Finding something different

September 2019 · 5 min read

During our first three business days in Singapore, we have been taking our lunch in the canteen of our client's facility. On the fourth day, one of the clients invited me to have lunch outside.

"Huh? Where?" I was surprised. I wonder where we will eat because we are in a middle of reclaimed land that was turned as industrial area. All we see around are big facilities and shipping yards.

"We will find a place." That was a certain statement.

He drove around with our eyes in every corner that we can cover. After several turns, he pointed at a building.

"How did you know that we can eat there and not only the company's employees?" I asked.

"Because there are different companies in the building, not just one so they must have a common place to eat which is not limited to any company's employee only."

I looked at the building and noticed the different company names on different sides and on top of it. I did not realize that should be our determining factor.

There was mo entrance to the building area from where we were so he drove around to find the gate to the building. The eating area is not in sight so we asked how to get there. The uncle who was inside the guard house helped us as he mentioned which way to turn. We eventually found the food court.

Tuas 88 Eating House.

"So they call a food court as eating house here," I thought.

He parked and we got inside the food court. There are fairly many stalls to choose from. The only thing is, most of their dishes are spicy. There are also stalls for noodles but I wanted a heavy meal. It was apparent that my client wanted the same because he went got more interested to the stall that serves rice meals. Kamroz Kitchen.

I joined him after I took a look at the stall nearby. He was already placing his order, pointing at the viands that he wanted to be added on his plate. There were dishes that I am not familiar with and I did not want to experiment (not this time) so I ordered for fried chicken and vegetables with extra fried egg. The scary but funny part was that the crew automatically started to pour spicy sauce all over my food.

"No, no, no!" I thought I almost screamed while I was waiving my hand to the crew.

She smiled and asked then what do I want them to put on my food. I said, "Nothing. I"ll be fine with that."

My client why don't I like spicy.

"Because it's spicy!"

He just smiled as we walked to our table.

There were very diners yet when we took our table. My client went to another stall to buy drinks for us. This is another new setup that I noticed in Singapore. A food store does not sell drinks at the same time. In the Philippines, a food store can sell almost all lines of drinks they want for as long as they included it in acquiring their business permit.

While my client was away, I got busy taking photos as usual.

This was his meal. I do not recall what meat viand he ordered but we both had the veggies.

While we were eating he was looking around and identifying Chinese stall owners.

"How do you know they are Chinese?" He meant migrants from China and not native in Singapore.

"I just know." I wonder how and what's his interest with them. I did not ask.

I noticed that diners are now cominh from here and there. Many of them weat different uniforms while the others were wearing casual attire. That basically confirns my client's assumption that the food court is for everyone in the building.

After our meal, he mentioned that he want to smoke outside. I do not smoke but I do not want to be left inside with nothing more on my plate while diners were about to fully occupy all tables. I followed him outside the gate where we found tarpaulins of some of the food stalls inside the court.

He started to further describe the foods in the tarpaulins. I asked about prata and he was surprised that I do not know anout it. He thought it is also common in the Philippines.

"It's Indian food. How will it be common in the Philippines?"

"It's a bit common here so I thought it's the same in Southeast Asia."

"Ah, not with this one."

So what is prata? Sesrch engine led me to Wikipedia with roti prata.

Roti canai (pronunciation: /tʃanai/), also known as roti cane (/tʃane/) or roti parotta, is an Indian-influenced flatbread dish found in several countries in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore. It is usually served with dal or other types of curry, but can also be cooked in a range of sweet or savoury variations made with a variety of ingredients such as sardines, meat, egg, or cheese.

There was nothing extraordinary with our meals as compared to the ones we had in the canteen. However, I realized thatit is also good to go out from time to time and experience something new. It can also be a breathing space and stretch exercise.

It is good to have fresh air outside.