Cultural Displacement :: Personal Narrative Traveling Essays

Cultural DisplacementI sidestepped the bald man next to me who was order of magnitude what looked kindred duck feet, in rapid Malaysian. Looking low-spirited at my green plastic tray, like those often found in in high spirits school lunch rooms, I saw the square banana thumb piled high with plain white rice looking back. The thought of foods like fish eyes, stuffed animal intestine, or any kind of pickled hoof on my rice made my gag reflexes kick into high gear. I paid for my abysmal lunch, a measly dollar fifty US, smiled at the man at the register, and walked to a nearby table. It had been three days and I had eaten little more than white rice and clear broth for intimately of that time. I knew later Id be doubled over, in agonizing pain over my empty stomach nevertheless I still couldnt bring myself to eat the meals in the food court. non feeling adventurous today? My dads girlfriend plopped down in the seat next to me and began munching with gusto. Sh e had been brave at this meal her collection plate was covered in some brown thing, it might have been a vegetable and I sincerely hoped it was, though chose not to ask. Ins tead I smiled weakly and began to eat my rice with a severely bent surface fork. Metal forks in an Asian country? Youre probably question where all the chopsticks went. In fact, I was probably one of the few mess in the vicinity who actually could use a chopstick. Theres a good reason behind this madness and it all starts with the British. Until or so forty years ago, Singapore was colonized by the British. It seems strange but then again the British would have colonized a tea bag, given the chance. England also had colonized Hong Kong but was afraid of losing this major occupation and financial affection to communism, a legitimate fear because thats ultimately what happened. Fortunately they had already created a clone Hong Kong on a midget island off the tip of Malaysia. That island was call ed Singapore. In an effort to keep the business ace that had been in Hong Kong, Chinese business men were brought in. The British eventually began to retract many of their colonies and when they finally left Singapore in the mid 1960s, the Chinese business men, who were the superpower that made Singapore the world trading center it was, took control of power.