Anthony Bourdain's advice on how to find the best food? Invoke "nerd fury." Hit up any message board with an active international or travel community, and rather than simply asking them for advice, outright lie to them. More

I asked a native Singaporean why the people of Singapore are so food crazy. His answer was blunt and typical. "It's the only damn culture we have." With such an influx of new immigrants and ex-pats, it's no wonder that food is the unifying factor for all of Singapore's citizens. With so many flavors to represent, Singapore is absolutely clogged with places to eat; everything from the affordable hawker centers and eating houses to numerous high-end restaurants. Here are the 12 must-try dishes. More

For the first-timer in a Singapore hawker center, the sheer size and outward disarray can be downright disconcerting, if not a little intimidating. With the help of friends and guidebooks, I, myself a recent Singapore newbie, decoded the basics of hawker center etiquette to help demystify this unique eating experience for future greenhorn foodies. More

Kaya toast is ubiquitous in Singapore and can be found in hawker centres, kopitiams (coffee shops), and shopping malls. Kaya is essentially a coconut jam—coconut milk cooked with eggs to make a thick, luscious custard. Sometimes it's flavoured with pandan (the "vanilla" of Southeast Asia), which gives it an aromatic fragrance and unmistakable taste. More

Melbourne-based food blogger Penny of Jeroxie calls mee siam (accompanied by kopi, coffee with condensed milk) one of her favorite breakfast dishes in Singapore. Check out the recipe on her blog to learn how to make this sweet, sour, and spicy rice noodle dish at home. More

K.F. Seetoh and the char kway teow. Unfortunately, everything is tinted yellow because of the lighting. Photographs taken by Robyn Lee. Singapore may enforce strict rules (no smoking, no gum-chewing, no jaywalking, no littering) but the country embraces the wonders of street food. No cigarette smoke in the air, just whiffs of coconut curry and crab. For those who favor street cuisine over the white tablecloth ilk, this is it. This is the mecca for your greasy hands. Instead of embarking on a 19-hour flight, authentic Singaporean vendors did the trek themselves, arriving in New York this week. Last night's event, sponsored by Singapore Airlines among other companies, was arranged to mimic mini "hawker centers," the food huts where... More

The New York Times arrived really late to the Eat for Enjoyment, Don't Deprive Yourself party. As many serious dieters know from experience, this is easier said than done. The Times notes that people are eating more healthy, seasonal foods, enjoying them more and worrying less. To me, that's stating the obvious. If I just reach for an apple, pear, or banana every time I have neurotic compulsion to eat something, that's obviously a good thing. But it doesn't solve all of my problems. It still doesn't address my constant yearnings for ice cream, french fries, or barbecue. The only way to deal with foods like those is to eat them in extreme moderation. This week I really feel like... More

In Singapore, it is not uncommon for my grandparents' generation to speak numerous dialects, but only a smattering of English. So imagine my surprise when I heard a grandfatherly type holler at a coffee shop, "Lao ban, lai yi bei Michael Jackson." ("Boss, give me a glass of Michael Jackson.") Michael Jackson? What is this, a new type of beer? I stay to look and it turns out a Michael Jackson is no alcoholic drink, but a virtuous concoction of creamy soy milk and squiggles of immortal jelly. I haven't a clue why the black jelly is considered "immortal" (I suspect ad man involvement), but it is also known locally as chin chow, or grass jelly. Made by boiling... More

This Wednesday will be the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, also known as “Ren Ri”—the universal birthday of man. Celebrating families have been feasting for an entire week on a myriad of goodies, but the one festive staple is Yu Sheng—a pun on the Chinese terms for "abundance and growth" which literally means “raw fish.” More

The concept of "chestnuts roasting over an open fire" is an alien one to Asians, and the notion of buying chestnuts raw and roasting them yourself even stranger—why would anyone choose to go through all that hassle when the streets are lined year-round with hawkers frying them right before you? More