I'm in Singapore.It's nice if not a little boring. I'm pretty busy so I have very little time to tour around but quite honestly there isn't a hell of a lot to see.
Singapore is unique in this part of the world.
It could be a suburb of a North American city.
Albeit a suburb with row upon row of designer stores.
Everything has a contrived feel.
Clean and safe.
It has the distinction of the only place I know that has banned chewing gum.
The story goes that a government minister kept stepping on gum on his way to work and this so offended his sense of propriety he had the stuff banned.
True?
I don't know but it feels like it fits the vibe of the place.
One bit of history worthy of note is the famed Raffles Hotel.
Besides being a lovely colonial structure oozing with immaculately restored old world charm, its the place, or rather its Long Bar is, that gave birth to the Singapore Sling.
The Singapore Sling was invented between 1910-1915 by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon (嚴崇文). You can read more about it here you're interested.Did I try one?
Yep.
At Sing $27 (about US$19), its a bit much, but what the hell.
Did I like it?
No I didn't.
It tasted like sweet alcoholic cough syrup.
It may be just me but I just couldn't bring myself to conjure up even the remotest shred of enthusiasm for it.
After downing it in manly fashion (if such a thing is possible with a drink sporting a pineapple wedge and cherry), I headed back out to the 90 degree, 80% humidity.
That's it for today.Stay well
T
3 comments:
Little India was less antiseptic than the rest of SG. Big Chinese covered market worth seeing (and smelling if you have a strong constitution). Although it's a long time since I last visited, so it may all have changed.
Take care.
TR-HW
Good answer of "No" on the drink. It looks awfull. I will always think of you as a whiskey drinker. I think back to our heavy drinking days in Montreal with Jack Daniel shots at Bar St. Laurent, days on Manning or in the UK with bottles of single malt. It's good to know that some things never change. Good on you buddy!
David
p.s. On the subject of bad habits, how's the quit smoking routine going?
Just looking at that sling is giving me a bonging hangover. It has Benedictine in it for chrissakes.....
Take care (and watch out for those rapidly advancing walls).
TR-HW
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