Little details can be very revealing.

[randomness]

Tsui, Julian, and I had tried and failed to go to an all-chicken yakitori place in Cuppage Plaza, so we ended up going to the food court around the corner. It was a standard food court in Singapore, so I didn't bother with a write-up. For example, Julian and I agreed that the roti prata we shared was simply lousy.

However, what struck me was this: tables and chairs were at a premium, as it was lunchtime. So what people were doing is to find an empty table, dump their bags, and then wander off to find food. The bags would sit, unattended and unwatched, while folks queued up at the various vendors, until the owners returned with their trays of food.

I saw one guy in shirt and tie put down a laptop bag and walk away without a backward glance.

I mentioned this to Julian and Tsui and they both shrugged. No surprise. I guess that's just the way it is.

Don't try this at home, unless your home happens to be Singapore.

Comments

[denyse.livejournal.com]

Cuppage kinda sucked as food centres go even when I was back home, albeit it's been more than 10 yrs since I ate there. My dad had an office next door when I was really young so I can authoritatively say it's only a so-so food centre.

I'm trying to remember where all those awesome roti prata places in Bishan and wherever were, and various other goodies (beef ball noodles at Ghim Moh Hawker Centre etc). It's been /ages/ since I've been home and I have this sinking feeling all these places I've been waiting to go back to will be gone when I next visit.

Now if only I could remember where I had that awesome roti prata last time I was back....

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

So, I'm working my way through the 2003 edition of the Makansutra. Unfortunately, vendors change quickly; I went out to Bedok looking for a place that was supposed to have good roti prata but while the food centre was there, the stall wasn't. Sad, sad.

However, the Makansutra has been a good guide, overall.
In fact, I think I'm going to defer to it as a guide to hawker centres.