What a catch ....

Singaporeans are likely brought up to believe that being 'Kiasu' is one of the important traits to possess when living in this sunny island Singapore. For those who don't know what 'Kiasu' means, it means 'being afraid to lose' or in its simplest form of translation from the dialect, its 'scared lose'.

While having a buffet dinner at Hotel Rendezvous last night with some friends, I felt a little embarrassed at the way some adults were piling their food into stacks of mountains that could well be steeper than Bukit Timah Hill (supposedly the highest hill in Singapore). What to do, they were probably afraid that the hotel would stop the 'supplies' of oysters, sashimis and prawns - the main reason why patrons are at a hotel buffet. Sometimes I wonder how much food goes to waste and if these hungry bunch of people can really finish up what they have taken. This is an example of 'kiasu' Singaporeans.

The highlight of the evening was this - a group of adults were crowding round an empty tray labelled 'Crayfish'. Mind you, it was empty but look at the photo, people were waiting patiently for the 'prized' seafood to be served. The crowd grew bigger as more Singaporeans came fighting for their rights to catch a crayfish cooked in chilli sauce.

I can't believe this group of crayfish-hungry crowd would actually stand there for about fifteen minutes, waiting for the catch of the night.All armed with empty plates, the chilli covered crayfish finally made its appearance. The crowd went crazy, jostling and wrestling for their fair share of the seafood.

Wait a minute, did I say fair share? Look at one of the photos, did you see this lady's plate filled with almost six pieces? Its not fair isn't it cause I didn't get a piece of it. Well, who's to be blamed? I didn't queue for it. Perhaps there wasn't a 'kiasu' trait in me as my parents always taught me to be generous and to share. Whatever it is, I think Singaporeans will need to learn to be graceful and polite. What would the world think of us when we fight in buffets let alone should one day, a calamity hit Singapore and we have a shortage of food, would Singaporeans then stab their fellow countrymen just to have that packet of food ration. Horrible thought isn't it?

By the way, I contributed this experience of mine to Stomp too. http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/viewPost4949.aspx