Singaporeans are exposed to different kinds of food each day - Western or Asian, fried or steam, liquid or dry, good or bad. Other than shopping, eating is almost like another National Hobby.
If you switch on the TV, the more popular programs in Singapore can be categorised in three main themes - travel, shopping and food. We have different kinds of food programs - programs associated with gourmet writers, eg Makansutra Raw, programs introducing stalls with long queues, programs introducing eateries along certain bus routes and even programs on good food on campus. Of course, we are not forgetting the more conventional food programs which centre around certain types of food or certain areas of eating places each episode.
Inevitably, our tongues have been pampered with the myriad selection. Just as we feel heavenly after a satisfying good meal. The reverse is also true, especially when we expect to perk ourselves up with good food.
I was in Novena on a weekend evening and was looking for my dinner destination. After walking around, I decided to eat at a Thai restaurant. After having so much good Thai food for the past 2 weeks, my expectations had been raised. This was especially when I had never been disappointed by Thai food before. To our disappointment, the food was purely spicy without accompanying aroma from the spices used. For the fried rice with dried shrimps and chicken, the rice was too bland and the chicken too sweet. For the Phad Thai, it was too sweet but only generous in the rice noodle. For the seafood stir fried rice noodle, it was too spicy which overwhelmed any sweetness from the seafood. In addition, the meal was not cheap which led to double disappointment.
Strangely, after eating such disappointing food, it sort of set a disappointing tone for the remaining evening. I felt fustrated and slighted peeved at being treated to such insincere cuisine. Just as good food cheers us up, bad food casts a cloud.
No comments:
Post a Comment