http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_680162.html
un 15, 2011
German TV show mocks Singaporean practices
By Ashutosh Ravikrishnan
Singaporeans: Strange human beings that enjoy smiling, getting their temperature checked and eating disgusting food. -- PHOTO: INTERNET/GALILEO
SINGAPOREANS: Strange human beings that enjoy smiling, getting their temperature checked and eating disgusting food.
That's what a popular German television show, Galileo, says in the introduction to a recent episode aired in early May.
In that episode, the show's correspondent travels to Singapore to experience the country's 'oddities' for himself.
First, he tries to enter a shopping complex but is stopped by a woman who wants to take his temperature before allowing him to enter the building. This health precaution against the threat of fever is mocked and ridiculed by the host who quips: 'Imagine if you had to be checked for a fever every time before you entered a shop. Sounds strange, but it is an everyday occurence in Singapore.'
The host then visits Nirvana Memorial, a columbarium in Choa Chu Kang. He is fascinated by the lights on display and first reckons he's stepped into a futuristic night club.
In the columbarium, he is surprised to meet a monk who is paid for his services. He jokes that in normal temples, monks receive alms from devotees, but here (in Singapore), they have money sent to their bank accounts.
Other aspects of Singapore that the show displays:
- Songbirds: They are depicted as Singaporeans' favourite pets, because they are believed to bring luck to the owners
- Singapore Paranormal Investigators (SPI): The host joins the SPI on an investigation in Choa Chu Kang, but the investigation proves futile. He quips 'Ghosts: 0, Crazy Singaporeans: A few'
Readers, what do you think of the show's representation of Singapore?
un 15, 2011
German TV show mocks Singaporean practices
By Ashutosh Ravikrishnan
Singaporeans: Strange human beings that enjoy smiling, getting their temperature checked and eating disgusting food. -- PHOTO: INTERNET/GALILEO
SINGAPOREANS: Strange human beings that enjoy smiling, getting their temperature checked and eating disgusting food.
That's what a popular German television show, Galileo, says in the introduction to a recent episode aired in early May.
In that episode, the show's correspondent travels to Singapore to experience the country's 'oddities' for himself.
First, he tries to enter a shopping complex but is stopped by a woman who wants to take his temperature before allowing him to enter the building. This health precaution against the threat of fever is mocked and ridiculed by the host who quips: 'Imagine if you had to be checked for a fever every time before you entered a shop. Sounds strange, but it is an everyday occurence in Singapore.'
The host then visits Nirvana Memorial, a columbarium in Choa Chu Kang. He is fascinated by the lights on display and first reckons he's stepped into a futuristic night club.
In the columbarium, he is surprised to meet a monk who is paid for his services. He jokes that in normal temples, monks receive alms from devotees, but here (in Singapore), they have money sent to their bank accounts.
Other aspects of Singapore that the show displays:
- Songbirds: They are depicted as Singaporeans' favourite pets, because they are believed to bring luck to the owners
- Singapore Paranormal Investigators (SPI): The host joins the SPI on an investigation in Choa Chu Kang, but the investigation proves futile. He quips 'Ghosts: 0, Crazy Singaporeans: A few'
Readers, what do you think of the show's representation of Singapore?
