On a Tuesday in July, about 45 retirees, tourists and workers lined up quietly during their lunch break at the Chinatown Food Complex on Smith Street in Singapore.They sweat profusely in the heat (this is 90 degrees No air conditioning outside), waiting to order at the metal frame Hawker Chen Soy Sauce Chicken Rice Noodles booth.
Hawker Chan, which sells a plate of soy sauce chicken rice for 2 Singapore dollars (about $1.50), gained global fame in 2016 when it was awarded a star in Singapore’s first Michelin Guide, making it the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred meal. Some worshipers queued for more than an hour; the island nation’s hawker centers replicated the image of diners faithfully waiting for their favorite cheap fare.
It’s a far cry from the Singapore portrayed in the hit film “Crazy Rich Asians,” based on the best-selling novel of the same name. Watching the movie, it is well known that the Lion City seems to be populated entirely by well-groomed and well-dressed super rich (really, there are a lot of them) living in large houses with great views (many of which are) sitting in jet-setters Take a trip to the island to escape the boredom of everyday life (it happens).
But in the six years I’ve lived in GDP-per-capita heavyweight Singapore, I’ve learned that Hawker Chan’s scenes are more reflective of life here. Living and having fun in the city without breaking the bank is commonplace.
When Singapore gained independence in 1965, it was mostly low rise with shophouses and kampongs (villages) where houses had tin and thatch roofs. The government push led to the creation of the HDB, which replaced kampongs across the island with high-density tower blocks known as HDBs, which now house four-fifths of the country’s 5.6 million residents.
With its strategic location in Asia and a history of receiving immigrants from Southeast Asia, China, India and Europe, Singapore prospered to become the largest leap It happened in the last two decades, when it shifted from industrial capital to financial capital and reset the agenda to attract the rich through lifestyle. “Racing racing and luxury living are systematically promoted as part of the landscape, epitomized by the iconic Marina Bay Sands,” said Dr Liew Kai Khiun, assistant professor at Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information.
Today, great wealth is hidden in pockets, but given the size of the country’s Lilliputian (smaller than New York City), it seems to exist in everyday life, where I see Ferraris, big cars rumbling down the road every day. Tent apartment complexes (one of them, Reignwood Hamilton Scotts, has a vehicle lift so residents can park their exotic sports cars in their living rooms) and marinas.
But these snapshots are not the norm. “The perception of Singapore as a playground for the rich has caused some unease and tension,” Dr Lau noted. This was expressed in Singaporeans’ complaints (about stereotypes, lifestyle, lack of racial diversity) about Crazy Rich Asians’ trailer, which portrays a city that is very different from the experience of ordinary locals.
Singapore’s high cost of living: For the fifth year in a row, it’s the most expensive city in the world to live in, according to The Economist’s annual survey. With an average resident income of about S$46,000 a year, most Singaporeans regularly tighten their wallets, and a wide range of free and low-cost amenities and entertainment contributes to this necessary financial prudence. There are free parks to explore, free concerts, free clinics and plenty of cheap dining options. A day out doesn’t need to cost a fortune.
Opened in 1859, the 184-acre Singapore Botanic Gardens (roughly three-quarters the size of the New York Botanic Gardens) were an important center for growing plants, especially rubber trees, in their early days. Entry is free, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015, and is a spotless, peaceful green space filled with people walking (with or without dogs), exercising and bird watching.
Built on reclaimed land, Gardens by the Bay is a marvel of engineering and sustainable design. I like how its climate-controlled greenhouse domes, artificial trees on the superstructure and large green spaces contrast with the nearby CBD towers. The Singapore Symphony Orchestra gives free concerts across the city (sometimes at the Botanic Gardens). Music lovers can also check out the rotating schedule of free performances at the Esplanade, whose roof is inspired by the durian fruit.
Companies such as Monster Day Tours and Indie Singapore offer free walking tours of Little India and Chinatown, tracing the evolution of these enclaves. ION Orchard, a shopping center known for its high-end designer stores, has a free contemporary multimedia art gallery on its fourth floor, and free art is dotted around the city. My favorite freebie, Haw Par Villa, was opened in 1937 by the Hu brothers, the inventors of Panacea; Or images of people drowning in bubbling pools of blood to depict Chinese folk tales.
There are also many affordable ways to experience Singapore. The city has a network of pool complexes that cost a few dollars for adults, including an Olympic-size pool at the OCBC Aquatic Center and a pool near Jurong East that has water slides, a lazy river and a wave pool I’ve been to more than 30 times. HDB flats often have markets on the ground floor, where I and many Singaporeans buy fresh produce and household essentials at lower prices than the city’s ubiquitous air-conditioned malls.
For S$2.50, tourists can take a boat to Pulau Ubin, an undeveloped island off the main island of Singapore that offers a hint of pre-independence life: jungle and wildlife, with a handful of residents living on tin islands. – Rooftop houses, no running water, almost no electricity; total immersion in nature. I liken it to time travel.
No visit to Singapore is complete without dining at a hawker center, which epitomizes the region’s deep multicultural heritage (a theme not explored in the film). “Singapore food is one of the best fusions, not just a melting pot of world flavours,” KF Seetoh, Singapore’s de facto food ambassador and founder of the World Street Food Congress, said via email. “It transcends the rich immigrant food culture.” For example, he points out that rojak, a fruit and vegetable salad whose name translates to “eclectic mix,” whose origins are unclear, “is neither this nor that, but the real Our own style”, an apt symbol of Singapore’s diverse cultures.
Singaporeans are predominantly Chinese, but the country’s pan-Asian feel is unavoidable – from street signs and subway announcements in the country’s four official languages (Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English), to mosques, churches, Buddhist and Afrikaans temples are found all over the island, sometimes on the same road. I can’t think of any place that offers such a deep fusion of Asian culture and cuisine in such a compact package.
I spent hours in hawker centers eating a quick meal or sipping fresh cane juice, watching starlings with sun-colored beaks and glossy black feathers chirp and hop from table to table, waiting for the scraps to fall .
Sometimes I just wander between the stalls, where the variety of dishes on sale is a fusion of cultures, “everyday delicacies such as satay, chicken rice, stuffed tofu, curry fish head, prata, nasi lemak, lak Sand, Siamese noodles,” said National University of Singapore sociologist Dr Tan En Seh. “The cultural makeup of Singaporeans is somewhat complex. It’s Southeast Asian, South Asian, East Asian and global, but not in an essentialist way, where race is defined by fixed, unchangeable traits.”
While these dishes—mouthwatering, addictively savory, spicy, silky and available for a few bucks—come from different parts of the continent, they’re all considered comfort food in a very Singaporean way. They’re like an entire country: not crazy, not generally rich, but definitely Asian.
