Culture Awes in Singapore
Singapore. It’s not Manhattan. It’s not Tokyo and it is not Hong Kong.
Singapore is a wonderful city to live in. It is modern, clean, environmentally friendly, extremely efficient, and is home to very friendly and hard-working people. But the minute you talk to your taxi driver outside the airport, you know that you are going to have trouble for the weeks to come. Singapore is a FINE country where the FINE can be interpreted in 2 ways, as an adjective (excellent country) and a noun(a country that imposes fine for literally everything (littering, vandalising, etc.)
From day-to-day behavior to cultural quirks, some things which seem strange to others just seem so normal to us. Like calling everyone who owns a taxi our Uncle. To all our foreign friends and people looking forward to visiting Singapore soon, you shall be confused no more.
#1 The power of Can
"Tomorrow meet up. Can?" "Can."
Why is “can” both the question and the answer to so many things, Singapore? Why!? This simple but oh-so-powerful word means no time and effort goes to waste in our daily interactions. Not only is it a common noun, the fact that it can also be used not only as a question but also an answer means it's all you'll ever need to facilitate conversations.
#2 Singlish LAH
If you know Mandarin or Tamil you can fit in easily, but even otherwise, the city is enveloping and welcoming with its own version of English. Singlish.
There's L.A., there's the immortal "la la la" song lyric, there's the rock band from Liverpool -- but there's no "lah" like the one in Singapore.
The word "lah" can be, and often is, added to the end of any sentence in Singapore.
"Three dollar onny, dis one,” a street vendor might say to you in Singapore. A local might reply, “Wah! So espensive one, cannot leh.”
It is not used in everyday formal business interactions, presentations, meetings and job interviews, but if the audience is largely comprised of locals, Singlish may be used to build rapport and inject humour. You cannot escape it when you interact with taxi drivers, hawkers and shop keepers. Some of the phrases you will commonly come across are: Can lah – It can be done, Cannot lah – It cannot be done, Dat one finish oreddy – That one has finished already.
#3 Who eats ice cream with BREAD?
When we say ice cream sandwich, we’re not referring to the hipster cookie versions that costs up to five bucks a pop. We’re talking about the good ol’ scoop of ice cream straight out of your friendly neighborhood uncle’s cart of frozen treats, sandwiched between the folds of bright toast breads!
#4 Keep Left
Sweet love may be in the air, but couples are notorious for choking up human traffic. The rule is to stick to the left side of the escalator if you wish to stay stationary for the ascent or descent. So if it’s absolutely crucial for you to stay holding your partner’s hand, shuffle to the left do it in a fashion where you’re standing parallel to each other. Hogging one full panel of the escalator leads to bottle-necking on a potentially crowded transporter between levels, likely leading to a multitude of evil glances shot at you two harder than Cupid’s arrow.
#5 The Transport System
How easy it is to get around in Singapore! Buses in Singapore come quite frequently and even if they don’t, you will have other transport options. The MRT trains run every few minutes and 6 minute intervals would be considered “long”. Finally, taxis are a good back up option that you won’t need to break the bank to take.
Travelling by cab is also a fantastic way to learn more about Singapore. In other countries, it may be common for people to chat with their regular hairstylist while sitting in relative silence in cabs, but this rule is inversed in Singapore where many hairstylists are taciturn while cab drivers are likely to quiz you about everything from your day’s plans, to your current occupation and nationality. They are generally well-informed about the best places to eat and the best places to go, and are hilariously opinionated about the local scene and a great fount of knowledge about all things Singaporean.
#6 Tissue Paper What do you do when lunch is only an hour long and the queues at your favorite hawker stall are already starting to snake into the adjacent stall’s territory? You’d like to order your food pronto but if you leave the table, that couple lurking over there is definitely going to grab it. What now?This headache may occur only in Singapore, Malaysia or Hong Kong where hawker centers and food courts are prevalent.
A hawker centre is essentially a covered space shared by hawkers who each lease their own stall, with a free-for-all area for diners who may choose to purchase their meal from any of the stalls. A food court works on the same principle, but with the addition of air-conditioning to the space.When it gets crowded at lunch hour, it can be pretty tricky to snag a table for your friends and yourself while ensuring that your food somehow arrives simultaneously for everyone to eat together. In order to avoid the sad inevitability of making mournful eyes at your steaming curry rice while your friend is still queuing for his meal, take advantage of the Tissue Paper Law to ensure that everyone purchases their meals at the same time.
In Singapore, it is an unofficial rule that any table with a packet of tissue placed on it is claimed territory. However, should the place be really packed, some may use tissue paper packs to chope (a Singlish term meaning ‘reserve’) just a single seat at a table—which could lead to some pretty bizarre sights such as four to five packets of tissue circling an empty table top.
Funnily enough, no Asian country though serves its customers tissue papers to clean their hands or mouths! Not even Singapore!
#7 Go Bare-feet
In Singapore, everyone is expected to remove their shoes or any footwear before entering someone's house or apartment- this irrespective of one's religious belief.
#8 Strict Laws for every small random thing
Avoid eating, even sweets, on public transport, particularly chewing gum. It is an offence that could cost you up to S$500.
Never go topless on view – not even in your hotel room if you can be overlooked.
Always flush the toilet – random spot checks on public lavatories could cost you up to S$150.
No littering or spitting in public places – another fineable offence.
Under no circumstances carry pornographic material – heavy fines or imprisonment.
Discussing religion or politics is considered offensive, as is raising your voice or losing your temper.
If using a laptop or tablet, do not connect to an unauthorised Wi-Fi network. This is considered a crime.
Don’t tip – this is not a cultural practice, and only a few restaurants even include a service charge.
