Little India, Singapore is amazing, living in London for all of my young adult life, it’s common to experience communities within a community, the obvious one being a Chinese community in China Town, Soho, or a Greek and Turkish Cypriot community within Green Lanes, North London.
There’s something very unique, unlike anything I have experienced before here in Little India. I can almost forget I am in Singapore!
As I walk through the small streets looking for a place to have lunch, every single person I see, every establishment, every restaurant, cafe, shop is Indian. No sign whatsoever of Singaporean culture or cuisine.
I never imagined there would be such a large Indian community in Singapore, It felt raw, exciting and a little strange to get my head round at first but I liked it!
It seems to me that the paler the skin here, the more beautiful a woman is considered. Most Singaporean girls cover themselves up from the sun and often wear pale foundation to make their skin look lighter.
Many East Asians can’t understand the western mentality of worshiping the sun and our constant obsession of having the perfect tan; in fact most Easterners think us Westerners are mad!
As I walked into a busy cheap eatery, packed with the locals, it was as if time stood still, everyone stopped eating and just stared at me, I swear I even saw some tumbleweed blow pass...no that must have been my imagination but it may well have happened. It was surreal.
I selected a variety of the Indian cuisine, which was very healthy and deliciously good and not a noodle dish in sight!
I ate, feeling quite uncomfortable with everyone staring at me, I thought ‘what is wrong with the way I look today? Have I got toilet roll dangling from my shorts or something? Regardless I ate the entire contents on my plate and could have ordered seconds but felt too paranoid.
As I got up to leave, a handful of men rushed to my aid and opened the door for me and I noticed they started to follow me down the street, giggling like naughty school boys.
It was only later that it hit me why they were so 'keen'. Before I set off around the world, I was so looking forward to getting a deep tan, for the envy of all, who would have thought here in Singapore, actually it is cool to be pale.
So there was no need to worry about being the 'mighty whitey' here. I'm pleased to say Di Rosa was the 'in thing' either that or they just thought I was a ghost!
