‘WEIRD’ THINGS SINGAPOREANS DO THAT BRITS DON’T UNDERSTAND

[@thanos6635]

You dont question Singlish...its not a language, we don't learn it, we adapt it.

[@GeorgiaCaney]

Thanos 😂

[@cedric1303]

Oh snap haha

[@Skarletking747]

HELL YEAH Singlish is proper english

[@sliimeymochi9901]

DJAwesomeFunv2 yeaboii but I’ve realised as a Singaporean when we pronounce words in a Singlish manner after awhile I can’t spell right😂🌚

[@themostdanktomatoe4536]

Ye u just start doing it u don't learn it

[@hkmrsl3443]

Usually with the taxi driver is just double confirm like me: “uncle go left here ah” Uncle: “left here ah” Me: “ah yah here”

[@sliimeymochi9901]

HakimRoslee but usually not confirm 3 times tho everything is true except this n the singlish ‘wan’ after the sentence we basically use it to emphasise things

[@kaikailele]

'One' is Singlish derived from '是这样的' in Mandarin or in short '的' which means 'It's like that'. So you add it into English, it becomes 'He is like that one' and 'She tends to get angry one'. I suspect the older generation taxi drivers are the ones driving like you described because I think they are not used to driving auto-gear cars after many years on manual ones. I don't think sharing food utensils is typical of Singaporeans, maybe just your colleague. As for queueing up, I think it is something I'm quite proud of as Singaporean after having been to China. ;)

[@kjthekunoichi]

Last opinion is on point... i faced similar things too when i went overseas....😏😏

[@justinyeo5170]

Taxi Drivers: My dad's a taxi driver and he gets nervous picking foreigners up 'cause he's afraid of mis-hearing road names, directions or instructions. I guess the triple-confirming part is to ensure he's getting you right. As to the accelerating-brake - I KNOW RIGHT - not sure why the older drivers tend to do it. Gets onto my nerves as well. Thank goodness my dad doesn't drive this way else I wouldn't take his car lol. Queue: On record, I've queued for 4h ALONE but that's in Tsukiji Market, Tokyo. Last weekend, I queued for 45min for the fish soup at Amoy. Not all time's wasted; typically we are either chatting and catching up with our friend or we're checking our FB, IG or Netflix.

[@phuasien]

The eye contact part my be because the older generations always taught us not to stare at people as they may take that as an offence and may pick a fight with you

[@jalapenlo]

about the sharing spoon thing, in my school the kids would ask if you’re “saliva conscious” if they wanted a drink out of your bottle or try some of your food

[@CUBEgenre]

I'm Singaporean and I hate queuing for food/attractions/cashiers etc too! I just don't have the patience for it! my thought process: "I'll just settle for something with no queue that might not be as nice . The amount of time I'd be saving is more valuable." I suppose there are quite a few Singaporeans who wouldn't queue too, we're an impatient bunch :P And the sharing of utensils - I think the common practice is that if you're sick, or recovering from a flu etc, you tell anyone who's offering to share their food/utensils with you, and politely decline. So we generally assume that if the other person doesn't say anything, the person shouldn't be sick and it should be fine to share! Many people also also offer to share, but ask at the same time (in a friendly manner) if the other party is sick, like "hey, you wanna try some of this? hey, you're not sick right?". Oh! and we have a hilarious term, "saliva-conscious", for people who aren't comfortable with sharing. So, many people also ask beforehand, "Hey, are you saliva-conscious?" before offering/accepting shared food! so if the other party is saliva-conscious, then one would take a new set of cutlery etc.

[@jacksontech1]

same here, especially when there is a long queue for a very simple food like the economy fried bee hoon, really makes my blood boil to think that i got to spend 20mins to get my breakfast.

[@noorimeldaelle3403]

I totally agree with u guys.

[@jaydenbraydon5405]

Me too. A Singaporean that hates to queue! ^5

[@themostdanktomatoe4536]

Better than cut-queue

[@CharAzn1979]

I'm Singaporean and using the same spoon sounds absolutely disgusting. No it's not common here

[@MrRambee]

lies

[@GaryOw]

Coronavirus confirms what you said.

[@thedailyrin]

Omg Georgia....I am born and bred here BUT NO way am I sharing. Some people are not educated in that aspect if hygiene you see. But to decline sharing the same spoon/cup etc is not offensive. Cheerios!

[@GeorgiaCaney]

haha thanks for sharing your view! :)

[@Patroclus27]

I don’t think it’s a case of hygiene education. most people wouldn’t mind sharing. We just don’t mind. That’s all. But if you do mind. That’s a non-issue as well.

[@jacksontech1]

it freaks me out to share utensils with others, no that's not a singaporean way for sure.

[@CUBEgenre]

I don't think someone who shares is necessarily unhygienic. Many people do check if the other party is ill or otherwise uncomfortable with sharing beforehand. Lots of people simply don't mind sharing with family/close friends if the other person isn't sick! (I'll admit that sharing with colleagues you barely know is weird).

[@sharonko362]

No no no, won’t share utensils!

[@epiphadipity]

I've lived in Singapore my whole life (23 years) and I've never had a restaurant staff ask me if I could share my table with a stranger! I think the service staff who served you just didn't have common sense HAHAHHAHHA. I think the closest would be at hawker centres, especially when 2 people are sitting at a table meant for 6-8 or something, then we would ask if we can share. But even then I wouldn't ask if the table could only sit 4, that's kinda intruding into their personal space. As for the sharing utensils thing, we only share it if we are close! I think it depends on personal preference too, I personally will share my utensils with an acquaintance if I like the person HAHAH, or know that he/she doesn't have disgusting eating habits. If I don't like the person or if they lick the spoon and leave food residue or something then ew no way. But to share with a stranger is just weird and unhygienic.

[@Kernel15]

"But even then I wouldn't ask if the table could only sit 4, that's kinda intruding into their personal space." You obviously haven't tried eating at downtown hawker centers during lunchtime :P

[@epiphadipity]

Kern well yeah hahah. My parents did that last time so I can see why people would do that, but now that I’m older I’m not really comfortable with being so close to other people so I would rather not share a 4 seater LOL.

[@prorenzo]

Same here!

[@singlah]

I haven't experienced this in Singapore either but in Hong Kong I get this all the time. Then again, in Hong Kong restaurant queues usually stretch much further than Singaporean ones during mealtimes and I can understand how dining out is less of a social event and more that of efficiency/ sustenance - unless you're paying big money to dine in top places.

[@legongdaidai8996]

Different people go to food places for different reasons. Some just wants to have a quick fix... eat up and go. Some would like to have 3 course, some dishes to share, catch up and chit-chat. By allocating you to a joint table with strangers it maximises the restaurant's capacity.

[@cocoapanda2001]

About the driving style of some older taxi drivers - yes! Finally someone is talking about this. I really dislike the way some older taxi drivers can't seem to hold their foot steady on the accelerator. Makes me car sick.

[@GeorgiaCaney]

haha still baffles me!

[@AaronKohZH]

The older drivers are likely very used to driving manual cars which require the release of acceleration pedals to change gears. Old habits die hard. The triple confirmation is possibly due to a couple of reasons. 1. The older drivers may not be confident of their English proficiency, especially with foreigners. So, they repeat to mitigate miscommunication problem. 2. Some drivers told me that the passengers complained to their management very easily for not driving accordingly to the passengers' directions. These two reasons then create a vicious cycle to what you were experiencing.

[@ronj6038]

This is from the old carbourator days when gas pools in a small tank before being sucked into the engine. Supposedly can save a teaspoon of gas per tank driving like dat

[@evansim4626]

Oh haha we say "one" because in Chinese, 的 also means one as in "my one" which is 我的 in chinese although it should be "mine".

[@soapy2587]

i use this slang so often but didn’t really know how it came to be until now😂

[@RonLarhz]

Yup its "的" usually. 做墨你酱的(为什么你这样子的)-->why u like that one (给我们/我要)这个-->this one.

[@lamwlgabriel]

Trust me on this one. Can one= Achievable. Sure one=Affirmative

[@simplyme3306]

yup! Most of the Singlish are direct translation lol

[@singlah]

Some Singaporeans do make the distinction in spelling those words in Singlish. For example, "this one" and "that one", but "it's like that wan". Because "one" and "wan" in those phrases don't mean the same thing.

[@superbeast326]

With regards to the priority seat, we avoid it like the plague because social stigma is the modern first-world equivalent of the plague.

[@funkee9]

I grew up here, but I can't remember being asked/ asking to sit with other people at the same restaurant table! And sharing utensils with those I don't know grosses me out. Either it's too much a part of my culture that I wasn't aware when it did happen, or it really hasn't happened to me! 💁🏻‍♀️

[@GeorgiaCaney]

haha thanks for sharing!

[@nurulhudasucks]

i had an australian friend who was so confused about "one" as well, and how and when to use it and all and my singaporean friend and I tried to so hard to explain it to her in a non-singlish way but we just couldn't explain it at all and just ended up like "aiyaa it's like that one la you'll get it soon"

[@goddanner]

Hi Georgina, the taxi uncles usually double or triple confirm, because of bad experiences with customer, comfort (blue and yellow taxis uncle/aunties) drivers can lose the ability to rent from taxi company if they have 3 strike from bad customer experience. So by being cautious to check with the customer regarding the route of preference, the pickup and drop off destination, is part of their customer service training, it is a serious component for the taxi driver I guess. As for the sharing for tables, because it happens often enough at the hawker centres, really popular restruants find it acceptable to strangers together if the seats are limited and queuing line are affecting the place of operations I guess.

[@laylac]

I think the usage of "one" came from the actual English language of it using to refer things. For example, "They are both nice, but I think I like that one better". So the Singlish usage of it is somewhat similar in that we use "one" to refer to things as well. Like the "one" in "She's like that one" would be referring to the "she", and the "one" in "Confirm one?" would be referring to whatever statement previously made.

[@donng9256]

First of all, welcome to Singapore. I've a fondness for people from UK as I have an elder sister and niece living there for a long. long time. Fyi, I am also a part time taxi driver and I happened to pick up a lot of people from the UK who live here and they really like it here. Well, I would like to give my 2 cents thoughts on the many incidents you brought up, if you don't mind. But, beforehand, I would like to add that I have a problem understanding the way my English relatives spoke as compared to say the way the American speak. Now, let's discuss about your comments. 1) As you should know by now, we have a peculiar way of speaking English which is a mixture of English, Chines and Malay and we call it Singlish. Normally people of lower education can only speak SInglish at best while the more educated can switch between Singlish and proper English. So it depends to whom did you converse with. 2) The reservation of seats and queuing is part of our Singapore culture. As for the sharing of table, it happen everyday at the hawker centre and I guess the restaurants carry on the practice so as not to keep the customers waiting too long because they might get impatient and move on to another restaurant as there are too many restaurants in Singapore. 3) I also have a habit of accelerating and slowing while driving my taxi on the highways, the reason being that most Singaporeans are horrible and inconsiderate drivers, especially those who like to road hog on the fast lane. So while I try to drive within the speed limit most of the time, often I have to accelerate when I encountered the road hogs. 4) Most Asian people don't look at strangers in the eyes when talking because it is considered impolite and also a form of aggression. I remember when I was youngster in the 60s' gangsters were very common in Singapore as we were very poor then. And if you happen to look even casually in the direction of a gangster who normally walked in group of 2 or more, then they would ask you what are looking at. Before you can answer them, they would start beating you up. I am telling you the truth because it happened to me once. So much for the free lesson. I too have my gripes with some European taxi customers. Although some are very polite and even generous, there were others who were snobbish and arrogant with a superior mentality. I have a feeling that most Europeans think they are smarter that other races and that they know better hence looking down on them. You know, Bruce Lee once said in an interview that " under the sky, we human beings are one family". Another saying that I think all foreigners should practise is "When in Rome, act like the Romans". Or something like reverse engineering, know what I mean? Well, I hope you enjoy your stay here in Singapore as I met a number of people from UK and France who prefer to live here than go back to their home countries. I remember a story not long ago that an English couple with no children live in Singapore for more that 30 years until they died in their 80s'. After their death they willed all their wealth and property to the charities in Singapore and chose to be buried here. Now that is something even most Singaporeans find hard to follow. God bless you and all your friends and family.

[@9cowbell9]

I’m Singaporean and I’ve never had the service staff ask if I would like to be sat with strangers in a restaurant. That’s a first I’ve never heard or experienced that before. Other than in a hawker centre or food courts when it’s crowded and there’s no other choice.

[@GeorgiaCaney]

interesting that you havn't!

[@AaronKohZH]

I would just respectfully decline it. Just tell them you happen to need a little privacy for the conversation over the meal. It would not be impolite. Given the limited space and time, the restaurant manager probably just hoped to take the chance but would most likely still respect your decision if you decline.

[@白咲竜ジ]

Unfortunately I have been asked twice, due to the restaurant being very crowded and it seems like nobody seated was about to leave any time soon. : (

[@andrewlam9160]

I will not say extremely common but I think it is quite common in a crowded restaurant. Especially those with a lot of 2-4 sitter tables that if 2 people taken a 4 sitter, the restaurant still can squeeze 2 in.

[@reveirg9]

1: Because a large portion of our eating places are at places like hawker centres or food courts, there's no service provided. You have to get your food first then proceed to find your seats. So if you were to buy your food first instead of using a method to reserve your seats, you might end up stranded with a huge tray in the middle of the crowded lane waiting for a seat. 2: Adding 'one' is actually a derivative from the Chinese language as we tend to mix speaking them together, so as time past, it's unknowingly mixed into our English. Same with Malay/Hindi/various other dialects. Singlish is just a mix pot of languages. 3: Yeah that's very accurate, especially when there's a 'craze'. My guess would be there's really nothing much to offer on this small island, so when there's a sale or new item in town from overseas, people tend to treat it as a form of 'activity', like hey there's something new we should go try it out NOW. It's really boring in Singapore if you've been here, there aren't any getaways locally. I'm not sure if you were in Singapore then but those Hello Kitty queues were crazy. Or the ones where rich ladies get their domestic helper to go queue for a new branded shop's opening. Personally, I wouldn't mind queuing for food if it's worth the wait. 4: There's an online media site called STOMP which is under StraitsTimes(yes our major newspaper). It's a site where people post tons of gossip and stuff too rubbish to be considered journalism. But as we all know, people love reading that shit. So back then when camera phones were becoming the craze, Singaporeans would sneakily take photos of people who were sleeping or people in army uniform taking the priority seat on a seemingly crowded train and shame them online. I remember I was once very ill but I still avoided sitting on the priority seat because the train was crowded and didn't want to have to deal with the stares. 5: I would say that occurs more often with the older generation of taxi uncles? They've had their fair share of miscommunication which resulting in unhappy customers or accusations of detouring for a higher fare so they tend to be more careful. Usually we get 2 confirmations though, lol. 6: Same thing, it's usually with the older generation. Fun fact, the older generation's driving licenses are usually not technically 'legal'. It was really easy to pass back then compared to now. My dad drives like that too and I can't stand it. 7: Yeah, I think it's quite common in Singapore for people to avoid eye contact with strangers. When we were young we were taught it was rude to stare. Also, if you grew up in a neighbourhood with hooligans or bullies you'd know that if you stare at someone who's in a 'gang', even if unintentionally, you'd get in a lot of trouble. 8: I think it's more of an Asian thing, especially in the more congested cities like Toyko, HongKong, Singapore. Space is really expensive. But if it's a restaurant I would think they don't practice that there. 9: Most families in Singapore(Indian, Chinese, Malay), we don't have sharing spoons for dishes. Typically in a Western family, you'd have a few dishes on the table with a sharing spoon to bring food onto your plate where you consume it. But in Singapore, we all just dig our own spoons in the big pot and scoop whatever we want. If you think about it, that big pot probably has traces of our saliva all over. This is especially apparent during festive seasons where your distant relatives would come together. However, I observe that the younger families now are adopting the Western style. Love your videos! Nice to know an expat's POV on Singapore.

[@shxryll]

Omg samee I also don’t like eating with strangers on the same table find it really awkward

[@fennfie]

Lol we NEVER use *next left or next right* you'll just confuse the poor sod. If it's an upcoming left turn well just say turn left here otherwise he'll assume it's the next one after that.

[@cedric1303]

I think for majority of younger generation Singaporeans. they will usually ask each other if they're "saliva-conscious" before sharing utensils, if they are comfortable with it. Thanks for the sharing! :)

[@leesixian9995]

Hmm I feel that perhaps it's the younger generation that doesn't mind sharing utensils! It's mainly because we're too lazy to get one of each one of us then having to wash so many utensils after. Sometimes I even share a straw with my friends when one of us gets a drink!

[@shanidw]

Hey Georgia, enjoyed this video! The reason why I personally avoid the priority seat in the MRT is because I like to just zone out or go on my phone, and not worry or be pressured to look out for an elderly person or whoever needs it more than me, you know? I just hate if someone has to ask me if they can have the seat because I did not notice them standing there, I feel like I was being rude not to offer it even though I didn't even see them. Also, I think it's a Singaporean thing to not mind standing in public transport; whenever I take the bus in the European city I live, if there are some seats free but they are all next to strangers, I don't mind just standing. Also I constantly get called out in my (non-Singaporean) friend group for not wanting to share utensils (because they don't mind and so they get a bit offended), and that's something I feel I adopted from Singaporean culture to be honest. Strange you experienced the opposite, or maybe my situation is strange...

[@kimchikoalaa714]

Yea, as Eva said, “one” originate from Chinese. Most of our daily informal speech are more or less directly translated from the way we speak Chinese, hence our less-than-proper grammar and words like “one”

[@firstofjuly]

Totally spot on. I'm a Singaporean living overseas and I didn't even realise these until I saw all your youtube videos/ reviews. It makes me LOL instantly coz you are sooo correct and I really enjoy watching all your videos. More pls!

[@arcus23424]

I feel that the taxi driver thing is because of your accent, which some (older) locals may find harder to understand. Most of the time when us Singaporeans state our destination they would understand immediately, as we are able to converse with the “Singaporean ring” to it

[@fcof]

I’m Singaporean and I wouldn’t want to share a table with a complete stranger at a restaurant. I think it would be fine at a hawker centre but not at a restaurant. And definitely NO SHARING OF UTENSILS. Ew...

[@Cmi1267]

Living in London, I think the queueing think it's quite common in big cities like Singapore, Tokyo as well as London. In fact, more and more restaurants in London are opting not to take reservations and requiring patrons to queue.

[@prorenzo]

1. It is interesting that you mentioned taxi drivers like to pedal up and down the accelerator. My father does that too gently and I have no idea why. I think its more of an older generation kind of thing. 2. I've personally never encountered being seated with strangers in a restaurant. Only in hawker centers and kopitiams. Yes I will feel weird if there are strangers sitting together with me as it will feel intrusive, both ways. 3. It looks like there is a sizable number of Singaporeans who are not really saliva-conscious, myself included. But if it is complete strangers it would be weird, it has to be some sort of acquaintance at the very least. However I still do observe people who are saliva-conscious and that is perfectly understandable.

[@Axeotix]

The eye contact is more like diao, if you met with a rude person they will be unhappy if u keep looking at them in the eyes and will probably say stare what stare, it's like your provoking the person to fight with u by starring/looking in the person's eyes if it's a stranger

[@fi7564]

Sometimes we singaporeans queue for more than 1 hr! I don’t think I can do that..haha!

[@Cuhsidy]

I f****ing hate sharing tables. It forces me to watch my words and be formal whilst talking to a friend.

[@ch95forevalways]

personally I had quite alot of experience with acquaintances sharing food/utensils containing the food too. When I went for camps, everyone in the orientation camp group took turns to drink from a soft drink bottle as the orientation group leader bought one big bottle to share and I was so shocked when everyone didnt even flinch and drank from the same bottle! We only knew each other for a few hours O_O haha but of course I have some friends who ask if I am saliva conscious before sharing drinks. But generally feel like the people around me arent saliva conscious, friends or not

[@lieny]

Same

[@mapleyeo]

I think the Taxi issue is due to you are a foreigner. Drivers just want to make sure and avoid complaint. Suggestion - Tell the driver your destination and the route end to end clearly you prefer him to take the min you on board. Example, which expressway, exit via where, ave to the etc. Watch out when near destination in case driver miss any turn. Sharing of table in Singapore restaurants is rare. Only very few do that these days.

[@llllng9163]

Ending sentence with "one " is actually chinese language grammar . If you speak Chinese, ending a sentence with "de的" pretty common , substitute de with one, everything makes sense now

[@xinminang291]

I wouldn’t mind sitting with strangers only at a hawker centre during peak hours because it’s difficult to find empty seats haha

[@deanwongzy]

The accelerating thing is pretty annoying to me. It makes me feel like puking right after I get off the taxi. Seems like a thing some older driver uncles do. I don't share utensils and I do not share tables unless I have to at the hawker centres. :)

[@potterstinks]

The acceleration and slowing down in taxis is a method to save petrol lol.

[@GeorgiaCaney]

But that makes no sense 😂

[@Edesonism]

Accelerate the car and then release the pedal to let it "glide", saving the gas by gliding

[@blackhorse7553]

@@GeorgiaCaney Taxi uncle always try to "cut cost"...lol

[@foodmore]

No it isn’t. It is just a bad habit of the old uncles.

[@andyhui01]

Black Horse it is. The technique is called pulse and glide. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy-efficient_driving

[@lupechang]

The sharing utensils thing is funny. I believe it's pretty ok to do that in Brazil too! At least among our friends, definitely not with complete strangers but if you are a little close to the person like a good work fellow, we'd probably have ice cream from the same spoon or drink from the same glass then hahaha. I think it's a weird but nice habit that brings people closer.

[@vmonsieur]

Hello, I think I can say I am a typical Singaporean. And these are based on my exp. And pardon for my singlish 1) the extension 'one'. The only logical explanation i can give u as a singaporen is that we use 'one' to replace 'is'. Eg, 'she just gossiped about you' 'really ah? Why she like that one ah?' or 'why she so mean one ah?' or 'why like that one ah?' when its suppose to be 'why is she like that?' etc. For the 'can one' in proper english is 'i can guarantee you i can do it' 2) apparantly the accelerating and decelerating thing is usually common with the older generations. My dad drives the same way. And i totally hate it. I get motion sickness easily. 3) repeating the destination couple of times is normal. But usually not more than that for me. Maybe its because of your accent the uncle had a hard time to comprehend and had to ask you multiple times just to be sure. 4) i rarely share my utensils. Even with my close friends that ive known for 15years, i'll think twice bout sharing it. *Shudders* 5) i hate crowds, therefore i wont queue if it exceeds more than 4 people 😂 6) if there is another couple sit at the same table as i am with a friend, i wouldnt mind and continue to talk as per normal. Anyway thanks for reading! Love your videos!

[@mohdanis1216]

I work part-time at a restaurant and I never really know any of my colleagues asking if the customer wouldn't mind seating with a stranger. As far as I know, if there is not really any seats available, we will respectfully ask the customer to wait awhile so that we can arrange a seat for them as fast as possible. while asking them to take a look at the menu to decide on their meals to quicken up the pace of which we could get their orders through to the kitchen. Honestly, I can only say how my outlet operates. I cannot say for all. I am working part-time at Swensens Plaza Singapura by the way. Therefore, if any of you ever been there, you would know what I mean. For the sharing of cutleries as many had mentioned, we Singaporeans always ask first nicely if the other party is silva conscious or not before sharing. About taxi drivers: I always take the taxi last time and I kind of agree that the drivers just want to confirm the location of which the passenger wants to go. There was once I wanted to go to a place and I couldn't pronounce it right so the uncle was asking me to repeat again to make sure he got listen to it correctly as to where I want to go to. On the train about the reserved seat, I also will just seat down. Unless I see people who need it more than me, I will give it up. There are some contradictions as to what you think about the reserve seats. Despite having it reserved, there are those who will just seat even though there are elderly standing in front of them. In my honest opinion and from what I can infer, it is actually meant to be the whole bench. Seat when there is no one else on board and all the people who need it more have taken their seats, offer the seat if there is no other for them (those who need it more). This is my opinion anyway, I mean no offence or disrespect to those who read it.

[@KimmyHiuify]

As foreigner Finally someone realise the local taxi drivers’ driving skill and service are questionable... the older drivers are used to driving manual in the past and never got used to automatic version. A lot of their driving is quite reckless too... I wish they will improve their driving skills and lack of service. Not sure if u notice that if u are late at meeting point while booking a cab, they will literally abandon and cancel ur booking! Very rude!

[@saralim688]

You expect good service from the taxi driver but couldn't be bothered to turn up promptly at the agreed booking time for your ride? The drivers would probably be told to move away and not block the driveway. It takes two hands to clap.

[@myfavstore]

We share the food but not the utensils. We use our own spoons to scoop the food from the same bowl. Like sharing the soup.

[@Isaactan90]

With regard to taxi drivers, there have been several incidents in which customers have gotten into an altercation with the driver due to some misunderstanding, and the unreasonable ones refuse to pay. So the drivers tend to ask you several times to be absolutely sure to avoid such incidents.

[@zhicong]

I agree with the table sharing - hate it. That’s one reason why I don’t eat at hawker centers.

[@diehotdk]

I’m a singaporean and indeed aunties and those who are 30+ love to queue for free stuff or anything that you can think of, but what i feel now is that teenagers like me (17 btw) would like to avoid queuing very long queues, just like you, I personally would just find an excuse to go the toilet while my friend(s) is/are queuing HAHA. I’ll just lepak and slowly take my time going back i mean who loves queuing?

[@rainmutt3240]

I personally don't mind being seated with strangers at a restaurant. If it's crowded & one is hungry..... Coincidentally, this only happens in a Chinese restaurant for me/us. To the point that when we arrive and ask to be put on the wait list, we will let them know we don't mind being placed at a table already occupied.

[@innerlight10]

Its more so especially since u r a foreigner. a lot of cab drivers kena hantam or scolded by passenger or accused of conning more fares if they make a wrong turn

[@michelleemmanuelle5510]

i think the driving this is because they don't wanna like get fined for driving too fast like,, LTA is kinda strict on safety and speed limits and they're especially harsh on taxi drivers and yeah the taxi directions thing might be because you're a foreigner and the thing about sharing utensils is like a chinese thing i guess?? like we use our chopsticks to take food from the main dish and and put it into our mouths or onto someone's plate so we don't really get affected by like saliva sharing(??) which restaurant did you go to that made you share table?? i've never encountered that before omg cute earrings btw!!

[@simroysten7963]

To save fuel, to accelerate and use momentum as free rolling for a distance, repeat.

[@LucidScreening]

The taxi driver accelerating thing makes me feel really car sick

[@ajbcruz]

Things I've never seen in my eighteen years in SG... - Taxi that accelerates and decelerates constantly for no reason - Triple confirming taxi driver - Sharing utensils - Requiring to share a restaurant table with another couple

[@nickyblack1377]

As a Singaporean I find it okay to share drinks with people im not close to , however it depends for food. Also Yea , i find it uncomfortable to be sat at a table or too close to people i dont know. Makes me afraid to be judged or awkward to continue my conversation with my friend. However i wouldn’t judge someone else’s conversation

[@traderghost]

Accurate! Thanks for pointing all these out! All these are so common to us that we take it for granted and don't really notice it anymore. Now I keep paying attention to the taxi driver's confirmation and his driving style. I must really get this out of my head! LOL. Your channel sure win one!

[@blaxerx]

I feel the utensil sharing comes from our childhood teaching. In Singapore as kids we are taught in school that sharing is caring. And as this habit rolls, kids playing together are sometimes no so conscientious on hygiene e.g. sharing snacks at the playground. Come adulthood, they are naturally not so particular like say on the cost or hygiene as the main focus will be on the actual "sharing". You will generally notice that among peers, Singaporeans will mostly "offer" a bit/portion as it is courteous to offer and rude to be enjoying alone. This is a water down version of the "kampung spirit".

[@GaryOw]

The problem with "Next left" is I might not think it's the IMMEDIATE next left. I might think it's the one AFTER the current one.

[@limxuanting4632]

the accelerating thing is probably because they used to drive manual cars or somethings

[@gotmyonu1027]

Eye contact in SG.... Some people don't like it. They feel they you maybe staring at them, so people feel very threatened. Even worst, people might just come and scold you. THEY WILL SAY... WHAT THE FU*K ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME FOR. or So is advised not to looked at any one. This is very common in SG. Especially in MRT.

[@milopengkosong]

Wellllll I've never really been sure why that's the case but sustained eye contact tends to come off intense and/or kinda aggressive? It gives off a more serious vibe, and is way more personal than is comfortable in casual lighthearted conversation. Unless you're giving a friend an ultimatum and trying to drive in significance, or having HTHT and trying to show you're invested/sincere etc etc it's just not usually done. The 'glance for a bit, look away, then glance again' happens more often than 'stare at their eyes for the whole convo'. I guess the eye-contact = honesty thing isn't as prevalent here. If a person made eye-contact w me and then just kept looking, depending on the situation I'd be more inclined to think that I've done something wrong/the person finds something wrong with me/something is wrong in general/they're pissed off at me/they're picking a fight. It's way too close to glaring.

[@superduperleanh]

about the table thing, i think it's more about population density than culture. In Asia it's way more crowded so I guess we have to adapt to smaller personal bubbles? And vice versa in Europe and North America. Even when we share table, we don't have the pressure to make small talks with the strangers sitting next to us so we don't mind it.

[@jlcdrivewayramps7343]

Some taxi drivers do that to me. Triple confirm. It's like they are thinking about how best to get there and subconsciously asking where many times. There is absolutely no linkage to the Chinese or Malay language as to how the word one came about.

[@hearliam]

every time you wear those glasses I think you've got a tarantula on your face

[@aspiringmodernistchef]

Since I don't see anyone here providing this answer, allow me to hypothesize the reason why local taxi drivers pump on the accelerator. Most likely, they thought this would save fuel; they probably naively thought that if their foot is off the accelerator, they are not using fuel and hence saving petrol, which is of course NOT true since when you lift the foot off the accelerator, the vehicle starts to de-accelerate and you will probably be using more fuel to bring it up to speed again, which means burning more fuel to accelerate up to speed. Only place that idea works is if the car is on a downhill. Probably better to be smooth in application of the gas pedal, which would actually save you more fuel than pumping it like trying to do CPR.

[@brownchocolate3293]

Hi Georgia! I am curious too as to why Eurasians like to stare in the eye whenever they walk pass us. I agree about the confidence part cos we’re told never to look in the eye unless we’re having deep communication with each other. I think its because in the past, if one were to stare at another, especially when it comes to gangsters, they will end up fighting for merely staring at the other group. So as we grow older, we naturally avoid eye contact.

[@GettingLost]

Hi Georgia, the taxi uncle ask you multiple times is to "double" confirm since 1) they are not used to your accent and want to make sure they got the address right. 2) there are road names that sound alike and so it is better get it right in the beginning. 3) to avoid complaints since if they were to take you the wrong way, you can always complain about him to the taxi co. 4) if he were to drive the wrong way, then when he brings you to the right place, he will have to (most likely) have to not charge you for the extra distance he traveled (even thought he used up gas and time to get you home) 5) maybe the taxi uncle find you cute and wanted to flirt with you

[@littlemixeurasian8583]

Also reserving with towels and reserving with tissue packs. I knew about both but I never made that link! Genius

[@jujatrad]

It has happened to me more than once here in Switzerland (in small cities) that people just came up and asked to sit at our table if the place was full. I find it really odd, but it does happen in Europe as well!

[@GeorgiaCaney]

yeah can be bit awkward...

[@wumingkkk]

Basically you are quite spot on for the many quirky things that happen in Singapore. For me: 1) I only Q for max 10 mins. No patience to wait. I think time is precious. 2) For taxi, I don't need to triple confirm, only double confirm lol. 3) One of the reason taxi driver step and let go the pedal is because they afraid to crash into other cars. If they do get hit, it is very troublesome with the legal and all the administrative things to do, taxi drivers hate troublesome things like this. 4) As for the utensils, most of the people I know like to use their own but everyone is ok with using their own utensils to take food from a common plate, therefore sharing saliva indirectly lol.

[@DerHirsch77]

with regards to eye contact, i think it's about respect. in most asian cultures, sustained eye contact is a sign of aggression so most asians rarely look you in the eye, unless you're arguing or fighting. when having friendly conversations, most will often take quick glances. in the west, that's often perceived as insecure or shifty.

[@meowth27]

Singaporeans like to cut queue. Any chance they take it. Entering a train, taking escalator... anything.. We dont say take the next left, we say next one turn left. The on and off pedal is they thinks it save fuel... yes super annoying.

[@WTiDeadlyfury]

you sure we like to cut queue? come on.

[@meowth27]

owen lim yes, very. Just looking at taking the train and escalator for starter.

[@vnc81]

To be honest, i dont cut queues but yeah i hate ppl who cut queues.

[@meowth27]

clearly you're blind or you just don't take the train enough. Facts ain't negative. Facts are facts. oh, watch your language :D

[@meowth27]

ikr, i am not saying all does it but its just a lot of people do :( it's not like a big deal but it's annoying when it happens daily.

[@lironl6782]

I've been asked to share a table in a restaurant here in Melbourne, although it was a small tightly packed Malaysian restaurant.

[@schrodingerbracat2927]

'one' functions like "de" (的) in Mandarin or like "desu" (です) in Japanese as end-of-sentence marker. . but how did 'one' get associated with 的 ? Here is my explanation:- This pen is mine = this is my one 这是我的。 This pen is yours = this is your one 这是你的。 This pen is his = this is his one 这是他的。 etc. Therefore my/your/his/... one = 我/你/他/... 的 Therefore one = 的 (Q.E.D) proven! You have to agree with me that Singaporean logic is impeccable, albeit elusive.

[@jo88hn88]

If you accelerate in a taxi the meter goes up quicker. They are doing it to charge you more for the trip.

[@mdad5843]

Whats the name of the outro music

[@FrozenCappucino]

You're great, Geogia!

[@GeorgiaCaney]

aw thanks!

[@devil925]

I'm Singaporean. Sharing utensils is disgusting. I think it depends on individuals. Lucky for me my office mates, friends and even family dont share utensils.

[@myronlee19]

And the eye contact issue. I think it’s because when we were young, the “ah bengs” will be like “diao simi diao” which means “stare what stare” and they will start a fight with you. So I guess we feel that starring or looking straight in the eye a bit offensive? I might be wrong

[@myfavstore]

Majority will queue for good stuffs, but not me. Unless the food will make you long life, I will never queue.

[@supreme87878]

I hate queueing for food, unless im dying for it, else no no. Sharing of utensils. I cant share too unless we are close. The reasons on why the taxi asked and like a triple confirm is because there are people who would otherwise denied what they have said on routes and accused the taxi drivers. So when that happens, the taxi company will.have the meter, GPS to investigate the alleged complaints. That is why they will always asked your destination and preferred routes and confirm almost everytime. All else, i can say you are meticulous in observing habits.

[@fedya457]

In my secondary school people just ask if your saliva conscious and if u are okay with it they will proceed to use your utensil.

[@xinraychannel3349]

taxi drivers do that because most of them are old and they don't want to forget and slow down again another​ reason is because if they don't know how to get there they have to set up the map system

[@kira84]

using the same spoon is definitely not common in Singapore and gross when you don't know the other person that well

[@acidicgal]

Hey Georgia, interesting observations! I don’t really like sitting on the same table as strangers but there are a lot of eating places that you have to share tables. It’s worse if you go to Hong Kong. We will get awkward at first but when everyone is in their conversations, it became fine. As for sharing of utensils, I only share it with people I know and of a certain closeness level. It depends on the food we are sharing too. So have you eaten steamboat where everyone shares food from the same big hot pot? I think you get triple confirmation from taxi uncles because you are a foreigner and they might not understand you that well. I’m guessing they just want to make sure they are driving the right route. I don’t like to queue for free things.. but for a very good food stall, depending on my mood and time, I will. As for the addition of ‘one’ behind, I can’t explain too! It’s very broken English and i guess it’s translated from other dialect the way it’s being spoken. But it has become a singlish! Lol!

[@lieny]

Hi Georgia! I'm a Singaporean! Sometimes I do share seats with strangers in hawker centres, but I never had to share seats in restaurants. And yes, people here always share their food and use the same utensils. Sometimes people I just met would ask me if I have water and they would just drink it from my bottle😂 I guess people here don't really mind. I do feel comfortable sharing utensils with my friends but not people I don't know well, but most of the time I don't have a choice because they feel really thirsty.

[@lieny]

To add on, I think this practice is more common among youths and teenagers. During orientation camps where we just met the people, we would pass around the SAME bottle within 25 people and everyone drinks it. But like I said, usually we don't really have a choice and people don't really care

[@darrendelong]

I am Singaporean and I dun like to seat with strangers in restaurants and would not like to share table with them. But in hawker centers or food courts, with free seating, I guess I am okay with that if there are limited seats available. It will be rude to deny people to share the table with you in that situation. I will only share food on the same utensils with my close ones, like my wife. No way It's hygienic to share food with anyway else. Being born and bred here for over 40 years, I have never "chope" seats with tissue packs in my life. But I would always put my bag at the seat as a form of reservation. As for the reserved seat, I usually will seat on it if there is no needy people around. But I would always be on the look out for any needy people who board the train later. That means I can't relax and fall asleep in that seat cos that will be inconsiderate. Even though I would have given up seat for the needy even if I am not siting on the reserved seat, but occupying a non reserved seat allows me to relax and probably have a nap without the fear of being judged for inconsideration.

[@Helloimzhen]

i do realise that taxi uncles dont understand me when i say me: turn right at the next traffic light so id just keep quiet and if he asks, uncle: turn here ah? me: no go straight and when im approaching the next traffic light, me: uncle turn right theyd totally get me. so i guess you can really speak to them in full sentences . or proper english. hahaa

[@thepriceofsalt9003]

I apologise for my multiple comments. But these types of videos are really interesting, and I think us viewers will be willing to share more, and know more about your experiences here. Love your videos!

[@GeorgiaCaney]

That's awesome thank you! :)

[@liangyingshi]

HOLD ON A SEC.....singaporeans share utensils? my family definitely don't do that lool

[@Hotz]

Not gonna lie I’ve did 1 thing illegal in Singapore as a singaporean: Drive a real car under the age of 18. At that time when I drove my friends car last year when I was 12. And I kinda did what u said about the taxi driver accelerating. I wanted to maintain the same speed and I just couldn’t seem to control it at the same speed without lifting my foot off the accelerator. And that might also be a reason why some taxi Drivers drive like that. Btw my Friend was in the car with me and I was driving in an abandoned carpark

[@thepriceofsalt9003]

I always avoid the priority seat lmaoo. I think it should be totally fine if there's no one sitting there (esp. if you might feel unwell, tired etc.), and then if you're able to, you give your seat up to elderly, etc when they board the train. Again, there always is that one group of people who judge and shame any chance they get. Eye contact... I keep eye contact with people whenever I'm speaking or the other person is speaking. I agree that we are quite aloof and cold. Sometimes hostile, which can be unpleasant... Sharing tables/utensils... Like viewers before me have said, it isn't a Singaporean/cultural thing. Sharing utensils is fine if you're sure you're safe or if you don't mind, I guess, but it's rather risky to share it with someone you don't know. As for tables, I haven't been asked to sit with other people by staff, but in hawker centres if people can't find a table for themselves they'll approach someone who's finishing up, and if possible, we'll sit at least one seat apart haha. I'm sure other viewers have explained the "one" situation by now, and tbh it annoys even me sometimes.

[@hariszul3957]

I don’t repeat my destination when I take a taxi. I think the uncle was just trying to confirm your destination because they can’t understand your accent maybe. As for the spoon part, I too find it weird when people share their spoon with strangers.

[@roshiniibeauty6448]

For the "next left" experience with taxi drivers, it is mostly because using the word "next" is often understood as the second left and not the immediate left. I had the same problem when I was giving directions to my dad when we were driving overseas. I meant next as the upcoming junction, but he thought i meant the one after. So it just difference in interpretation. I have never had the situation where we were asked to share a table with other patrons. I would definitely not be up for that. It does usually happen at overcrowded hawker centres or food court, but not at restaurants or cafes. But damn, I miss wagamama now. Love the food there. And i am definitely not one for sharing utensils with people, let alone strangers. Total no-no.

[@geraldinetan6544]

Honestly, I use “one” or “wan” as a “punctuation” a lot but I don’t really understand why I use it either. It just comes naturally. Other Singlish terms such as “Lah” or “Mah” may be influenced by Mandarin. Perhaps that came from there too. As for avoiding the priority seat, it’s a stigma among Singaporeans aaaand after a long day, you really want to be able to sit through your train journey and not receive a condemning look from commuters when you don’t give it up to an elderly or pregnant lady. But I think there is a growing number of people who recognise the problem. So similarly, some of us will take the seat and give it up when someone in need comes along. Technically, anyone seated can give up their seat whether or not they are sitting in the priority seat.

[@cherylcolautti1302]

I don't mind being sat with strangers. Why have 2 empty seats if people are waiting. Would not share utensils with strangers though

[@jacksontech1]

well i guess for the triple confirmation on your taxi ride it is simply bcos the taxi driver thought that you are a tourist so he just want to make sure u know where u r going. It seldom happen to local people like me becos when i say i want to go bukit panjang, the driver knows that i am aware there is another place called pasir panjang and he knows that i mean bukit panjang and not pasir panjang. That's why.

[@GeorgiaCaney]

perhaps!

[@jaydenbraydon5405]

I'm 100% Singaporean born and breed. But I hate queuing too. No doubt, Singaporean are known to be kiasu. However it still depends on individual. For me, I will walk away if i see a queue is too long. Max, probably 30 mins? For the taxi uncle triple confirm with you, I think chances are because you're a foreigner and not everyone can catch what foreigners are saying as the accent may be strong or unfamiliar. On top of that, taxi uncles are usually really old and bad at English. Thus, constantly trying to clarify with you. I think for the priority seats in the train, people avoid it probably because if you sit on it and someone boards with the need of the sit and you didn't happen to notice them, others will think bad of you as in you're like a selfish person who don't give up the seat. Nevertheless, I very much agree with your point of seating on the priority seat when no one needs it and only give it up when others require. However I think usually our train is often packed with people. So the chances of someone to board the train and needs the seat is pretty high. Maybe we rather don't seat it. For the sharing of seats, actually alot of us are not that comfortable about it too. I guess it really breaks down to the place we have is small and there's too many people and limited seat. Sometimes people just rather endure and share the space than having to go find another place which probably also is packed. I think it depends on the area and crowd. As for sharing utensils, I guess we are very used to it already. No doubt I personally will feel kind of uncomfortable if it's someone I'm barely even close with. But guess it just comes too natural too us as we have the habit of always sharing food with our friends and family. Unlike from where you've come from, westerners always order and eat what they only order. They do not have a habit of ordering various dishes and share amongst each other. So sometimes when it's like your colleague asks you to try a bite, we'll naturally just open our mouths! Hahahahahaha!! Well.. Every country has their "weird" stuffs as long as it's something you're not familiar with. Still, hope you'll get used to it soon and like it better! :)

[@wongcc7230]

if they allow you to share, means they treated as good friends.

[@eduardoking8402]

Sgreans don't make eye contact because in asian culture it is considered rude, especially when talking to an older person. I've never shared spoons, or drank from the same cup growing up in Sg. Now living in Canada, I notice many of my caucasian collegues share their drinks. I cringed when asked once whether I wanted to sample a drink from a glass my collegue had been drnking from. I thought this was a caucasian habit, until you mention about your sgrean collegues using the same spoon for the ice cream. Regarding sharing of tables at a restaurant, I've never experienced it growing up there, nor during my recent visit to Sg just back in August.