We don’t entirely agree with that ‘Expat Leaving Singapore’ exit statement that’s all over Reddit and the internet right now. While yes, we might have issues with slow walkers, when it comes to this person’s attitude about Singapore cafes, the price of alcohol and hawker food in particular, we think the writer didn’t really give us a chance.
So the story goes like this: an expat is leaving Singapore and does a round-up review on what they liked and did not like about Singapore. Fair enough, we’d do the same – except maybe not post it on a social page for everyone to read and get angry about. First of all, that was a great exit interview, thanks very much for the kind things said about our Little Red Dot, but people have to stop being so hard on Singapore.
Sure we may not have chewing gum, but we have some great chicken rice. Or nasi lemak. And while we might agree to a certain extent that there are some things to gripe about – like how people are terrible walkers in Singapore (we agree with the Redditor on that point) there’s also lots to love. Here’s our reply:
The truth, alcohol is generally pricey in Singapore. A $5 bottle of Penfold red I used to buy in Melbourne for dinner parties is $40 in Singapore, I’ve sat in a park in Barcelona drinking 1€ beers – let’s face it, Singapore’s not a conducive place to drink economically. Still, when you gotta drink, you gotta drink and there are some decent – affordable – watering holes here in Singapore.
Pick your poison – there are $6 margaritas from Café Iguana, $5 beers from Five Izakaya, or $10 for a satisfying pint of cider from Cider Pit. Check out our list of affordable drinking places in Singapore. Or you could get booze from the supermarket and drink at home, I‘ve done this with Gosnells Mead ($6.90 from 7-11) while Netflixing the night away. It’s great.
A wide range of musical genres are pretty well represented in Singapore. We have a DIY underground scene, an exciting electronic music scene, an up-and-coming R&B scene – almost everything’s covered. Artists like Amateur Takes Control, iNCH, The Pinholes, sub:shaman and more hold their own when it comes to musical style but maybe that’s what is special about ‘The Singapore Sound’. It’s really a mish-mash of genres and being such a small country, I think it’s amazing that so many sounds can come from one scene.
Check out our music series, ‘The Singapore Sound’.
As for the rest of the arts, we have local films making their premiere at Cannes, a thriving literary and visual arts scene, local fashion designers doing their thing for the industry. It’s all good.
I think hawker centre food is actually underrated. With a new restaurant/bar/café opening every other week, the hype train moves around pretty rapidly. And yes, hawker centre food can be oily and MSG-loaded, that’s why you don’t eat it every single day. You can spend a little more on a healthy lunch version or again, or try the supermarkets’ ready-to-eat food counters that are god-sent.
Here’s a comprehensive guide to prestigious hawker fare in Singapore, Michelin-approved hawker stalls, and some mod-Sin joints to check out.
Yeah, we agree but who are you calling a poor man’s copy? Most of them get paid heaps for a single Instagram/Facebook post or a video plug (which makes us sad). That aside, we think Preetipls is pretty funny.
All cafes are expensive, what are you talking about? You’re paying for the experience of sitting in a pretty little spot – the coffee is just a bonus, didn’t you know? Two words: right timing. If you’re going out to a much-recommended caf on a Saturday morning for lunch, you’re doing it wrong. Like trains and buses, cafes have off-peak hours too. Check out some of our favourites here or check out all the specific areas!
So, while we might agree with some of the stuff this ‘expat leaving Singapore’ wrote, we’re not convinced that the guy really gave Singapore a proper chance. If we could find so many great options to his negative claims in a few hours, think how many more you could find in six years if you just try a little harder!
Singapore’s far from boring! Here’s some interesting things you can embark on in the month of June, and if live music’s more of your thing, you’re in luck – June’s blowing up with gigs.