The HK interns I had in July met up tonight at Chungking mansions for Indian food, because Indian food was the closest thing they had that reminded them of Singapore.
One of the features in HK is that a simple doorway opens up into a whole new world and Chungking mansions is no exception. Located right along Nathan Road, which is somewhat like our Orchard Road, only classier, the building looks just like a dirty building from the outside but once you get past the main doorway, you enter into a whole different world. There is a totally different eco-system consisting of people, ang-mohs and Indians.
HK is a truly multi-faceted place but I am totally freaked out by Chungking mansions. When I was interning at the CDC, one of my colleague is an Indian who spoke Chinese [alot better than I]. The first few weeks I was at the CDC, I took the long way to avoid him as much as possible [today we are super good friends]. If there is anything more freaky than Chinese-speaking Indians, it's Cantonese-speaking Indians, and half-fucked ones at that. It took me a while before I could figure out they were speaking Cantonese, and even then, each Indian required individual acclimatization.
So the Indians stick onto any unfortunate passer-by, professing in their horrendous Cantonese that their room or food is the cheapest and bestest around. And the ang mohs get stuck on by the Indians and attempt to outwit those Indians for the sake of a few dollars using their limited euro-centric wit. Symbiosis is such a wonderful thing.
I don't know why anybody would want to remember Singapore. It's just a shitty little hellhole with people who think it's more than just a shitty little hellhole.
In any case, there really is a nicer non-Chungking mansion-y way to remember Singapore and it's called Food Republic.
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