Asia. It's been 20 years since I've been here and nothing changes. As I walked out of the airport last night, the humidity in the air hit me right away. With it, was the faint scent of mildew that is ever-present at this climate. You get used to it after a day but that first whiff is always slightly toxic. As usual when I travel, it's been a non-stop day. I was up at 7:30 and did a hour of homework. From there, it was a quick shower and off to breakfast with my paper. What a difference the front line news is here as compared to the US or Mid-East. The lead photo, 5 hunky male strippers working it for women's parties. The secondary photo - Singapore Manga and comics. It turns out that in June, the Singapore comic-con takes place and all hotels are booked for weeks.
After this insight, and who wouldn't want to read about strippers and comics, I headed back to my room to pack for the day. I had a morning meeting scheduled and I thought it would last 3 hours. 3 turned to 4, which turned to another meeting, which turned into dinner.
Dinner, which is the real topic at hand. I recently told my uncle that I would never again give into eating food that isn't food. Chicken feet, raw abalone sushi, all things of the past. My stomach still lurches when I think of the dim sum fishball feast. Not what it sounds like but still not an experience to repeat. These were my thoughts tonight as the conversation went "Stingray?" "Why yes please." Now how those words rolled off my lips I'll never know but the next thing I knew I was peeling off stingray meat like string cheese. It's oddly tender and tasty. Next up, ocean snails. You can call them conch or anything else but these looked snailish to me. There I am with my chopstick, prying out the sucker by the foot. Everyone was amazed at my first-timers talent at doing so. (Little did they know how good I am with food, as I was picking the peas out of my rice with my chopsticks.) I felt like I was on the Survivor diet.
It wasn't all bad, we had some excellent crawfish and crab, I tried a calimari style that I've never had before. (Deep fry them straight up no breading, burn them crisp and layer with sauce.) Everyone noticed that I was eating a lot of rice cakes dipped in peanut satay sauce. What can I say? The best satay is here.
So now I'm getting my second wind which is not good. I should be asleep. But the hotel has just brought me my arrival Singapore Sling and it looks great! Hopefully that will put me fast asleep since tomorrow is another repeat of today.
Yes, it's pretty tasty!
LOL on the stingray! I once enthusiastically ordered chicken feet at a Dim Sum restaraunt without understanding what the server was saying. I then ate them because my pride wouldn't allow me to admit that I did not understand and did not want chicken feet Sam I Am!
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