Singaporeanisms - Makan & National Service
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I'm sitting on the benches outside Nylon Coffee in Everton Park at mid-morning on a weekday, offering free coffee to strangers who answered a simple question. What's the most Singaporean thing about you?

The fact that a lot of other countries admire Singapore's infrastructure. I am very efficient. I like to do things in a timely manner. I walk very fast. So I think these are traits that make me very Singaporean. And what would be the second most Singaporean thing about you?

That I enjoy going to a coffee shop and having kopisi kosong which is not a croissant but coffee and then just eggs and toast. I think simplicity and then rituals and of course food. So what's your favourite Singaporean dish? Hmm...

Oh, that's a tough question because there's so many options. There's a few hawker centres that I really like. Which is your favourite? A Moy Street Market, yeah. So it's more of a morning and lunch hawker centre catered to the CBD. So I love that. So when I go there, I normally order, it's called...

Chai Kueh, which is like a dumpling and it's got lots of chives. And the Pen Kueh, which is pink, bright pink, and it's got glutinous rice. So I normally go for that and then I'll go for a Vade, the Indian savoury donut. And then I'll get my coffee, which is more Western style. So it's a trifecta of, you know, again, that kind of represents the different races in Singapore.

Can I ask you, what is the most Singaporean thing about you? Well, serving the military. Right? At 18 years old for two and a half years and thereafter every year in the reservists. We only have that little dot to defend and I think all hands on deck is important.

It's a rite of passage for Singaporean males to serve two years of national service, followed by a period of reservist training every year. I've come of age where they don't need me anymore, above 50 years old. So I'm out of the reserve, yes. Thank you very much. You're most welcome. You've been listening to strangers answer the question, what's the most Singaporean thing about you? Here is Nylon Coffee in Everton Park. Postcode 0800004.

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