It doesn’t matter where you look – every nook and cranny on the island spells out just how much of a melting pot of culture Singapore really is. For starters, our hawker centres offer a wide variety of dishes from different cultures, and our restaurants have been dishing out innovative hybrid creations. But it’s not just food that defines Singapore. These observations of Singapore by celebrity chefs, authors, actors, and even a natural historian capture the spirit of Singapore in a way that we couldn’t agree more.
RECOMMENDED: 7 things Singaporeans do better than anyone else and 7 stereotypes about Singapore that are not true
1. On our favourite pastime: food
“Nobody in Singapore drinks Singapore Slings. It’s one of the first things you find out there. What you do in Singapore is eat. It’s a really food-crazy culture, where all of this great food is available in a kind of hawker-stand environment.”
– Anthony Bourdain, American celebrity chef who featured Singapore in his TV show Parts Unknown.
2. On being a ‘fine’ city
“In Singapore, Malcolm X type of activity would be extremely difficult because the government can be very harsh on lawbreakers.”
– Sir Ian McKellan, English actor famed for his roles as the titular King in Richard III, James Whale in Gods and Monsters, Magneto in the X-Men films, and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
3. On the shared love for food
“At least when it comes to food, there’s no snobbery in Singapore.”
– Kevin Kwan, Singaporean author of Crazy Rich Asians.
4. On being the city that never sleeps
“When I first came to Australia, one thing that struck me was how everything closed early. Singapore is very much a 24/7 place. You can get good food any time of the day – in the middle of the night, even.”
– Ronny Chieng, Malaysian comedian, and correspondent on The Daily Show.
5. On pre-glow up Singapore
“Getting to places like Singapore was a hell of a sweat. But when you got there it was the back of beyond. It was just a series of small tin sheds.”
– Sir David Attenborough, English natural historian and narrator of hit documentaries including BBC’s Planet Earth – which features Singapore in the second season – and Blue Planet.
6. On the truth
“I think Singapore is one of the great cities of the world.”
– Marco Pierre White, British chef-restaurateur behind inn-restaurant combo The English House.
7. On the honest truth
“If you care too much about Singapore, first it’ll break your spirit, and finally, it will break your heart.”
–Alfian Sa’at, local writer, poet, and playwright most notably known for his short story collection Corridor.
Think you know the Lion City?
7 things Singaporeans do better than anyone else
7 stereotypes about Singapore that are not true
15 dumb questions Singaporeans get asked all the time
