i just came for the food

I love, love, love street food. I have no idea why, but in any country, it's just about one of my favorite things to eat. So essentially, Singapore is like paradise. This city is certainly not near the cheapest one in Asia, but the food, which is everywhere and delicious, is dirt cheap. It's supposed to be similar in Thailand, and I can't wait, but street fooding in Singapore is like a religious experience.

Like everything else, it's all multinational. I'll have gyoza and naan for lunch, generally picked up from stalls down the road from one another, and total costing about $3 Sing. Heaven! There are Muslim eating houses, tea shops, dumpling huts, and lots of places that essentially serving plates o' stuff - I generally don't know what it is, but I like it. Lots of the food comes from food courts, with all of these various stalls and communal tables, to let you cobble together the ideal meal.

There are weird things, too, that people eat. I'm not even talking about things that I just find unappetizing, like a giant fish head served on...anything, really. The 7-11s all have these machines that sit next to the slurpee ones that dispense mushroom soup or mashed potatoes and gravy. Um, ew.

But mostly the food is extraordinary. I had Ginger onion chicken for dinner the other night and it was utterly spectacular. Then yesterday, I had one of my favorite things yet. It was dessert, passionfruit with crushed ice, coconut milk, and tapioca beads. SpecTACular. One of the best things I've had in my mouth. I wish I could go back four times for more...


Last night, the hostel had it's signature evening, a food walk of the neighborhood that was like a Singapore 101 course combined with lots and lots of eating. It was one of the best experiences I've had. I learned about the makeup, culture and history of the country, and ate noodles and curd and meat that had been turned into wonderful things. It was probably one of the best organized events, and the guy who did it - who owns the hostel - clearly loves what he is doing.

The best thing we ate (and at $1 Sing per person, the most expensive) was this thing that I don't know what it was or what it was made of, which makes me sad. It was a little...cup of something, the cup made from a fried wonton, filled with stuff, with a shrimp and chili on top. Little sweet, little spicy, all spectacular. I will have to find these again.

Legend has it (and by legend, I mean Brian and Wommie. Hi guys!) that Thailand is just as kickass on the street food. I may melt whilst doing so, but I will belt into a pile of happy, street-cooked noodles.