Singaporean Hospitality

I can definitely boast about the Singaporean hospitality. After all, I was in hospitality committees of 2 very successful high-profile events held in Singapore in 2005 and 2006. I should know a lot on what it means to display hospitality to guest and visitors. Yet, my trip to Italy and English L’abri showed me how my idea of hospitality was lacking in so many aspects.

Hospitality is something that has been lost due to our culture. The ubiquitous food places made true hospitality that displays warmth hard to come by. Eating out is cheap, and convenient, and oftentimes, the economic cost for cooking at home far outweighs that of eating outside. A good example would be that of a recently married couple. Preparation takes time. Cooking takes time. And washing up takes time. The pressures of society, and the insistence on efficiency means that people hardly ever take pleasure in cooking, because there are more important things to do!

I wonder also if the fact that food is easily available diminishes the way we understand the love that someone puts in in preparing a meal for us. Criticisms roll off our tongues easily when the food is overcooked, too bland, or simply not as good as that we have eaten somewhere else. Yet, wouldn’t the hours and effort put in in preparing the meal be an indication of the person’s love for us? Are we so insistent on eating good food that we fail to see the difference between food produced to earn a living and that produced out of love?

As I sat at a bus stop watching a grandfather ask his granddaughter if the bread was nice, I wonder if the culture of eating out has contributed in part to people tending to trend money as an idol. Here’s my reasoning: to eat good food, you need money. The tastier the food, the more likely is it going to be expensive. So to enjoy good food, we have to work hard. Granted that such a reasoning doesn’t apply only to Singapore; good restaurants all over the world offer attractive prices, but Singapore’s case is more pronounced because we no longer appreciate a well home-made meal. Most people see the only way to enjoy good food is to go out for a meal.

Singaporeans are very task-orientated and can be very helpful when need be. Yet, when it comes to hosting people in homes, even for a meal, we are lacking in many aspects. Perhaps what needs be is simply a desire to invite people over, never mind the inconvenience of preparation, cooking and cleaning up. The fact that one is willing to go all the way to prepare a simple, hearty meal, complete with desert, is enough to show that he cares.