It’s true….we ventured to Singapore’s Red Light District last Friday evening. We went with some work colleagues of John to have some of the best food in town. Believe me–the food is delicious. We rode the MRT and then walked through streets that looked like those of China (so I’ve been told) which, actually, is a rarity in Singapore. It was a bit dirtier than the rest of the city and the clientele were who I assume to be standard to any red light district–only not quite as extreme as I had pictured. We stopped at a little restaurant that served beef kway teo–a Singaporean/Chinese noodle dish with a delicious sauce and bits of beef. We also enjoyed some coffee pork, frog legs, and fried tofu. What a meal! The entire situation reminded me of trying to pick good BBQ restaurants in the southeast US. The surroundings–and restaurant–may be a bit sketchy, but the food is fabulous. In other words, the sketchier the better (remember Turpins all my FU friends???). The same is true over here. If you’re looking for good, cheap Chinese food, quite often, the sketchier the place, the better the food. Oh, and the more MSG they use:) Here is a picture of the general area.
Geylang--Red Light District Singapore
After dinner, we decided to wander the streets in search of a fruit stand. Geylang also has some of the best fruit markets in town. Many of our group, which included people from Singapore, the US, and Japan, had yet to try the Durian, the national fruit of Singapore. Big deal, you might think, trying a national fruit from a tropical nation can’t be that bad. WRONG!!! This fruit looks like a porcupine and smells like rotten meat and cheese that have been blended together. In fact, the smell is so rancid that the Public Transportation Authority has banned durians from all forms of public transport, including buses and the MRT (metro). These signs can be found everywhere…
Logical sequence...right?
Sorry the picture is so small. But, I think you get the picture. This fruit is rank. But we all decided to try it. The texture of the fruit is hard to describe. It’s fleshy and feels like skin would if it wasn’t supported by bones. And the smell when you open the shell is more intense than when the shell is intact. This fruit got it right in defending itself from predators. Too bad we were all too stupid to take the warning:) When we tasted the fruit, it initially tasted like it smelled–like old cheese, but the after taste was much better. It was fruity and almost good. The problem is, I’m not willing to put up with the grossness to get to the goodness. Watermelon for me please:)
Yoshie and I enjoying our first taste of durian goodness
Stil recovering...but enjoying the aftertaste!
On Sunday, John, Leo, Eileen and I got tickets to go and see Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella at the Esplenade–a performing arts center in Singapore. Ironically, it is shaped like a durian:) The show was wonderful. I’m assuming it was a traveling Broadway cast (they’re accents all sounded American). It was like getting a little piece of American culture right in the middle of Southeast Asia.
After the performance we went for dinner a nice little hawker centre by the river that goes through the Central Business District of Singapore. The purpose: to try Stingray–a delicacy here. A little apprehensive at first (heck, we snorkel to look at these things back in the US), I took a bite of the BBQ Stingray. It was AMAZING. Probably my new favorite seafood–or a close second to crab. In fact, it tastes very similar to crab just without all of the work. And the spices used to flavor it are also quite good–a little spicy–but good, nonetheless. We topped it off with a green lettuce side dish, some fried rice, Malay satay (complete with peanut dipping sauce), and of course, watermelon juice. I think John had green apple juice this time. As you all know, you can get any fruit juice you want. Except durian–I’ve never seen that as an option:)
John and I are celebrating Chinese New Year this year (this weekend!!!!) by going on a cruise to Malaysia and Thailand on none other than Royal Caribbean (in the South China Sea)! We’re going to miss our Cruise Director (Sharkey) though:) We each have a four day weekend, so we found it important to celebrate and bring in the Year of the Ox in style!!! Miss y’all and check back with us soon!
John and CB's Most Excellent Adventure 