Lunch Time!

Singaporeans eat out all the time!  I must say I am hoping to adapt this part of the culture into our lives quickly, I love to eat out.  Hawker centers are huge in Singapore.

What is a Hawker center?  Picture a food court in a shopping mall, some are like that, most however are under a covered roof and are outside, no air conditioning but sometimes there are ceiling fans.
 They have an interesting way of reserving their table while they get their food, you know how we do this in the States, we leave someone to hold the table while someone else goes to get the food.  In Singapore they will leave a small travel size pack of tissues on the table, this means the table is reserved.  Do not make the mistake that my husbands friend made thinking that this means someone forgot to bring their tissues with them, if they find you sitting at their table using their tissues, you may get an ear full!  These little tissue packs are carried by everyone and are used for napkins, and well....other things you may want tissue kind of paper for.

The government will help you in picking what Hawker center you want to eat at, each booth in the center is given a grade by the government which must be displayed. These grades range from A to D.  I am told most centers have a B or C rating.  Hawker centers are a good way to get authentic local food and they are very reasonable, Scott just ate a chicken and rice meal with a drink and fruit for about  $S3.00 (three sing dollars), that is about $2.00 U.S.  I have a feeling we will be enjoying some Hawker center meals during our stay.  Just don't forget the tissues!