Swallowing in Singapore

 After 24 hrs. of travel I finally arrived in Singapore. As soon, as I stepped outside the airport, I smelled the air and instantly knew I was in a tropical country. This smell alone has a way of making me happy, and that was the first check in Singapore’s favor. The food, and sights would be the second and third checks respectively. 

While I never drank a “Singapore Sling,” I did try just about everything else. Knowing I would only have a few days to get in a lot of eating, I set out immediately to find my first meal.  Strolling through the Tanjong Katong neighborhood, I was among many beautiful and large homes. This is a wealthier part of town and one of the few neighborhoods with individual homes as opposed to high-rise living. In such a small country space is a scarce resource so many people end up living in the sky. 

These digs are not half bad huh?

Before long I was passing many small restaurants filled with locals eating yummy looking food crouched on small stools. I walked up to one that was forming a line (gotta be a good sign right?) and queued up along with the other eager customers. 

To start I went for the basics, chicken rice and a coffee. Chicken rice is a staple of Singaporean cuisine its simple but somehow oh-so satisfying. Its just likes Moms home cooking and it will only cost ya about 3 bucks a plate. This was a dish I ended up repeating many times, sometimes changing up the protein with duck rice or pork rice. This is the type of food I could eat everyday. The dish always seemed to be served with a few slices of vegetable, a cup of broth and chili sauce on the side. This little Mexican girl felt right at home with many food stalls offering a selection of chili sauces to choose from.  

Another must try dish is the Chili Crab. This is exactly what it sounds like a whole crab covered In a mild chili sauce that has crab in it, served with little buns to sop up the sauce and a bib to catch what the buns miss. Can’t go wrong with crab or chili, so once again no complaints here. 

Probably the best known places to get traditional food, side by side the locals are Hawker Centers. The Hawker Centers are essentially big food courts, with many little individually owned stands inside, selling their goods. There is quite a variety offered, from noodle soups, satay skewers and Indian inspired dishes to fresh juices and snack foods.  I made my way to several (five total, including Mana Mana and Satay by the Bay), since its not really a vacation until I’m eating my way across the country, leaving a trail of empty plates in my wake! 

Old Airport Rd Hawker Center was one of the first I visited. After a cheap and tasty meal I decided I needed something sweet. Enter chilled soya bean curd. This cool, mild treat has a consistency between yogurt and custard and the flavor of a graham cracker. Sound random? Yup, but also a satisfying and not to heavy on a hot and humid day.  A local friend later filled me in that this a common breakfast food, she ate regularly growing up. 

Stick to original- the almond flavor tasted almost the same

Maxwells Hawker Center was a stop with sampling in mind.  With so many stands it was hard to decide what to try, while nothing I tried was a total flop the highlights were the snow cone and the fried sweet potato dumpling. The Singaporean snow cones got a little makeover from the ones we are used to eating as kids in the US. First off they don’t just have flavored syrup, they also are drenched in sweetened condensed milk and additional toppings of your choice especially fresh fruit bits, grass jelly and red bean.  Another yummy way to stay cool in 90+ weather. The fried sweet potato dumplings were so carb-y delicious, you could choose from plain, red bean or coconut. All of which were super satisfying, and served up by the cutest, tiniest super old woman. The coconut was hands down my personal fav. Thank god I live around the globe from these little devils, otherwise I might need an “expanded” wardrobe. 

Little fried pieces of heaven