The 5 Senses of Singapore

At a TED talk in 2013, an industrial designer named Jinsop Lee presented his theory of what makes design great. According to him, the secret lies in appealing to all of the five senses. Enter Singapore. A country which confidently provokes a response from all sensory receptors.

Taste:

It is difficult to miss the good old Pret Free-Range Egg Mayo Sandwich once your palette is introduced to the local cuisine. If, like me, you are a curious European who has never been to Asia, buckle up. Have you ever tasted salted egg yolk crisps? Have you ever bought two kilograms of the sweetest and juiciest longan fruit and munched on it as you walked home? Have you ever bought a filling lunch for three people for the price of one measly Chinese noodle box at the Camden Market? Indulge. Savour it.

Smell:

Oh, durian. I had never heard of you before, but I will miss you when I am gone. Anthony Bourdain once famously said that eating you makes one’s breath smell as if they had been French-kissing their dead grandmother. Your pungent smell makes me chuckle because I know how tasty you are. We met when a family in Indonesia offered me durian sticky rice. My eyes were wide open as I was discovering the brand new flavour. A week later I captured your scent on a remote street in the Malaysian Cameron Highlands. I walked two blocks, and there you were. And I knew I was in love when the street vendor gave me a piece in exchange for a photo. Do not listen to them. Do not let the haters get to you. You might be smelly, but you really are one of a kind.

Touch:

Much like the majority of vegetable dishes on campus, my face is drenched with oil. It is shining brighter than the Gardens by the Bay during the daily light shows. The heat is bearable but only in air conditioned spaces. Or the Tanjong Beach Club. Or the infinity pool two minutes away from my residence. Well, you get the idea – it is really not as bad as they say.

Sight:

Your eyes will get tired. You will spend hours looking for the cheapest flights to Cambodia on Skyscanner. You will stare at hawker stall menus, trying to decipher the different types of noodles (give it a month and you will soon know your bee hoon, ho fun, misua, mee pok and many more). You will be looking up at the glistening skyscrapers. You will be glancing over the city lights on Ladies’ Night every Wednesday. Top tip: bring your eye drops.

Listen to your friends giving you advice on what to try in hawker centres. Listen to the Grab driver who explains to you how the Housing and Development Board operates. Try to not to listen to your bedroom ceiling fan which is louder than your alarm clock. Listen to the professors as they discuss topics and perspectives which you would never have encountered at UCL. Listen.

By Katerina Kupkova