Indian culprits that stripped me to this state of a hungry wandering soul.

Run! Run! Run! On my marks, get set go…..

Wearily, I am still flying eastward. This toneless voyage is ripping my bones apart. Oh God, where in the world can I get justice to my hunger?!!!

Much farther east now, I see a sort of miniature island from far above. Does my gut say this ought to be my destination? (Bah! My poor gut can intuit nothing other than hunger now). Nevertheless, I decide to level off though I don’t expect much of this tiny slice of landmass.

I see a railway station, they call it MRT.

And here they are! The two fraudsters who hacked me to death and ran away with my tiffin box of Idli and Dosa. Yes, those treacherous college buddies! But what are they doing here  holding a name board with what seems like some food stuff written on it? Just read their minds. Guess what? They expect me anytime here. So suggesting me what to eat. Well, to seek remorse? C’mon dudes, I’ll better remain hungry.

I leave the station.

Good news! I spot an eat-out now.

Chan chi chu……Laksa…..

Laksa chan chi chu……….

Chan chi Laksa chu………

I don’t understand what this group of people near me is speaking. But what’s that Laksa in every sentence? Wait a minute…….I guess…..they are gabbing about food?! Yes, they are ordering Katong Laksa. And all of them seem to be in a tizzy about their order. Their excitement feels so contagious that I am now sneaking a peek at what the chef is about to cook.

He soaks dried prawns. In a wok, he oil fries a paste which he calls rempah spice paste. Meanwhile he brings the prawns to crumbles. The heavenly aroma that comes off the frying says how spicy it’s going to be. He now adds coconut milk, chicken stock, prawns and clams.

I slowly feel the aroma of rempah paste uncork and soothe an ache that’s deeply buried in me. And I get so much absorbed into it that I miss to follow the chef’s cooking. Suddenly, in a jolt, I come back to see noodles softly cooked and already added to the soup with tofu and eggs. He finally adds the Laksa leaves which looks close to our mint leaves. And here’s the Katong Laksa ready to eat!

I gulp the soupy noodles like what you know, needless to say, like a hungry wandering soul who went without food for years. Fortuitously, I am invisible to others; lest the chef would have thrown me out of his kitchen, Ha! As I licked the last drop of soup on my finger, I felt Heavens descending straight into my tummy. How do I contain my emotion for this chef for his scrumptious meal!

In a foodly trance state, I walk out to see the group still rejoicing the savors of Katong Laksa. It is then I look around to recognize this Heaven on Earth as SINGAPORE!

It’s just not about the food here, but also the people, who talk, walk, eat, sing, dance and sleep with food. I’ll tell you why! With a heavy paunch, I am resting at an old man’s place tonight. Suddenly I am baffled to see the old man open Google in the middle of the night. I fairly suspect what this lewd old fellow is about to search as he types S…. and then E…. and then I go OMG! Food is not just a need or a culture. It’s a national obsession in Singapore! The poor old fellow plans to dine at S-E-rangoon Gardens tomorrow. And he is checking StayFarEast. How insane I was! And how Food-O-Holic these people are!

Looks like stayfareast.com, the official website of Far East Hospitality, is Singapore’s largest knowledge hub of hotels, serviced residencies, tours and, most important, food. Thanks to the old man! I try my tongue thereafter with several local Singaporean cuisines – Hai Wei Yuan Seafood Barbeque, Kaya Toast, Ang Sa Lee Fried Oyster, Kopi O, Ah Seng Duck Rice, You Tiao, Roti prata, Curry Puff and Teh Tarik– all of which make me go awh though Katong Laksa remains my favourite.

I realize ‘variety’ – Malaysian, Indian, Indonesian, Chinese and Peranakan cuisines – is what makes Singapore a food hub. But one thing, with the myriads of dishes, hawker stalls and eat-outs, I can get lost if not for Stayfareast. This is where I get enlightened about what to eat and where to eat in Singapore. Next time you are at Singapore, remember, Stayfareast shall guide you the best.

See who I’ve found in one of my apartments. A fellow Indian who likes Laksa too 😆

They say little children are intuitive to the other worlds. Here’s a cute little kid trying to tell me what he likes to eat 🙂

And here are two good old friends, who tried to defend my tiffin box on that fateful day, sharing their favourite Singapore cuisines.

This little island what I belittled as a tiny slice of landmass is where my hunger found true justice at last. And thus my hungry wandering soul found its abode in this multi-cuisine sanctuary, Singapore!

Disclaimer:

What you just read is an abstract fiction. I am very much alive 😆

I love and respect the cuisines and culture of all places around the world. Any comment on regional food in this post is only a figment of imagination and not my personal opinion.

Comments about my college buddies are not to be taken seriously. They are, in fact, kind souls who shared their pictures for this blog post.

By the way, Idli, Dosa, Sambar and Chutney are a part of my soul without which I will ever remain a hungry wandering soul 😆