Coffee shops and hawker centres are cornerstones of Singapore culture. In these places, you’ll find some very uniquely Singaporean experiences (as these three expats can attest to).
The first one is a bit of a no-brainer as we tend to hear this a lot from tourists as well.
While it may seem natural to us, the concept of reserving a table with nothing more than a packet of tissues is extremely foreign to non-locals.
When she first arrived in Singapore, Momoko was actually chided by a local for sitting at a table that had already been “choped”.
Momoko also mentioned how packaging for local coffee, or kopi, also seemed strange to her at first.
Instead of cups, she saw hot kopi being poured into a plastic bag and served with a straw. This blew her mind and her fellow Japanese friends wondered out loud how this plastic bag could withstand the heat of the drink.
Momoko even likened those plastic bags to the ones “you put goldfish in” during matsuri (Japanese cultural festivals).
These are just some highlights of the many intricacies Rimi, Momoko and Ayumu have encountered during their time in Singapore.
A few other notable mentions include showering multiple times a day due to the intense heat, as well as the constant use of “uncle” or “auntie” whenever referring to a stranger.
There are plenty more gems in the video but we won’t be ruining the fun for you.
Text: Amierul Rashid/AsiaOne
