A veggie in Lion City

By her own admission, Shubhangi Khapre is a strict vegetarian, who also sometimes sidesteps cheese and bread, and she definitely isn't a party animal either. So what would she do in seafood devouring Singapore, as it warms up to its festive season?

At 7.30am, at the end of a five-hour journey, when I landed at Singapore's sprawling Changi Airport, I could feel the churning in my stomach for a steaming cuppa and spicy breakfast. I considered my choices: I'm vegetarian, so that ruled out the fabulous seafood eateries Singapore is famous for, and the pork popsicles and meat-on-a-stick street snacks that Southeast Asia is famous for. Then, I don't much care for bread and cheese, which ruled out everything else.

My mother, knowing this about me, had stuffed my suitcase with a month's supply of dry fruits for my four-day, pre-Christmas visit. But if I suddenly started chomping on cashews, almonds, apricots and pistachio at the airport, would they haul me away? Visions of Ajmal Kasab and his companions eating dry fruits during the 26/11 attacks flashed through my mind. I stuffed the cloth bag a little deeper into my suitcase. I would reach for it only if the smell of marinated pork, skewered sardines, minced mutton and earthworms cooked in special sauces, floating all around me, made me sick.

As I settled into my room at the beautiful Goodwood Park Hotel, I relaxed a little. The fact that complete strangers greeted me with warm smiles helped. But it would soon be lunchtime. I had heard that vegetarians travelling abroad have a particularly difficult time finding food. And Singapore, like many others in Southeast Asia, would be a meat-and-fish devouring country. Walking by the food court at the ION Orchard mall, on the arterial Orchard Road, I wondered what I could eat as I watched people help themselves to roast duck, skewered chicken and grilled pork.

Somewhat hesitantly, I told the Chinese lady at the counter that I was a vegetarian. With a big smile, she nudged me towards a plate full of rice, cabbage cooked in coconut curry, fried brinjal and crisp potato. I was stunned. So there were alternatives, after all, and not too hard to find either. Within minutes my plate was cleaned out - along with the mental block of being a veggie in the land of the Lion.

After that, every meal became an exotic adventure. At Wild Rocket, on Mount Emilly Park, the chef sprang a surprise by serving vegetables stuffed with pepper. Mounted on the roasted tomato base were mushroom, capsicum, beans and potatoes layered with garlic and ginger. It was so appetising my Singaporean guide was ready to trade in her fried fish for a plate.

Then there was Ya Kun Kaya toast, layered with jam and butter, a perfect start to the day. It reminded me of the Irani chai shops in Mumbai, and their freshly-baked bread. And for someone averse to alcohol, even wine-tasting at the French restaurant Les Amis turned romantic.

As a local touch, I was offered homemade Peranakan dessert at Swissotel. The thick, red porridge, made of mashed red beans and sugar, looked vile till I tried a spoonful. Delicious! But the mother of all surprises was the six-course vegetarian meal at the Chinese restaurant Tunglok Signature.

A first glance, the menu almost killed my appetite: It had specialities in pork, shark's fin, brain, chicken and duck. But the lavish spread of spinach soup, fried rice, black fungus soaked in olive oil and baked vegetables topped with fresh lily, among others, proved awesome. Every course was accompanied by endless cups of aromatic Chinese green tea as well.

But while I warmed to the food, I still wasn't sure I had picked the right time to land in Singapore. The festive (read party) season was hotting up, and I'm no party animal. The idea of slumming it on the sand for Zoukout 2009, the hottest beach party in the country, was unattractive. At Siloso beach in Sentosa, bikinis and Speedos are the dress code, but I wasn't going to be caught dead in either. As DJs from across the world assembled for the party, I grabbed my most daring outfit: A flowing black skirt and tight top. Sure, I was a little overdressed. But nobody stared or made me uncomfortable. That's Singapore for you.

The whole of Singapore seems all set to party up 2010. As I criss-crossed the small country, I found myself getting into the spirit of things, swaying to the music everywhere and singing. The snazzy malls on Orchard Road also looked like they had never heard of a recession.

With so much cosmopolitanism and multi-culturalism all around me, suddenly the Maharashtrian versus north India issue back home seemed insignificant. Perhaps it has something to do with the clinically-implemented laws in Singapore: Chewing gum is banned so kids can't mess up public utilities.

Government-owned condos keep the delicate ethnic balance in mind by making sure they have quotas for Chinese, Indian, Malays et al. And somehow they can still accommodate the magnificent highrises and swank homes of the rich and famous Japanese and Indians.]

If Singaporeans can be happy with making it mandatory to employ just one local per restaurant, and also make place for everyone else, why couldn't we resolve our problems in a similar, peaceful way?