1 00:00:09,410 --> 00:00:12,480 Spotless... 2 00:00:12,513 --> 00:00:15,849 efficient... 3 00:00:15,883 --> 00:00:19,553 safe... 4 00:00:19,587 --> 00:00:23,524 protected... 5 00:00:23,557 --> 00:00:24,725 controlled. 6 00:00:24,758 --> 00:00:28,696 ♪ 7 00:00:28,729 --> 00:00:30,531 A utopian city-state 8 00:00:30,564 --> 00:00:32,866 run like a multinational company. 9 00:00:34,268 --> 00:00:37,037 Welcome to Singapore, Incorporated. 10 00:00:37,071 --> 00:00:37,571 ♪ 11 00:00:44,312 --> 00:00:46,347 ♪ I took a walk through this ♪ 12 00:00:46,380 --> 00:00:49,117 ♪ Beautiful world 13 00:00:49,150 --> 00:00:54,422 ♪ Felt the cool rain on my shoulder ♪ 14 00:00:54,455 --> 00:00:57,958 ♪ Found something good in this ♪ 15 00:00:57,991 --> 00:01:00,928 ♪ Beautiful world 16 00:01:00,961 --> 00:01:06,800 ♪ I felt the rain getting colder ♪ 17 00:01:06,834 --> 00:01:07,968 ♪ La, la 18 00:01:08,001 --> 00:01:09,970 ♪ Sha la, la, la, la 19 00:01:10,003 --> 00:01:12,306 ♪ Sha la, la, la, la 20 00:01:12,340 --> 00:01:13,541 ♪ Sha la, la, la 21 00:01:13,574 --> 00:01:15,943 ♪ Sha la, la, la, la 22 00:01:15,976 --> 00:01:21,182 ♪ Sha la, la, la, la, la 23 00:01:27,355 --> 00:01:27,855 ♪ 24 00:01:48,609 --> 00:01:50,043 Singapore. 25 00:01:53,314 --> 00:01:55,115 One could be forgiven for thinking 26 00:01:55,149 --> 00:01:57,651 it's a giant, ultramodern shopping mall. 27 00:01:57,685 --> 00:01:58,185 ♪ 28 00:02:01,889 --> 00:02:03,491 An interconnected, fully wired, 29 00:02:03,524 --> 00:02:05,959 air-conditioned nanny state 30 00:02:05,993 --> 00:02:07,928 where everything is beautiful 31 00:02:07,961 --> 00:02:10,097 and nothing hurts. 32 00:02:10,130 --> 00:02:11,865 And those things are kind of true, 33 00:02:11,899 --> 00:02:13,467 especially if you read the papers 34 00:02:13,501 --> 00:02:15,203 or the carefully-monitored Internet. 35 00:02:15,236 --> 00:02:15,736 ♪ 36 00:02:23,911 --> 00:02:25,779 You look around the litterless streets 37 00:02:25,813 --> 00:02:29,283 where everything seems to work just fine, 38 00:02:29,317 --> 00:02:32,119 and you think... or you could be forgiven for thinking... 39 00:02:32,152 --> 00:02:35,623 "Gee, maybe a one-party system is just what we need." 40 00:02:35,656 --> 00:02:36,156 ♪ 41 00:02:39,693 --> 00:02:42,530 You look at all the social problems and ethnic strife, 42 00:02:42,563 --> 00:02:44,064 street crime, drugs, 43 00:02:44,097 --> 00:02:45,733 that Singapore has managed to avoid, 44 00:02:45,766 --> 00:02:47,401 and you could think, 45 00:02:47,435 --> 00:02:50,404 "Is this the life we want?" 46 00:02:50,438 --> 00:02:51,672 It ain't my system. 47 00:02:51,705 --> 00:02:53,341 It's not the world I want. 48 00:02:53,374 --> 00:02:54,708 But damn, it... 49 00:02:54,742 --> 00:02:56,210 has its appeal. 50 00:02:56,244 --> 00:02:59,513 ♪ 51 00:03:04,051 --> 00:03:05,185 Hi. 52 00:03:05,219 --> 00:03:06,754 This is Singapore. 53 00:03:08,289 --> 00:03:09,923 Jam-packed in between 54 00:03:09,957 --> 00:03:12,059 the carefully feng-shui'd architecture, 55 00:03:12,092 --> 00:03:14,161 the skyscrapers and office blocks, 56 00:03:14,194 --> 00:03:16,664 are rich, deep, very old, 57 00:03:16,697 --> 00:03:19,733 and deliciously funky remnants of the old world. 58 00:03:22,436 --> 00:03:25,439 Chinese, Indian, Malay... 59 00:03:25,473 --> 00:03:28,276 And a culture that still cherishes the joys 60 00:03:28,309 --> 00:03:31,078 of a simple good thing. 61 00:03:31,111 --> 00:03:33,447 A lot of national foods you can get in Singapore. 62 00:03:33,481 --> 00:03:34,582 What's your favorite? 63 00:03:34,615 --> 00:03:35,916 My favorite is, in Malay, 64 00:03:35,949 --> 00:03:38,118 we call it mie goreng. 65 00:03:38,151 --> 00:03:39,953 That's your favorite Malay dish. 66 00:03:39,987 --> 00:03:41,422 What's your favorite Chinese dish? 67 00:03:41,455 --> 00:03:43,857 - Chinese, [indistinct] - [indistinct] 68 00:03:43,891 --> 00:03:45,486 - Sometimes chicken rice. - Chicken, of course. 69 00:03:45,493 --> 00:03:46,694 Yes. 70 00:03:46,727 --> 00:03:48,762 How about favorite Indian dish? 71 00:03:48,796 --> 00:03:51,098 Definitely nutty biryani. You know that? 72 00:03:51,131 --> 00:03:52,766 - The biryani. - Yeah, biryani, right. 73 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:54,268 You got it. 74 00:03:56,270 --> 00:03:58,306 - [indistinct] Road, right? - Yes, yes. 75 00:03:58,339 --> 00:04:01,041 That's the best laksa is on [indistinct] Road. 76 00:04:01,074 --> 00:04:03,143 Funny, I recognize every place here by food. 77 00:04:06,847 --> 00:04:08,616 - Tony, how are you? - Good, good. 78 00:04:08,649 --> 00:04:10,150 My brother. 79 00:04:10,183 --> 00:04:11,985 So what blows you back to Singapore? 80 00:04:12,019 --> 00:04:14,488 You know why I come here. I come here to eat. 81 00:04:14,522 --> 00:04:16,324 I live here to eat, too. 82 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:20,961 ♪ 83 00:04:20,994 --> 00:04:23,130 I come here mostly to eat 84 00:04:23,163 --> 00:04:25,666 because that's what they do here. 85 00:04:25,699 --> 00:04:27,335 And they arguably do it better 86 00:04:27,368 --> 00:04:29,503 with more diverse, affordable food options 87 00:04:29,537 --> 00:04:30,971 per square foot 88 00:04:31,004 --> 00:04:33,273 than just about anywhere on Earth. 89 00:04:33,307 --> 00:04:33,807 ♪ 90 00:04:38,646 --> 00:04:41,515 My godfather and mentor for Singaporean street food 91 00:04:41,549 --> 00:04:44,352 has always been, and remains, KF Seetoh, 92 00:04:44,385 --> 00:04:47,254 the guru behind the Makansutra food guides 93 00:04:47,287 --> 00:04:49,657 and an advocate for the kind of democratic, 94 00:04:49,690 --> 00:04:51,625 affordable, casual chaos 95 00:04:51,659 --> 00:04:53,126 of the hawker world. 96 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:56,096 - So this is the dry lamb. - Thank you. 97 00:04:56,129 --> 00:04:58,131 - Thank you. Enjoy. - Thank you. 98 00:04:58,165 --> 00:05:01,802 Okay, so wet and dry? Wet and dry. 99 00:05:01,835 --> 00:05:03,504 The heat gets you a bitter broth. 100 00:05:03,537 --> 00:05:07,341 545 Whampoa Prawn Noodles for prawn mi 101 00:05:07,375 --> 00:05:09,377 seemed a good place to start. 102 00:05:09,410 --> 00:05:12,112 You are here because Ruifang, this girl who served us, 103 00:05:12,145 --> 00:05:15,048 she is one of the new heroes, 104 00:05:15,082 --> 00:05:16,884 the new generation heroes... Right. 105 00:05:16,917 --> 00:05:20,954 That's out to protect and preserve our food culture. 106 00:05:20,988 --> 00:05:22,148 You know I've been talking about 107 00:05:22,155 --> 00:05:24,358 continuity for the longest time. 108 00:05:24,392 --> 00:05:29,196 I mean, I know you want to see traditional recipes 109 00:05:29,229 --> 00:05:31,832 and preparations preserved. 110 00:05:31,865 --> 00:05:35,035 I'm here to preserve what's traditional. 111 00:05:35,068 --> 00:05:37,304 What's progressive... Progressive heritage food 112 00:05:37,337 --> 00:05:39,840 has a space, but if you're too creative 113 00:05:39,873 --> 00:05:41,602 with your stuff... You start putting truffle oil 114 00:05:41,609 --> 00:05:42,743 and this kind of stuff... 115 00:05:42,776 --> 00:05:44,344 Well, that's wrong always. 116 00:05:44,378 --> 00:05:47,448 Here's my thing... creativity is not a flavor, Tony. 117 00:05:49,683 --> 00:05:53,020 Most hawker stalls are family-run operations. 118 00:05:53,053 --> 00:05:55,322 And Whampoa is no exception. 119 00:05:55,355 --> 00:05:57,725 What's unusual is that Li Ruifang 120 00:05:57,758 --> 00:06:01,161 left her white-collar job to work alongside her parents, 121 00:06:01,194 --> 00:06:03,931 bucking a trend that has left the hawker centers 122 00:06:03,964 --> 00:06:05,566 with an aging workforce, 123 00:06:05,599 --> 00:06:08,669 unable to replenish generations of expertise 124 00:06:08,702 --> 00:06:12,406 with new blood. 125 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:14,300 If you look around, Tony, you look at all the hawkers, 126 00:06:14,307 --> 00:06:18,746 more than 70%, 80% of them are 50 and above. 127 00:06:18,779 --> 00:06:21,415 So the tipping point will come where everybody just give up. 128 00:06:21,449 --> 00:06:22,643 They're stalled, because their children have gone 129 00:06:22,650 --> 00:06:24,251 to university. 130 00:06:24,284 --> 00:06:26,887 They have told them, yeah, go... Go be a doctor, lawyer. 131 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:30,190 Go be something else other than a hawker. 132 00:06:30,223 --> 00:06:32,793 But the Singaporean government wants to build more stalls... 133 00:06:32,826 --> 00:06:34,962 More, better, modern. 134 00:06:34,995 --> 00:06:36,089 20 more hawker centers, actually. 135 00:06:36,096 --> 00:06:37,731 20 more hawker centers. 136 00:06:37,765 --> 00:06:39,560 Which I say, where the hell are the hawkers coming from? 137 00:06:39,567 --> 00:06:41,635 - Well, that's a good question. - Yeah, yeah. 138 00:06:41,669 --> 00:06:43,437 Where are they gonna come from? 139 00:06:43,471 --> 00:06:45,599 There's a lot of insinuations of an answer but no true answer. 140 00:06:45,606 --> 00:06:47,708 I mean, the answer's not from Singapore, right? 141 00:06:47,741 --> 00:06:49,543 They're gonna have to come in from China. 142 00:06:49,577 --> 00:06:53,781 For the 15,000 or 20,000 food stalls 143 00:06:53,814 --> 00:06:55,215 I guess we have in Singapore, 144 00:06:55,248 --> 00:06:57,250 if it's public-run like this, 145 00:06:57,284 --> 00:06:58,819 you can't hire foreigners. 146 00:06:58,852 --> 00:07:00,488 It's meant for Singaporeans. 147 00:07:00,521 --> 00:07:02,756 But isn't the beginning of all of this... 148 00:07:02,790 --> 00:07:06,059 Was people from China, India...? 149 00:07:06,093 --> 00:07:08,496 That's why I keep saying 150 00:07:08,529 --> 00:07:09,897 our food came from... 151 00:07:09,930 --> 00:07:10,957 - Somewhere. - The rest of the world. 152 00:07:10,964 --> 00:07:12,666 Yeah, we had nothing. 153 00:07:12,700 --> 00:07:14,768 And in that tradition, I say, 154 00:07:14,802 --> 00:07:16,970 we must continue. 155 00:07:17,004 --> 00:07:19,306 Ah, "For Rent: Cooked Food Stall." 156 00:07:19,339 --> 00:07:20,908 We should do a... do a pop-up. 157 00:07:21,942 --> 00:07:23,176 Get my apron. 158 00:07:26,046 --> 00:07:26,546 ♪ 159 00:07:30,551 --> 00:07:33,420 Stamford Raffles arrived in Singapore in 1819 160 00:07:33,453 --> 00:07:36,524 with the British East India Company, 161 00:07:36,557 --> 00:07:38,792 establishing it first as a trading post 162 00:07:38,826 --> 00:07:40,127 for the British empire. 163 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:43,997 ♪ 164 00:07:44,031 --> 00:07:46,366 Soon thereafter, Singapore grew, 165 00:07:46,399 --> 00:07:48,201 quickly becoming an economic hub 166 00:07:48,235 --> 00:07:50,538 and regional capital for the British empire's 167 00:07:50,571 --> 00:07:53,541 new colony on the Malay Peninsula. 168 00:07:53,574 --> 00:07:55,208 After World War II, 169 00:07:55,242 --> 00:07:57,277 Singapore clamored for independence, 170 00:07:57,310 --> 00:07:59,780 first becoming a part of the Malaysian Federation 171 00:07:59,813 --> 00:08:03,984 then a fully independent state in 1965. 172 00:08:05,352 --> 00:08:07,855 Helmed by its first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, 173 00:08:07,888 --> 00:08:11,725 tiny Singapore famously went from a third-world outpost 174 00:08:11,759 --> 00:08:15,563 to a first-world nation in a single generation. 175 00:08:18,732 --> 00:08:19,232 ♪ 176 00:08:26,273 --> 00:08:27,741 - In Singapore... - Yep. 177 00:08:27,775 --> 00:08:30,077 Rules of negligence in Singapore is very strict. 178 00:08:30,110 --> 00:08:31,879 We have to follow them. 179 00:08:31,912 --> 00:08:33,981 Like, I'm... I drive taxi. Right. 180 00:08:34,014 --> 00:08:35,415 I can't break any law. 181 00:08:35,448 --> 00:08:36,850 So the camera catches you? 182 00:08:36,884 --> 00:08:38,085 Yeah, everything's in camera. 183 00:08:38,118 --> 00:08:39,486 It's very important everywhere. 184 00:08:39,519 --> 00:08:41,188 We have to follow the laws of negligence. 185 00:08:41,221 --> 00:08:42,760 That's the reason Singapore is very good. 186 00:08:42,790 --> 00:08:43,290 ♪ 187 00:08:46,927 --> 00:08:49,096 Singaporeans are very hard-working persons. 188 00:08:49,129 --> 00:08:50,256 As human beings, what we need... 189 00:08:50,263 --> 00:08:51,832 Food to eat, clothes to wear, 190 00:08:51,865 --> 00:08:52,900 place to sleep. 191 00:08:52,933 --> 00:08:54,001 You can get in Singapore. 192 00:08:54,034 --> 00:08:55,202 So, in other words, 193 00:08:55,235 --> 00:08:56,770 we have to continue work. 194 00:08:56,804 --> 00:08:59,339 You working, you get something. Once lazy, we're out. 195 00:08:59,372 --> 00:09:02,009 By some measures, Singapore is a welfare state, 196 00:09:02,042 --> 00:09:03,877 taking care of the less fortunate. 197 00:09:03,911 --> 00:09:06,546 But at its heart, it's a cold-blooded meritocracy. 198 00:09:06,580 --> 00:09:08,849 You follow the rules (and there are many), 199 00:09:08,882 --> 00:09:11,418 work hard, and you will have a good life. 200 00:09:11,451 --> 00:09:13,020 That's the message. 201 00:09:13,053 --> 00:09:13,553 ♪ 202 00:09:18,759 --> 00:09:21,895 We are starting to define the definition of success. 203 00:09:21,929 --> 00:09:24,898 I mean, before, we are very clear with the five C's: 204 00:09:24,932 --> 00:09:27,935 car, condominium, a credit card, 205 00:09:27,968 --> 00:09:30,403 uh, cash, and career. 206 00:09:30,437 --> 00:09:32,305 Wow, that sounds awful, dude. 207 00:09:32,339 --> 00:09:33,974 - Yeah, dude. - I mean... 208 00:09:34,007 --> 00:09:35,501 I grew up in that idea. I grew up in... 209 00:09:35,508 --> 00:09:37,310 - That's not good. - Yeah, exactly. 210 00:09:37,344 --> 00:09:39,112 It sounds kind of depressing. 211 00:09:39,146 --> 00:09:40,981 I know, but that's... That's the past, I think. 212 00:09:41,014 --> 00:09:45,719 The Muslim quarter, just following afternoon prayers. 213 00:09:45,753 --> 00:09:47,721 I'm here with Najip Ali, 214 00:09:47,755 --> 00:09:50,624 the Singaporean-Malay entertainer and producer. 215 00:09:50,658 --> 00:09:53,093 Ah, okay. 216 00:09:53,126 --> 00:09:55,963 - Oh, looking good. - This is it. 217 00:09:55,996 --> 00:09:58,165 - So this is... - Lontong. 218 00:09:58,198 --> 00:09:59,592 - Lontong. And this... - This is mee siam. 219 00:09:59,599 --> 00:10:01,534 Wow. We're having lontong: 220 00:10:05,673 --> 00:10:11,011 rice cake, coconut gravy, vegetables and a hardboiled egg. 221 00:10:11,044 --> 00:10:13,580 And mee siam: fried rice noodles 222 00:10:13,613 --> 00:10:15,683 with chili paste, prawns, bean sprouts, 223 00:10:15,716 --> 00:10:17,951 and a spicy, sweet-and-sour gravy, 224 00:10:17,985 --> 00:10:20,387 fried bean curd, and an egg. 225 00:10:22,890 --> 00:10:26,694 - Mmm. - Delicious. 226 00:10:26,727 --> 00:10:29,296 I mean, we like to make fun of Singapore in the West... 227 00:10:29,329 --> 00:10:31,098 Call it Disneyland with the death penalty. 228 00:10:31,131 --> 00:10:34,768 And we're... we're skeptical, of course, of one-party rule. 229 00:10:34,802 --> 00:10:38,338 We're skeptical of constraints on freedom of the press 230 00:10:38,371 --> 00:10:41,441 or with the things you... Can't do. 231 00:10:41,474 --> 00:10:44,277 - Can't do. - Yeah, you can't, yeah. 232 00:10:44,311 --> 00:10:46,646 Do you think that young, creative Singaporeans 233 00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:49,817 feel those constraints and suffer from them? 234 00:10:49,850 --> 00:10:52,519 I think some of them who travel knows better. 235 00:10:52,552 --> 00:10:55,689 Most of them are overeducated and under-exposed, 236 00:10:55,723 --> 00:10:57,725 meaning they are... they have very little experience 237 00:10:57,758 --> 00:10:59,126 in what they know. 238 00:10:59,159 --> 00:11:00,420 And I think that's what we are lacking. 239 00:11:00,427 --> 00:11:02,029 They are looking for things to do. 240 00:11:02,062 --> 00:11:04,231 And the problem with this is always that we're living 241 00:11:04,264 --> 00:11:06,700 in a small country, and we have nowhere to go 242 00:11:06,734 --> 00:11:08,535 and where to experience these things. 243 00:11:08,568 --> 00:11:10,904 If you're in New York and you don't like the city life, 244 00:11:10,938 --> 00:11:12,498 you say, "Shit, I'm..." You say, "I'm not gonna..." 245 00:11:12,505 --> 00:11:13,807 You can say "shit" on the show. 246 00:11:13,841 --> 00:11:15,308 I'm gonna say this. 247 00:11:15,342 --> 00:11:16,602 I think we have two more on this hour. 248 00:11:16,609 --> 00:11:18,145 That was one. 249 00:11:18,178 --> 00:11:19,539 "I'm going to get out of the city." 250 00:11:19,546 --> 00:11:21,148 So you go to Minnesota, you go to Texas. 251 00:11:21,181 --> 00:11:22,682 - Right. - You take time to think about. 252 00:11:22,716 --> 00:11:24,610 And even in Malaysia, when you are in Kuala Lumpur, 253 00:11:24,617 --> 00:11:26,847 and you go to, like... you go to Terengganu, you go to Kuantan. 254 00:11:26,854 --> 00:11:28,889 We have nowhere to go. 255 00:11:31,591 --> 00:11:33,927 Not only is Singapore a small city-state 256 00:11:33,961 --> 00:11:37,064 a little more than half the size of LA, 257 00:11:37,097 --> 00:11:39,199 but there's also a pressure of a kind 258 00:11:39,232 --> 00:11:41,902 from a Big Brother government who's always watching, 259 00:11:41,935 --> 00:11:44,637 however benevolently one might think. 260 00:11:48,876 --> 00:11:50,543 Every day as an entertainer, 261 00:11:50,577 --> 00:11:53,280 as a producer and director, we are reminded what not to do. 262 00:11:53,313 --> 00:11:55,949 Don't insult other races. Don't insult other religion. 263 00:11:55,983 --> 00:11:58,752 There are some parameters that we always need to stick by. 264 00:11:58,786 --> 00:12:00,353 - Right. - I think, as a creative person, 265 00:12:00,387 --> 00:12:01,714 I think we are always trying to work out. 266 00:12:01,721 --> 00:12:03,957 And I think that's challenging for us, 267 00:12:03,991 --> 00:12:06,293 and again, most of the things that I do on television 268 00:12:06,326 --> 00:12:07,387 is funded by the government. 269 00:12:07,394 --> 00:12:08,796 So, you know, so what... 270 00:12:08,829 --> 00:12:10,630 You're biting the hand that feeds you. 271 00:12:11,899 --> 00:12:14,401 But our job is basically, as entertainer, 272 00:12:14,434 --> 00:12:16,403 just to purely entertain. 273 00:12:16,436 --> 00:12:19,372 And we know there a line that we can't cross. 274 00:12:19,406 --> 00:12:22,609 Religion, our ancestors, our parents. 275 00:12:22,642 --> 00:12:24,544 You know, things like that. So it's... 276 00:12:24,577 --> 00:12:25,806 You can't make fun of your parents?! 277 00:12:25,813 --> 00:12:27,247 In comedy? 278 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:28,982 Uh, if your own parent, it's okay. 279 00:12:29,016 --> 00:12:30,650 How about your, I mean, family member... 280 00:12:30,683 --> 00:12:33,386 Yeah, but I get high marks when they... you know, 281 00:12:33,420 --> 00:12:35,755 they can give you a twist to a story of a mother-in-law. 282 00:12:35,789 --> 00:12:37,891 Right. Oh, mother-in-law's okay. 283 00:12:37,925 --> 00:12:39,426 Yeah, mother-in-law's okay. 284 00:12:39,459 --> 00:12:41,187 Why does a mother-in-law always get the joke? 285 00:12:41,194 --> 00:12:42,595 I don't know. 286 00:12:53,974 --> 00:12:54,474 ♪ 287 00:13:16,796 --> 00:13:19,867 So, on the basic level, Singapore works in so many ways: 288 00:13:19,900 --> 00:13:22,135 security, your family, education. 289 00:13:22,169 --> 00:13:23,937 - Housing? - Housing. 290 00:13:23,971 --> 00:13:26,539 So in a way, you're kind of numbed into thinking that 291 00:13:26,573 --> 00:13:27,875 you know, everything's wonderful. 292 00:13:27,908 --> 00:13:28,408 ♪ 293 00:13:32,245 --> 00:13:34,281 And then you start to wonder after a while, 294 00:13:34,314 --> 00:13:36,016 "Is there another way of life?" 295 00:13:36,049 --> 00:13:37,743 You know, I think that's the big kind of Singapore dilemma, 296 00:13:37,750 --> 00:13:39,619 in a way. So is there angst? 297 00:13:39,652 --> 00:13:41,354 - Yeah. - Is there angst? 298 00:13:41,388 --> 00:13:43,123 - It's angst. - But I think there's no... 299 00:13:43,156 --> 00:13:44,557 There's no outlet for it. 300 00:13:44,591 --> 00:13:46,726 So everybody's, you know, like going online, 301 00:13:46,759 --> 00:13:49,062 and everybody likes to be anonymous about it. 302 00:13:49,096 --> 00:13:52,032 Even online, they have paid the price for it. 303 00:13:52,065 --> 00:13:54,902 People have been let go of their jobs, 304 00:13:54,935 --> 00:13:58,571 and that... that's the price that we have to pay. 305 00:13:58,605 --> 00:14:02,142 The price may seem pretty high by American standards: 306 00:14:02,175 --> 00:14:05,178 no political dissent, no right to assembly, 307 00:14:05,212 --> 00:14:06,413 a restricted press, 308 00:14:06,446 --> 00:14:08,748 and limited freedom of speech. 309 00:14:08,781 --> 00:14:13,253 Sadir Varaket, Melanie Chan, and Tanya Andoor... 310 00:14:13,286 --> 00:14:17,090 All Singaporeans, all navigating the rules and regs, 311 00:14:17,124 --> 00:14:18,892 both spoken and unspoken, 312 00:14:18,926 --> 00:14:23,230 that go along with prosperity, security, safety. 313 00:14:23,263 --> 00:14:25,098 Lor 29 in Geylang. 314 00:14:25,132 --> 00:14:28,201 For fried oyster omelets and fried prawns 315 00:14:28,235 --> 00:14:29,436 with chili paste. 316 00:14:29,469 --> 00:14:30,603 Bak chor mee: 317 00:14:30,637 --> 00:14:33,340 fish ball noodle soup 318 00:14:33,373 --> 00:14:34,774 and beef satay. 319 00:14:34,807 --> 00:14:36,944 I think one of the issues is that 320 00:14:36,977 --> 00:14:39,512 we're kind of a victim of our own success in many ways. 321 00:14:39,546 --> 00:14:42,715 We've grown so fast, and I guess expectations 322 00:14:42,749 --> 00:14:45,718 among the liberals and progressives 323 00:14:45,752 --> 00:14:49,389 have just so far ahead, including myself, 324 00:14:49,422 --> 00:14:50,958 that sometimes, you know, we... 325 00:14:50,991 --> 00:14:54,194 We need a reality check about what society... 326 00:14:54,227 --> 00:14:56,296 What pace society can move at. 327 00:14:56,329 --> 00:14:58,131 So I think that's a tension, is that 328 00:14:58,165 --> 00:15:00,367 economic growth has happened so quickly. 329 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:02,469 - Yeah. - And sometimes social mores, 330 00:15:02,502 --> 00:15:04,972 social customs, might take a bit more time. 331 00:15:05,005 --> 00:15:08,475 You know, a place where everything works this well... 332 00:15:09,776 --> 00:15:12,479 And a system so seemingly different than... 333 00:15:12,512 --> 00:15:15,915 Than we are taught to venerate. 334 00:15:15,949 --> 00:15:19,619 Uh, that's genuinely confusing. 335 00:15:19,652 --> 00:15:21,754 So what's the best thing about Singapore, 336 00:15:21,788 --> 00:15:23,856 and what's the worst thing about Singapore? 337 00:15:24,992 --> 00:15:28,962 I think best things are tolerance 338 00:15:28,996 --> 00:15:30,730 and efficiency. 339 00:15:30,763 --> 00:15:33,333 But you know, if you just look around us right now, right, 340 00:15:33,366 --> 00:15:34,734 you know, there's like... 341 00:15:34,767 --> 00:15:36,336 There's like a mosque over there. 342 00:15:36,369 --> 00:15:38,005 There's a Buddhist temple over there. 343 00:15:38,038 --> 00:15:40,907 There're like a bunch of brothels over there. 344 00:15:40,940 --> 00:15:43,076 Prostitutes walking the street, legally. 345 00:15:43,110 --> 00:15:44,744 They're regulated by the government. 346 00:15:44,777 --> 00:15:47,847 And everybody has kind of accepted this... 347 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:50,317 This quid-pro-quo situation. 348 00:15:50,350 --> 00:15:51,851 Um, and it somehow works. 349 00:15:51,884 --> 00:15:53,786 Okay, you were shaking your head, though, 350 00:15:53,820 --> 00:15:55,522 on something he was saying. 351 00:15:55,555 --> 00:15:59,859 No, I... I agree, but to be feeling so secure 352 00:15:59,892 --> 00:16:01,528 and the security of it all, 353 00:16:01,561 --> 00:16:02,962 I think that's priceless, you know? 354 00:16:02,996 --> 00:16:04,864 It's like, I'll do what I have to do 355 00:16:04,897 --> 00:16:07,034 to be able to afford to live well here. 356 00:16:07,067 --> 00:16:08,701 I'll work hard, I'll tolerate, 357 00:16:08,735 --> 00:16:10,337 and, you know, and even then, 358 00:16:10,370 --> 00:16:11,871 it's not that bad. 359 00:16:11,904 --> 00:16:16,143 When it comes to me voicing certain things 360 00:16:16,176 --> 00:16:18,878 which maybe the government doesn't agree with, 361 00:16:18,911 --> 00:16:23,183 I feel I have outlets that don't have to be public. 362 00:16:23,216 --> 00:16:24,351 Right? Okay. 363 00:16:24,384 --> 00:16:26,553 And I'm okay with that. 364 00:16:26,586 --> 00:16:28,388 You... you talk about feeling safe. 365 00:16:28,421 --> 00:16:30,290 Yeah, security. 366 00:16:30,323 --> 00:16:32,559 Uh, do you feel respected? 367 00:16:32,592 --> 00:16:34,227 Definitely. 368 00:16:35,328 --> 00:16:36,729 I do. 369 00:16:36,763 --> 00:16:38,565 Do you feel that there's parity for women 370 00:16:38,598 --> 00:16:40,900 and you are paid and treated as well as men? 371 00:16:40,933 --> 00:16:42,835 - Yes. - Yes, I think so. 372 00:16:42,869 --> 00:16:44,404 - Yes. - You know why? 373 00:16:44,437 --> 00:16:46,706 I think that's because of maids. 374 00:16:46,739 --> 00:16:49,242 - What are maids? - Maids, as in helpers. 375 00:16:49,276 --> 00:16:50,810 - Maids. - Helpers. 376 00:16:50,843 --> 00:16:52,812 I think you'll find I actually... 377 00:16:52,845 --> 00:16:55,715 If you look at Singapore, a lot of women in the workforce. 378 00:16:55,748 --> 00:16:57,584 And the reason why that is so is because 379 00:16:57,617 --> 00:16:59,086 everybody's got a maid 380 00:16:59,119 --> 00:17:00,920 looking after their child at home. 381 00:17:00,953 --> 00:17:03,523 So maids are kind of like the opiate of the masses. 382 00:17:03,556 --> 00:17:05,925 But an opiate gives you 383 00:17:05,958 --> 00:17:07,894 slothful and laying home... Exactly! 384 00:17:07,927 --> 00:17:10,230 Exactly. But if you have a maid, 385 00:17:10,263 --> 00:17:12,332 you're saying it frees you up to join the workforce. 386 00:17:12,365 --> 00:17:14,367 It frees you up, but it also means that I... 387 00:17:14,401 --> 00:17:17,604 My husband now, he doesn't know how to serve himself water. 388 00:17:17,637 --> 00:17:20,273 - Yeah. - He goes, he goes... 389 00:17:20,307 --> 00:17:22,109 "Eh, water." Like that. 390 00:17:22,142 --> 00:17:24,411 - Laundry? - Sorry? 391 00:17:24,444 --> 00:17:26,179 - You do laundry? - No. 392 00:17:26,213 --> 00:17:27,947 - Laun-what? - Really? 393 00:17:27,980 --> 00:17:29,282 No. 394 00:17:29,316 --> 00:17:31,118 Does anyone here know how to do laundry? 395 00:17:31,151 --> 00:17:33,586 - We know how to do it. - We kind of, in theory... 396 00:17:33,620 --> 00:17:35,388 We haven't done it. 397 00:17:35,422 --> 00:17:37,250 The guys do, 'cause we did two years of military service. 398 00:17:37,257 --> 00:17:40,227 - Right. - But the girls are pampered. 399 00:17:40,260 --> 00:17:41,694 Oh, mean! 400 00:17:41,728 --> 00:17:42,988 When's the last time you did laundry? 401 00:17:42,995 --> 00:17:44,431 When's the last time you did... 402 00:17:44,464 --> 00:17:45,632 My maid was [indistinct]. 403 00:17:45,665 --> 00:17:47,200 - Four days ago. - Four days ago? 404 00:17:47,234 --> 00:17:49,436 Really? What, you sent it to the butler? 405 00:17:49,469 --> 00:17:50,937 No, no. I enjoy doing laundry. 406 00:17:50,970 --> 00:17:52,972 - Yeah. - I live by myself in New York. 407 00:17:53,005 --> 00:17:55,074 I live by myself in New York. Yes? 408 00:17:55,108 --> 00:17:56,916 And I have to tell you, maybe it's a sickness, 409 00:17:56,943 --> 00:17:58,645 maybe it's a weird thing, 410 00:17:58,678 --> 00:18:02,482 I enjoy throwing my clothes into the washer 411 00:18:02,515 --> 00:18:04,317 and removing them to the dryer. 412 00:18:04,351 --> 00:18:07,487 It's a process that makes you feel very satisfied with myself. 413 00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:09,322 - Therapeutic, yeah, yeah. - No, no. 414 00:18:09,356 --> 00:18:11,158 I feel very self-reliant. 415 00:18:11,191 --> 00:18:12,992 You know, listening to you people, 416 00:18:13,025 --> 00:18:14,587 I got to tell you, I want to, like, go out and join 417 00:18:14,594 --> 00:18:15,728 the Communist Party. 418 00:18:15,762 --> 00:18:17,297 It's like, bourgeois, man. 419 00:18:17,330 --> 00:18:20,667 You're... you're living off the labor of, uh, 420 00:18:20,700 --> 00:18:22,502 a repressed underclass. 421 00:18:22,535 --> 00:18:24,264 - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - I'm gonna start my own cell. 422 00:18:24,271 --> 00:18:26,339 - No, listen. - I'm just [...] with you. 423 00:18:33,613 --> 00:18:35,248 ♪ 424 00:18:35,282 --> 00:18:37,150 For a state where an ounce of weed 425 00:18:37,184 --> 00:18:39,286 can put you in the jug for up to ten years 426 00:18:39,319 --> 00:18:42,255 and the same weight of dope can mean death, 427 00:18:42,289 --> 00:18:44,624 where chewing gum is indeed illegal, 428 00:18:44,657 --> 00:18:49,128 a surprising number of vices are allowed here. 429 00:18:50,497 --> 00:18:53,666 Drinking age is 18. 430 00:18:53,700 --> 00:18:55,368 Prostitution is legal, 431 00:18:55,402 --> 00:18:58,638 with sex workers getting regular medical checkups. 432 00:18:58,671 --> 00:19:01,808 There are casinos and strip clubs. 433 00:19:01,841 --> 00:19:03,543 The government seems to understand 434 00:19:03,576 --> 00:19:05,945 that along with a certain amount of repression, 435 00:19:05,978 --> 00:19:10,049 safety valves are required. 436 00:19:10,082 --> 00:19:13,220 Get drunk, get laid, and you are less likely 437 00:19:13,253 --> 00:19:15,021 to be difficult. 438 00:19:16,589 --> 00:19:19,025 Perhaps that's the thinking. 439 00:19:19,058 --> 00:19:21,394 Or maybe it's just business. 440 00:19:30,737 --> 00:19:31,237 ♪ 441 00:19:46,886 --> 00:19:50,490 To many, Singapore is the land of opportunity. 442 00:19:50,523 --> 00:19:52,091 People from all over the world 443 00:19:52,124 --> 00:19:53,826 come here to get a good job, 444 00:19:53,860 --> 00:19:56,028 to find a better life. 445 00:19:56,062 --> 00:19:58,498 As an overseas Chinese, 446 00:19:58,531 --> 00:20:00,600 we have been discriminated 447 00:20:00,633 --> 00:20:02,735 in Laos, Thailand, 448 00:20:02,769 --> 00:20:04,937 Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, 449 00:20:04,971 --> 00:20:06,573 in America, Australia... 450 00:20:06,606 --> 00:20:09,008 All over the world. 451 00:20:09,041 --> 00:20:11,010 Suddenly you got this, uh... 452 00:20:11,043 --> 00:20:13,446 This guy called Lee Kuan Yew. 453 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:15,114 There's nowhere else in the Chinese world 454 00:20:15,147 --> 00:20:19,952 have real leader as big as Lee Kuan Yew. 455 00:20:19,986 --> 00:20:22,555 Much of Singapore's success is often credited 456 00:20:22,589 --> 00:20:25,625 to its first prime minster, Lee Kuan Yew, 457 00:20:25,658 --> 00:20:27,460 a Singaporean of Chinese descent 458 00:20:27,494 --> 00:20:30,997 considered the founding father of modern Singapore. 459 00:20:32,164 --> 00:20:33,900 Reigning pretty much unopposed 460 00:20:33,933 --> 00:20:36,369 for 30 years, he's responsible 461 00:20:36,403 --> 00:20:37,970 for much of the social engineering 462 00:20:38,004 --> 00:20:39,572 that holds Singapore together, 463 00:20:39,606 --> 00:20:41,974 as well as the favorable economic policies 464 00:20:42,008 --> 00:20:44,611 that have allowed it to thrive. 465 00:20:44,644 --> 00:20:46,212 Michael Ma arrived in Singapore 466 00:20:46,245 --> 00:20:48,448 to take advantage of its business climate, 467 00:20:48,481 --> 00:20:50,049 becoming an early pioneer 468 00:20:50,082 --> 00:20:53,886 of Singapore's now-famous nightlife. 469 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:55,755 Back then, in the very beginning, 470 00:20:55,788 --> 00:20:58,925 was it a favorable business climate in the sense that, 471 00:20:58,958 --> 00:21:02,061 did they look upon your early efforts, uh, 472 00:21:02,094 --> 00:21:03,930 generously or kindly, 473 00:21:03,963 --> 00:21:06,466 or were they... "I'm not so sure about this guy"? 474 00:21:06,499 --> 00:21:07,834 - No, no. - How was it? 475 00:21:07,867 --> 00:21:09,469 Was it favorable from the beginning? 476 00:21:09,502 --> 00:21:11,464 No, no, no, Singapore... No no, Singapore's fantastic. 477 00:21:11,471 --> 00:21:13,005 In fact... What time did bars close? 478 00:21:13,039 --> 00:21:16,275 2:00. That's where the opportunity I saw. 479 00:21:16,309 --> 00:21:18,511 You know, you cannot run this economy 480 00:21:18,545 --> 00:21:19,612 hopping on one leg. 481 00:21:19,646 --> 00:21:21,147 Like, you got the right law, 482 00:21:21,180 --> 00:21:24,083 the right safety, the right... Everything's right. 483 00:21:24,116 --> 00:21:26,519 But the social part was not right. 484 00:21:26,553 --> 00:21:27,654 - Right. - 2:00, you're... 485 00:21:27,687 --> 00:21:28,714 You're managing a teenager. 486 00:21:28,721 --> 00:21:30,457 2:00, guys. Go to bed. 487 00:21:30,490 --> 00:21:33,493 So when... when did it change, and why? 488 00:21:33,526 --> 00:21:34,594 I started my bars 489 00:21:34,627 --> 00:21:36,529 and restaurant in '99. 490 00:21:36,563 --> 00:21:38,197 Yeah? Yup. 491 00:21:38,230 --> 00:21:40,059 And the prime minister of Singapore at that time went, 492 00:21:40,066 --> 00:21:41,368 "What is Singapore doing?" 493 00:21:41,401 --> 00:21:45,838 2005, '10, '20, '30, '50. 494 00:21:45,872 --> 00:21:48,040 This is before all this. Right. 495 00:21:48,074 --> 00:21:50,877 I suggest partying all night type of thing. 496 00:21:53,746 --> 00:21:54,781 ♪ 497 00:21:54,814 --> 00:21:55,782 Cheers. 498 00:21:58,518 --> 00:22:00,620 Welcome Singapore. 499 00:22:00,653 --> 00:22:03,322 Come enjoy with us. 500 00:22:05,525 --> 00:22:07,226 I'm not very smart, 501 00:22:07,259 --> 00:22:08,588 so the only way that got me through university 502 00:22:08,595 --> 00:22:09,962 is just throw a lot of parties. 503 00:22:09,996 --> 00:22:12,298 You know, I was good at throwing parties, 504 00:22:12,331 --> 00:22:15,402 but now, I get paid to do it, which is even better. 505 00:22:27,780 --> 00:22:28,280 ♪ 506 00:23:02,381 --> 00:23:05,217 One-fifth of the world's shipping containers 507 00:23:05,251 --> 00:23:07,587 moves through the port of Singapore. 508 00:23:07,620 --> 00:23:09,956 It is the busiest transshipment point 509 00:23:09,989 --> 00:23:12,725 on the planet. 510 00:23:12,759 --> 00:23:13,259 ♪ 511 00:23:20,667 --> 00:23:23,636 Singapore has fully embraced globalization. 512 00:23:23,670 --> 00:23:27,474 And that's proved, in their case, very rewarding. 513 00:23:27,507 --> 00:23:28,007 ♪ 514 00:23:38,350 --> 00:23:40,487 Singapore's an outsized economic port 515 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:43,122 primarily because it's so attractive 516 00:23:43,155 --> 00:23:45,124 to foreign entrepreneurs, 517 00:23:45,157 --> 00:23:48,160 primarily in the form of multinational corporations. 518 00:23:48,194 --> 00:23:50,396 So right from the start, the economic strategy 519 00:23:50,429 --> 00:23:52,632 was always to attract foreign capital. 520 00:23:52,665 --> 00:23:54,667 Donald Low is an economist who's spent 521 00:23:54,701 --> 00:23:57,269 over ten years researching and writing 522 00:23:57,303 --> 00:24:00,339 about Singapore's unique financial policies. 523 00:24:02,041 --> 00:24:03,776 You know, this... this place is 524 00:24:03,810 --> 00:24:07,514 almost contrary to the founders' original expectations. 525 00:24:07,547 --> 00:24:10,316 This place works, and this multiethnic, 526 00:24:10,349 --> 00:24:12,351 meritocratic ideal, this pragmatic, 527 00:24:12,384 --> 00:24:14,379 this understand that free trade is good for everyone... 528 00:24:14,386 --> 00:24:17,023 This place is, after 50 years, 529 00:24:17,056 --> 00:24:21,160 it's deeply imprinted in Singaporeans. 530 00:24:21,193 --> 00:24:24,531 It's remarkable how open and welcoming of diversity 531 00:24:24,564 --> 00:24:25,965 Singapore still is. 532 00:24:25,998 --> 00:24:27,634 We're now living in times where globalism 533 00:24:27,667 --> 00:24:29,636 and globalization are bad words. 534 00:24:29,669 --> 00:24:31,704 - Yeah, I know. - We're seeing a rise of... 535 00:24:31,738 --> 00:24:33,873 - Populism. - Of populism, of nationalism. 536 00:24:33,906 --> 00:24:35,542 Which is why, you know, 537 00:24:35,575 --> 00:24:38,177 I'm worried about... concerned about Singapore's future. 538 00:24:38,210 --> 00:24:40,179 This is a place that has been a main beneficiary 539 00:24:40,212 --> 00:24:41,714 of globalization. 540 00:24:41,748 --> 00:24:43,342 And as the world turns against globalization, 541 00:24:43,349 --> 00:24:45,618 as the world becomes more inward-looking, 542 00:24:45,652 --> 00:24:49,522 as countries in Europe and U.S. becomes more concerned 543 00:24:49,556 --> 00:24:51,524 about protecting their own borders, 544 00:24:51,558 --> 00:24:53,125 literally in the case of the U.S... 545 00:24:53,159 --> 00:24:56,162 - Right. - There is a high probability 546 00:24:56,195 --> 00:24:59,566 that Singapore will not thrive in such a world. 547 00:25:02,602 --> 00:25:03,102 ♪ 548 00:25:18,117 --> 00:25:19,652 A lot of social engineering 549 00:25:19,686 --> 00:25:23,422 has been superimposed to hold that together. 550 00:25:23,455 --> 00:25:27,159 And I think what a lot of Westerners who come to Singapore 551 00:25:27,193 --> 00:25:29,061 come here skeptical 552 00:25:29,095 --> 00:25:35,267 or often reluctantly pulled into... 553 00:25:35,301 --> 00:25:38,938 the inescapable conclusion that it seems to work. 554 00:25:38,971 --> 00:25:40,607 It seems to work. But of course, 555 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:43,442 the post-independence Singapore government has been 556 00:25:43,475 --> 00:25:48,180 often accused of being extremely keen 557 00:25:48,214 --> 00:25:50,282 and extremely confident in social engineering. 558 00:25:50,316 --> 00:25:51,977 Of course, the most powerful instrument of social engineering 559 00:25:51,984 --> 00:25:53,219 is public housing. 560 00:25:53,252 --> 00:25:54,921 - Right. - We force Singaporeans, 561 00:25:54,954 --> 00:25:56,882 vast majority of Singaporeans, more than 80% of them, 562 00:25:56,889 --> 00:25:59,692 to live in these more or less uniform housing estates. 563 00:25:59,726 --> 00:26:01,193 But that form of social engineering 564 00:26:01,227 --> 00:26:03,395 also has certain benefits. 565 00:26:03,429 --> 00:26:05,632 Unlike most of the wealthy developed world, 566 00:26:05,665 --> 00:26:08,601 there's universal healthcare a little to no homelessness 567 00:26:08,635 --> 00:26:10,536 in Singapore. 568 00:26:10,569 --> 00:26:13,572 The country's public housing policy provides an astonishing 569 00:26:13,606 --> 00:26:16,976 80% of Singapore's 5.6 million people 570 00:26:17,009 --> 00:26:20,713 with affordable homes, with 90% of the population 571 00:26:20,747 --> 00:26:23,215 owning their own home. 572 00:26:23,249 --> 00:26:24,984 Singaporeans would be hard-pressed to name 573 00:26:25,017 --> 00:26:27,419 a neighborhood that they would describe as a slum. 574 00:26:27,453 --> 00:26:29,155 They'd be hard-pressed to name a neighborhood 575 00:26:29,188 --> 00:26:30,683 where they say, "Oh, the people here are rel..." 576 00:26:30,690 --> 00:26:32,591 "live in relatively deprived conditions 577 00:26:32,625 --> 00:26:35,494 with poor schooling and poor amenities." 578 00:26:35,527 --> 00:26:37,496 Most of Singapore feels... 579 00:26:37,529 --> 00:26:39,498 I mean, even though economic inequality is high, 580 00:26:39,531 --> 00:26:41,634 income inequality's high, 581 00:26:41,668 --> 00:26:44,103 you don't see it in the public housing estates. 582 00:26:44,136 --> 00:26:45,772 - Right. - So it's a picture 583 00:26:45,805 --> 00:26:48,174 of general equality. 584 00:26:51,210 --> 00:26:51,710 ♪ 585 00:26:56,382 --> 00:26:58,450 By ensuring its citizens are safe, 586 00:26:58,484 --> 00:27:00,787 housed, healthy, and for the most part 587 00:27:00,820 --> 00:27:02,655 economically successful, 588 00:27:02,689 --> 00:27:04,490 the Singaporean government has been effective 589 00:27:04,523 --> 00:27:06,659 at keeping the masses placated enough, 590 00:27:06,693 --> 00:27:09,361 willing to accept curbs on their freedoms 591 00:27:09,395 --> 00:27:11,030 and civil liberties. 592 00:27:11,063 --> 00:27:15,367 Do you think that the Singaporean success story 593 00:27:15,401 --> 00:27:19,005 is a rebuke to American Western values 594 00:27:19,038 --> 00:27:20,306 in some respect? No, no. 595 00:27:20,339 --> 00:27:21,566 I mean, is free speech overrated? 596 00:27:21,573 --> 00:27:23,209 I don't think we've succeeded 597 00:27:23,242 --> 00:27:24,944 because of the absence of free speech. 598 00:27:24,977 --> 00:27:27,006 And to a large extent... No, but look, it's a factor. 599 00:27:27,013 --> 00:27:28,547 The values of free trade, 600 00:27:28,580 --> 00:27:30,482 the values of a liberal global order... 601 00:27:30,516 --> 00:27:32,451 These are "Western" ideas. 602 00:27:32,484 --> 00:27:33,953 I mean, Singapore did not invent them. 603 00:27:33,986 --> 00:27:35,287 Asia did not... 604 00:27:35,321 --> 00:27:37,489 It shouldn't work. 605 00:27:37,523 --> 00:27:42,061 It hasn't... it hasn't really worked like this anywhere else, 606 00:27:42,094 --> 00:27:44,230 and yet it... it works. 607 00:27:44,263 --> 00:27:46,799 Well, I think my... My objection, 608 00:27:46,833 --> 00:27:50,569 or my... my discomfort with the lack of democratic freedom 609 00:27:50,602 --> 00:27:53,405 is that I can we allow a lot more of that 610 00:27:53,439 --> 00:27:57,744 without hurting Singapore's prosperity and stability 611 00:27:57,777 --> 00:27:59,011 one ounce. 612 00:27:59,045 --> 00:28:00,246 - Right. - What would we lose 613 00:28:00,279 --> 00:28:01,413 if we had a freer press? 614 00:28:01,447 --> 00:28:03,182 What would we lose 615 00:28:03,215 --> 00:28:06,685 if we had more democratic opposition, representation? 616 00:28:06,719 --> 00:28:09,421 It would make for not just a more lively debate. 617 00:28:09,455 --> 00:28:10,857 It would make for a better debate. 618 00:28:10,890 --> 00:28:12,759 We may well arrive at a conclusion that 619 00:28:12,792 --> 00:28:14,927 the current dispensation, the current order, 620 00:28:14,961 --> 00:28:17,764 represents good, the good... The best possible society 621 00:28:17,797 --> 00:28:19,766 for Singapore, but let's have that debate. 622 00:28:19,799 --> 00:28:21,267 I mean, it's a horrifying thought. 623 00:28:21,300 --> 00:28:22,668 What if... what if... It's possible. 624 00:28:22,701 --> 00:28:24,737 It's possible that... That the human mind, 625 00:28:24,771 --> 00:28:27,706 that the average citizen cannot deal with that much diversity, 626 00:28:27,740 --> 00:28:30,609 that we need these curbs and restrictions on our freedoms. 627 00:28:30,642 --> 00:28:32,845 What if free speech is, like... Is bad? 628 00:28:32,879 --> 00:28:34,446 It's like a drug, right? 629 00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:35,948 It's too much of a good thing. 630 00:28:45,457 --> 00:28:45,957 ♪ 631 00:28:51,497 --> 00:28:54,200 Of the many ethnicities coexisting in Singapore, 632 00:28:54,233 --> 00:28:56,969 one of the oldest is the Peranakan culture: 633 00:28:57,003 --> 00:28:58,704 Straits-born Chinese 634 00:28:58,737 --> 00:29:00,807 who immigrated through the Malay Peninsula 635 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:02,108 in the 16th century. 636 00:29:02,141 --> 00:29:05,277 ♪ 637 00:29:05,311 --> 00:29:07,279 We have a heritage 638 00:29:07,313 --> 00:29:08,915 that exists in Singapore 639 00:29:08,948 --> 00:29:12,284 that comprises five different ethnic groups. 640 00:29:12,318 --> 00:29:14,253 If you're Chinese, if you're Malay, 641 00:29:14,286 --> 00:29:15,487 if you're Indian... 642 00:29:15,521 --> 00:29:17,256 You have your regular Asians 643 00:29:17,289 --> 00:29:18,657 and your Peranakan. 644 00:29:18,690 --> 00:29:22,128 And this makes the cuisine here 645 00:29:22,161 --> 00:29:24,296 very, very special. 646 00:29:24,330 --> 00:29:25,932 Cheers, Tony. Cheers. 647 00:29:25,965 --> 00:29:28,500 Chef Damian D'Silva has made it his mission 648 00:29:28,534 --> 00:29:31,003 to preserve and protect the knowledge, techniques, 649 00:29:31,037 --> 00:29:34,373 and flavors of Singaporean heritage foods. 650 00:29:36,542 --> 00:29:39,345 Guan Hoe Soon is the oldest Peranakan restaurant 651 00:29:39,378 --> 00:29:43,415 in Singapore, predating independence. 652 00:29:46,652 --> 00:29:50,156 So this is a dish that you properly find in Laos. 653 00:29:50,189 --> 00:29:51,657 It's sour. 654 00:29:51,690 --> 00:29:53,792 Um, it's sweet because of the pineapple. 655 00:29:53,826 --> 00:29:56,028 Right? And it's savory as well. 656 00:29:56,062 --> 00:29:58,831 ♪ 657 00:29:58,865 --> 00:30:02,969 Ikam asam nana: sour fish curry with pineapple. 658 00:30:04,570 --> 00:30:06,839 So really, we're talking about a sort of a... 659 00:30:06,873 --> 00:30:08,374 You know, I hate the word "fusion," 660 00:30:08,407 --> 00:30:10,309 but it is natural fusion. It is. 661 00:30:10,342 --> 00:30:11,543 It's indigenous fusion. 662 00:30:11,577 --> 00:30:12,711 It's a fusion that started 663 00:30:12,744 --> 00:30:14,180 500 years ago. 664 00:30:14,213 --> 00:30:16,282 So now, it's evolved so much, Tony, 665 00:30:16,315 --> 00:30:20,019 that it's become a heritage on its own, 666 00:30:20,052 --> 00:30:21,553 a cuisine on its own. 667 00:30:21,587 --> 00:30:23,890 You know? There's nothing, I think, that... 668 00:30:23,923 --> 00:30:25,892 That is like this anywhere in the world. 669 00:30:25,925 --> 00:30:27,726 Yeah. 670 00:30:27,759 --> 00:30:29,795 Thank you. 671 00:30:29,828 --> 00:30:34,000 Duck, okay, yeah, that's duck. Braised duck, it looks like. 672 00:30:35,101 --> 00:30:41,140 Itek sio: duck braised with tamarind and coriander. 673 00:30:41,173 --> 00:30:42,741 And the famous lady fingers, 674 00:30:42,774 --> 00:30:46,012 or sambar [indistinct]: okra sautéed with sambal. 675 00:30:48,780 --> 00:30:51,583 Who's cooking now? Has that changed? 676 00:30:51,617 --> 00:30:53,019 It has changed. 677 00:30:53,052 --> 00:30:55,087 You know, everybody wants to go up 678 00:30:55,121 --> 00:30:56,422 the ladder very, very quickly, 679 00:30:56,455 --> 00:30:58,090 and they want to do it in a way 680 00:30:58,124 --> 00:31:01,593 where they don't want to put too much effort in it. 681 00:31:01,627 --> 00:31:04,730 Right? Where is the prestige in a Peranakan restaurant? 682 00:31:04,763 --> 00:31:09,068 You work in a kitchen 12, 14, 15 hours a day, you know. 683 00:31:09,101 --> 00:31:11,703 And most of them... most of them don't want to do that. 684 00:31:11,737 --> 00:31:14,706 So what happens is that 685 00:31:14,740 --> 00:31:16,575 they want to work in a French restaurant. 686 00:31:16,608 --> 00:31:18,410 They want to work in an Italian restaurant. 687 00:31:18,444 --> 00:31:19,604 Why? Because they get more money. 688 00:31:19,611 --> 00:31:20,879 - Okay. - Okay? 689 00:31:20,913 --> 00:31:22,581 I think it's a tactical mistake, 690 00:31:22,614 --> 00:31:24,616 because I just flew halfway around the world... 691 00:31:24,650 --> 00:31:26,919 - Yeah. - To Singapore. 692 00:31:26,953 --> 00:31:29,148 And I sure as shit am not eating French food when I'm here. 693 00:31:29,155 --> 00:31:30,622 No, you're right. 694 00:31:30,656 --> 00:31:32,151 - And I... and you know what? - You shouldn't. 695 00:31:32,158 --> 00:31:33,459 I'm not gonna eat Japanese food. 696 00:31:33,492 --> 00:31:34,961 You shouldn't. 697 00:31:34,994 --> 00:31:36,862 So when you talk about Peranakan cuisine, 698 00:31:36,895 --> 00:31:40,799 right, and are there people that cook it today? 699 00:31:40,832 --> 00:31:43,435 I can tell you, out of 100 Peranakans, 700 00:31:43,469 --> 00:31:44,803 maybe one. 701 00:31:44,836 --> 00:31:46,472 - Whoa. - Maybe one. 702 00:31:46,505 --> 00:31:48,774 So you're saying that basically... 703 00:31:48,807 --> 00:31:50,142 You're talking about the dinosaurs. 704 00:31:50,176 --> 00:31:51,477 Yeah. 705 00:31:51,510 --> 00:31:54,313 This no longer exists, Tony. 706 00:31:54,346 --> 00:31:55,747 It's gone. 707 00:32:00,987 --> 00:32:02,989 ♪ 708 00:32:03,022 --> 00:32:05,958 One of the things I admire about Singaporean food culture 709 00:32:05,992 --> 00:32:09,261 is that people are very passionate about food. 710 00:32:09,295 --> 00:32:12,764 They value a fancy French or Italian meal 711 00:32:12,798 --> 00:32:16,768 as much as they enjoy a really good chicken rice. 712 00:32:16,802 --> 00:32:18,070 Right. 713 00:32:18,104 --> 00:32:20,172 They're just not willing to pay for it. 714 00:32:20,206 --> 00:32:21,866 Exactly. You know, that's the public that we have to educate. 715 00:32:21,873 --> 00:32:23,442 And it doesn't make sense, Tony, 716 00:32:23,475 --> 00:32:25,011 because we're a first-world country. 717 00:32:25,044 --> 00:32:27,846 You know? How can... How can food be so cheap? 718 00:32:27,879 --> 00:32:29,515 How long more is this gonna last 719 00:32:29,548 --> 00:32:31,183 that we pay $3 for chicken rice? 720 00:32:31,217 --> 00:32:32,284 It's insane. 721 00:32:32,318 --> 00:32:34,086 I have the solution. 722 00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:36,522 It's an ugly solution, it's a terrible solution, 723 00:32:36,555 --> 00:32:39,891 but it... it will probably be the only salvation. 724 00:32:41,127 --> 00:32:43,529 It's the hipster solution. Yeah. 725 00:32:43,562 --> 00:32:44,723 It's hipsters will save the day. 726 00:32:44,730 --> 00:32:46,165 No, you're right. 727 00:32:46,198 --> 00:32:47,859 It takes people to stand up and say, "Look", 728 00:32:47,866 --> 00:32:51,537 "I don't care whether his is $4. 729 00:32:51,570 --> 00:32:54,373 "Mine is $12. 730 00:32:54,406 --> 00:32:56,875 It's $12, and it's worth it." 731 00:32:56,908 --> 00:33:00,612 But to go and work the restaurant, 732 00:33:00,646 --> 00:33:02,381 16 hours a day, 733 00:33:02,414 --> 00:33:04,483 seven days a week... 734 00:33:04,516 --> 00:33:08,487 That needs someone who's not passionate 735 00:33:08,520 --> 00:33:10,456 but a little bit mad. 736 00:33:10,489 --> 00:33:12,391 You're telling me. 737 00:33:12,424 --> 00:33:13,492 A little bit mad. 738 00:33:13,525 --> 00:33:15,194 Cheers to that. 739 00:33:27,173 --> 00:33:27,673 ♪ 740 00:33:50,229 --> 00:33:51,697 - Okay... - Whoa. 741 00:33:51,730 --> 00:33:53,384 We'll just let you know what we are doing. 742 00:33:53,399 --> 00:33:54,600 Um, this round dish, right, 743 00:33:54,633 --> 00:33:56,335 is my dad's recipe. 744 00:33:56,368 --> 00:33:57,836 Hakka recipe. 745 00:33:57,869 --> 00:34:00,872 So it is frittatas with black vinegar. 746 00:34:00,906 --> 00:34:03,775 Yes, and this is my mom's recipe, 747 00:34:03,809 --> 00:34:06,178 Hainan mixed vegetable. 748 00:34:06,212 --> 00:34:11,350 Meet Liew Choy, Koh Liang, daughter Geraldine, 749 00:34:11,383 --> 00:34:14,086 and sons Paul and Wayne, 750 00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:16,922 the family behind long-running, much-loved eating house, 751 00:34:16,955 --> 00:34:18,790 Keng Eng Kee Seafood 752 00:34:18,824 --> 00:34:23,095 in the Alexandra Village neighborhood. 753 00:34:23,129 --> 00:34:26,031 And, uh, your parents met in the restaurant business? 754 00:34:26,064 --> 00:34:29,735 Yes, we only knew about this story when we get older 755 00:34:29,768 --> 00:34:31,803 and me just starting to view them as, "Oh", 756 00:34:31,837 --> 00:34:33,272 that's how they know each other." 757 00:34:33,305 --> 00:34:35,107 We are typical Chinese. 758 00:34:35,141 --> 00:34:38,310 They never talk about how they met, no. 759 00:34:38,344 --> 00:34:40,045 In the beginning, 760 00:34:40,078 --> 00:34:41,713 when they're working at your mother's 761 00:34:41,747 --> 00:34:43,482 parents' restaurant, 762 00:34:43,515 --> 00:34:47,919 and then in the beginning of their eating house, 763 00:34:47,953 --> 00:34:50,489 how many hours a day did they work, 764 00:34:50,522 --> 00:34:52,291 and how many days a week, 765 00:34:52,324 --> 00:34:53,825 how many days' vacation? 766 00:35:01,133 --> 00:35:02,901 12 hours a day, 767 00:35:02,934 --> 00:35:07,506 and then he gets one day off every two weeks. 768 00:35:07,539 --> 00:35:09,975 That's hard. 769 00:35:10,008 --> 00:35:12,110 Sauce goes good with the rice. 770 00:35:12,144 --> 00:35:13,645 Thank you, mmm. 771 00:35:13,679 --> 00:35:14,646 It's fantastic. 772 00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:16,682 Wow, that's good. 773 00:35:19,718 --> 00:35:23,455 ♪ 774 00:35:23,489 --> 00:35:26,192 Choi has been making this dish for decades: 775 00:35:26,225 --> 00:35:28,794 pigs' feet cooked slowly in black vinegar, 776 00:35:28,827 --> 00:35:30,529 ginger, fried chilies, 777 00:35:30,562 --> 00:35:31,763 and asam. 778 00:35:31,797 --> 00:35:32,297 ♪ 779 00:35:35,967 --> 00:35:38,304 Chap chye is a Hainanese family favorite: 780 00:35:38,337 --> 00:35:41,673 cabbage and glass noodles stir-fried with bean curd, 781 00:35:41,707 --> 00:35:43,542 black mushrooms, pig skin, 782 00:35:43,575 --> 00:35:44,776 and shrimp. 783 00:35:44,810 --> 00:35:45,310 ♪ 784 00:35:49,315 --> 00:35:51,217 Now, I've been speaking to a lot of people 785 00:35:51,250 --> 00:35:54,853 who talk about how Singapore loves its hawker culture. 786 00:35:54,886 --> 00:35:56,522 It loves its food. 787 00:35:56,555 --> 00:35:59,825 But the general story is, 788 00:35:59,858 --> 00:36:03,229 the first generation starts a hawker stall. 789 00:36:03,262 --> 00:36:05,731 They get successful, they send the kids to school, 790 00:36:05,764 --> 00:36:08,734 they tell them, "Do not... I did not work hard" 791 00:36:08,767 --> 00:36:10,802 so you could go in the restaurant business." 792 00:36:10,836 --> 00:36:12,904 My dad and mom say the same thing. 793 00:36:12,938 --> 00:36:15,241 Don't come into the business. 794 00:36:15,274 --> 00:36:16,908 Get a nine-to-five job. 795 00:36:16,942 --> 00:36:19,578 Stay in an air-conditioned room. 796 00:36:21,112 --> 00:36:23,415 Many of the people I speak to are very sad 797 00:36:23,449 --> 00:36:26,718 that these original recipes and preparations 798 00:36:26,752 --> 00:36:28,387 are disappearing. 799 00:36:28,420 --> 00:36:29,914 You know, other than this wonderful family, 800 00:36:29,921 --> 00:36:31,757 who... who do your parents think 801 00:36:31,790 --> 00:36:34,360 will keep these traditions alive? 802 00:36:36,061 --> 00:36:38,430 My mom was saying, like, now that the government 803 00:36:38,464 --> 00:36:41,600 encourage a lot of young people to preserve our traditions 804 00:36:41,633 --> 00:36:43,001 and all, so I think it should... 805 00:36:43,034 --> 00:36:44,836 Even hope that ten years down the road, 806 00:36:44,870 --> 00:36:47,673 maybe more people like us or younger generation 807 00:36:47,706 --> 00:36:49,875 are going to take over the business. 808 00:36:49,908 --> 00:36:53,379 And right now, Wayne's eldest daughter is 14. 809 00:36:53,412 --> 00:36:55,714 Yeah, we are making sure she help out in the shop 810 00:36:55,747 --> 00:36:57,849 on weekends, so to learn and understand 811 00:36:57,883 --> 00:37:01,853 it's not easy to... To earn, like... 812 00:37:01,887 --> 00:37:03,047 What, would you like your child to stay 813 00:37:03,054 --> 00:37:04,623 in the restaurant business? 814 00:37:06,292 --> 00:37:09,428 Yeah, so if they're really interested in this industry, 815 00:37:09,461 --> 00:37:10,696 why not? I would just, yeah. 816 00:37:10,729 --> 00:37:12,130 - You'd say yeah. - Yeah. 817 00:37:12,163 --> 00:37:13,799 - Yes. - This is so good, by the way. 818 00:37:13,832 --> 00:37:15,301 This is delicious food. 819 00:37:15,334 --> 00:37:16,968 Mm-hmm. 820 00:37:21,006 --> 00:37:23,942 Now, Singapore is a rich country. 821 00:37:23,975 --> 00:37:25,344 Lot of rich people live here. 822 00:37:27,245 --> 00:37:29,881 Why can't you charge as much money 823 00:37:29,915 --> 00:37:31,817 for this traditional food 824 00:37:31,850 --> 00:37:33,552 as the French charge for French food? 825 00:37:33,585 --> 00:37:36,154 What do you think? Why won't Singaporeans pay? 826 00:37:36,187 --> 00:37:39,257 Actually, just a couple of months ago, 827 00:37:39,291 --> 00:37:41,126 we go through some of our old photos, 828 00:37:41,159 --> 00:37:44,496 and there's one photo that is like almost 20 years ago 829 00:37:44,530 --> 00:37:46,264 that's priceless. 830 00:37:46,298 --> 00:37:48,834 They're selling their fried rice at $3, okay? 831 00:37:48,867 --> 00:37:50,802 Right now, we are selling $4. 832 00:37:50,836 --> 00:37:52,771 So... 20 years later. 833 00:37:52,804 --> 00:37:55,140 One dollar more. 834 00:37:55,173 --> 00:37:56,775 Why? 835 00:37:56,808 --> 00:37:58,644 Singaporeans love food. 836 00:37:58,677 --> 00:38:01,513 I think there's like a bond between us and the customers. 837 00:38:01,547 --> 00:38:03,782 So he doesn't want to increase the price. 838 00:38:03,815 --> 00:38:05,150 - You know your customers. - Yeah. 839 00:38:05,183 --> 00:38:06,618 Right, you have a lot of regulars. 840 00:38:06,652 --> 00:38:08,119 Yeah. A lot of them is like, 841 00:38:08,153 --> 00:38:09,855 they seen us growing up, the three of us. 842 00:38:09,888 --> 00:38:11,690 And we see their kids growing up. 843 00:38:11,723 --> 00:38:14,693 So I think that's a different kind of bond between us 844 00:38:14,726 --> 00:38:15,994 and the customers. 845 00:38:16,027 --> 00:38:17,596 I just hope this doesn't disappear, 846 00:38:17,629 --> 00:38:20,932 because it's of course always gonna be the good stuff. 847 00:38:20,966 --> 00:38:23,535 It's important. Can I have a little more? 848 00:38:23,569 --> 00:38:25,537 Can we get a little more? 849 00:38:25,571 --> 00:38:26,905 Delicious food. 850 00:38:58,404 --> 00:39:01,172 Singapore is a multinational society. 851 00:39:01,206 --> 00:39:04,175 We got Chinese, Malay, Indian, other Asians in Singapore. 852 00:39:04,209 --> 00:39:07,446 - It seems to work. - It works, it works, yes! 853 00:39:15,921 --> 00:39:16,421 ♪ 854 00:39:31,437 --> 00:39:33,705 One last trip straight back 855 00:39:33,739 --> 00:39:35,441 to where it all started for me. 856 00:39:35,474 --> 00:39:35,974 ♪ 857 00:39:40,579 --> 00:39:42,380 A simple, good thing. 858 00:39:42,414 --> 00:39:44,950 In this case, one of my favorite things. 859 00:39:44,983 --> 00:39:45,483 ♪ 860 00:39:52,624 --> 00:39:55,126 Ah, here it is, the mighty char kway teow. 861 00:39:55,160 --> 00:39:57,028 Ordinarily, this is a breakfast. 862 00:39:57,062 --> 00:39:58,797 I eat it every time I'm in Singapore. 863 00:39:58,830 --> 00:40:01,366 It's just about the unhealthiest breakfast you could have. 864 00:40:01,399 --> 00:40:06,638 I mean, it's literally, like, lard... 865 00:40:06,672 --> 00:40:08,907 crispy lard bits. 866 00:40:08,940 --> 00:40:11,610 Healthy cockles. 867 00:40:11,643 --> 00:40:15,146 Shrimp paste, and a whole lot of noodles. 868 00:40:15,180 --> 00:40:17,148 And it's, like, legendarily fattening. 869 00:40:17,182 --> 00:40:21,653 Originally created for... To feed laborers. 870 00:40:21,687 --> 00:40:23,789 So... 871 00:40:23,822 --> 00:40:25,591 it isn't pretty. 872 00:40:25,624 --> 00:40:28,594 Not the healthiest of breakfast. Delicious. 873 00:40:29,961 --> 00:40:31,797 Mmm. 874 00:40:31,830 --> 00:40:35,934 You're looking to fit into that silver lamé Speedo, 875 00:40:35,967 --> 00:40:37,836 this would not be, uh... 876 00:40:37,869 --> 00:40:39,605 option one. 877 00:40:39,638 --> 00:40:41,740 Oh, man. 878 00:40:41,773 --> 00:40:43,341 Problem is, you eat this 879 00:40:43,374 --> 00:40:45,911 surrounded by all these sort of wonders of Asia 880 00:40:45,944 --> 00:40:48,179 in the food court here, 881 00:40:48,213 --> 00:40:50,782 and after this, you're kinda done. 882 00:40:50,816 --> 00:40:53,184 I don't know how anybody works after this, frankly. 883 00:40:56,888 --> 00:40:58,049 Once in a while, you hit a little piece 884 00:40:58,056 --> 00:40:59,525 of crispy pork fat. 885 00:41:03,495 --> 00:41:05,564 Well, my work is done here today. 886 00:41:07,398 --> 00:41:09,000 Right? 887 00:41:12,037 --> 00:41:12,537 ♪ 888 00:41:27,919 --> 00:41:29,588 - In Singapore... - Yup? 889 00:41:31,089 --> 00:41:32,791 Everything is perfect here. 890 00:41:32,824 --> 00:41:36,227 This is one of the safest countries in the world. 891 00:41:36,261 --> 00:41:39,064 We are gifted to be in Singapore. 892 00:41:39,097 --> 00:41:40,699 It shows a good example to the world. 893 00:41:40,732 --> 00:41:41,232 ♪