Tips on Cultural Etiquette: Part 4 - On Eating

Mookata- a Thai-style "barbecue" with a soup-broth base

As I've mentioned before, Singaporeans are serious about their food. They love to eat. The variety of food is extensive. Some common types include: Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, "Western" (a blanket category for American, British, and some types of European cuisine), Japanese, Thai and Italian. Mexican, Spanish, and Middle Eastern food are also available, but not as common. With all these great types of cuisines, you could eat your vacation away in restaurants galore. Here are some tips to help you avoid faux pas when dining in Singapore:

1. Don't expect restaurants to function the same way they do in your native country. Here dishes are not always served together, but are served one at a time as the food is cooked and plated. This means that the appetizer may show up after the main course. The server does not usually come over to check on you or refill your drinks. Most of the time, if you want service, you will need to signal for the waiter/waitress to come over. Also, at many restaurants, you take your chit or receipt and pay at the cashier (located at the front or back of the establishment).

2. Be careful not to a take a seat that someone else has already "choped" (reserved). This applies in the context of  hawker centers and food courts. Singaporeans will often chope a seat before queuing up at a stall to get their dinner. If you see a tissue packet, umbrella, or some other item in front of a specific seat, consider that seat reserved and find a different one.

3. Be aware of cultural norms in Indian and Muslim establishments. Remember if you are eating in those type of restaurants or at hawkers centers to eat with your right hand as the left hand is used for bathroom functions.  Also, halal and non-halal foods and utensils should never touch/be mixed.

4. Mind what you're doing with your chopsticks. Some Chinese consider it bad breeding to cross your chopsticks when you are holding food. Do not take food from other people's chopsticks with your chopsticks. Furthermore, don't stab food with your chopsticks. It's just rude and it makes you look like you don't know how to use them. Never leave your chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice as this echoes Buddhist funerary practices. Instead, when you are finished with them, place them on your napkin, chopstick rest, or the edge of the bowl.

5. When in doubt, take a cue from the host. Sometimes, it can be hard to know how to eat a certain food or the etiquette around communal dishes. When this is the case, it's better to watch what the locals or your host is doing for a few moments before tucking in. This can definitely save you some embarrassment.

Bingsu - a Korean shaved-ice dessert