and most of them involve food. That’s why I decided to post my musing here.
People often ask me if my wife has grown accustomed to living in Singapore. You would think that I would have my stock answer prepared by now, fully ready to be launched. But usually I give a half-coherent answer regarding how most of her favourite stores - including but not limited to Mister Donut, Don Donki, and Uniqlo - are available at the shopping mall nearest our house. Come 2025, I will want to give more varied and thoughtful responses when people ask me this question. You read it here first.
- One thing that Japanese restaurants do well is the way they ensure that your kids get served first. You can bring your kids to any restaurant, order the kids’ meal, and have it served before you even get to compose yourself and catch a breather. I cannot state how helpful it is to be able to shove food down your children’s throats before they lose all control and have dynamite meltdowns!
- The competition for the consumer dollar is fierce, with so many original and fascinating products. Japanese brand owners are willing to spend the money to let customers have a free trial of their products. Just look at how the staff at Lindht gave me an entire piece of Lindor chocolates. I don’t know about your country, but in Singapore, that piece would have been divided into bite-sized pieces and given to several prospective customers in order to optimise the cost of investment. However, in Japan, the adage “the customer is King” still stands firm like buttress roots anchoring trees.
- In land-scarce Singapore, you have to be rich in order to afford a place with a bathtub. Which I am not. So my wife has to suffer the indignity of taking a shower every day. Compare this to how the bathtub is an indispensable feature of Japanese homes. Japanese parents bond with their children over long leisurely baths in the bathtub. We even have dedicated toys and bath balls to extend our children’s happiness there.
- Some Japanese like to eat bread for breakfast on a regular basis. My wife is one of them. She often expresses dismay at how she is unable to find thick slices of bread in Singapore. It seems that it is customary for Japanese people to put their favourite ingredients on thick slices of bread and toast them. I think my wife is still mourning over the loss of her cherished morning routine.