Hawkers stands and mall food

Food appears to be an important part of life here in Singapore. There are tons of cuisines to choose from and price ranges to fit every budget. Not matter where you are, there seems to be some choice of food within sight. Each of the shopping centers seems to have its own food court, as well as a number of nicer, higher end restaurants. Many areas of the city -- Chinatown, Little India, etc. -- have numerous restaurants and food stalls, as well. It really can be a daunting task just trying to decide what to have for lunch.

Like most places now a days, Singapore has all the great American institutions like McDonald's, Carl's Jr., Starbucks, KFC and even Chili's. You might as well skip all of these since 1) you can get them at home, 2) they aren't really cheaper than back home, and 3) the other food here is WAY better.

Although it can be intimidating heading into the food area in one of the malls, once you figure things out it is not that bad. First, if you are going to eat at one of the many food courts/hawker stand areas, don't forget to bring your packet of tissues. This will serve at least two purposes. One, napkins are not always readily available or provided at most of the food stalls. If you are used to using a napkin throughout a meal, you will likely need to provide your own. (Most of the places that serve messy foods do provide wet napkins, but it's better to play it safe.

The second, and probably more useful reason to bring a packet of tissues, is to save your seat. There is an unwritten rule here that a packet of napkins on a seat/table is reserved. Although some places are trying to discourage this habit, it comes in handy when places are very crowded. It also is nice when you are saving seats for a few friends, you usually don't have to keep telling people that the other 3 seats are taken -- generally, people see the tissues and move on.

Next, take your time and browse around a little. Most of the stalls specialize in one particular thing. Almost all of them have nice, color menus with pictures next to each dish they offer, along with the name. This makes is a lot easier when you have no idea what Mee Tai Mak (Rice noodle soup with fish balls -- no, not that kind) or Laksa (a spicy noodle soup) are. It can be a bit of a problem choosing when you see all the great looking food in the pictures, or just being cooked right in front of you. That is one other nice feature -- the kitchens are often right up front, not hidden away in the back. You can watch them prepare most of what you are going to eat. (This can also be a bad thing -- depending on what they are preparing ;-)

Finally, sit back and enjoy your meal.