I have never understood why tourists fly to Singapore only to trawl its designer stores and try to reserve tables at restaurants headed by superstar foreign chefs. Surely a visitor should try to get beneath the skin of a place, which is why I am in favour of the recently composed jingles that now play in the city state’s MRT metro stations as trains approach. Inspired by folk songs and nursery rhymes, they are a nod to Singapore’s heritage, for anyone who bothers to listen.
Memories of Newton Food Centre features otah – a Southeast Asian fishcake – a roti john or omelette sandwich, chicken wings and coin prata flatbread. For added authenticity, the dish is served on a tray resembling the top of a hawker centre table, complete with a printed message reminding diners to return their tray. LG Han is not the only Singaporean who takes inspiration from childhood memories.
I later find myself on a street corner in Singapore’s Chinatown, gazing at the spot where a tradesman once slaughtered snakes and sold their flesh, according to Yip Yew Chong, a local street artist who used to walk past him on his way to school. Yip’s murals, which have been commissioned by both Chinatown residents and businesses, are not just for selfie-snapping foreigners – they are for Singaporeans too. It takes just 15 minutes to reach on a 12-person boat that sputters out of Singapore’s Changi Point Ferry Terminal.
The island, which was once pockmarked with granite quarries, has fewer than 50.
