American Food

After eating at Chili's for the second time last night in Singapore, I decided to  do a blog post on finding American Food in Singapore.

Let's start with the basics, the seemingly obvious places to go:
McDonald's and Burger King... they're everywhere, right? To be honest, I like them better here than I do in the US... the same was true when I was in Spain and other parts of Europe. For the most part, places like this are pretty similar to their US counterparts, though I think the quality of the meat is sometimes better, and they use different oils to cook with and stuff. Let's go ahead and add Wendy's to this list..also something that I have found to be pretty similar to what's at home.
For the record, let me just go out there and say that Asia has yet to master "The Hamburger." Try as they might, it just isn't quite right. This come mostly from my dad, as I have never been fond of burgers anyway... McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Swensens...all have less than adequate burgers, though Burger King is probably at the forefront of this list. Now Carl Jrs... they have managed to provide a decent Burger.
Among the other popular American chains are KFC, Kenny Rogers, Popeye's, Long John Silvers, Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut and Dominoes.
KFC... not a fan. It just doesn't taste the same to me! Their sides consist of an option between mashed potatoes (not good ones, either), fries or Cole slaw. Also, you get absolutely no silverware at all and hardly any napkins!
Kenny Rogers... One of my favorites here, though mostly because it reminds me of Boston Market which I have a particular fondness for. It still isn't top notch or anything.
Popeye's... they have good fried chicken. They even have biscuits and gravy, which was sort of surprising for me!
Subway is by far the most "normal" (aka like how it is in the US). You get pretty much all the same options as any other Subway would offer... but the $5 foot long isn't a fad... that would be an awesome deal here since things are usually a couple bucks more expensive. 
Pizza Hut tries really hard, but it isn't the same either. They have no sauce on most of their pizzas, and a lot of their toppings can get strange. Also, there is not really a "make your own" option, and even altering the choices of pizzas given to you can be a hassle. I still think the pizza tastes okay, but it just is not American.
Dominoes isn't even worth it.

Other  popular American favorites also include things like Starbucks and a collection of ice cream places, but I don't go to them very often.

Funnily enough, when I think of eating American food, I sort of lump in Mexican with that even though it should be considered more as "Western Food" instead. We've tried a lot of Mexican places, and most of them were all right, but nothing special. My big pet peeve? They almost never give you cheese on the side when you order fajitas!! Also, they generally have horrible queso!!

And now back to  Chili's and, for that matter, Friday's as well. I don't really know what to say except.... they are sooooo good! A tad expensive, but GOOD! 1.) They have lemonade ( a rare thing here) AND it isn't just the Snapple kind! 2.) They have free refills! This is literally nonexistent here. 3.) There food is American. It doesn't just look American in the pictures, it tastes like it too!! Ahhh I can already feel my mouth watering just thinking about Friday's yummy Chicken Alfredo or Chili's Guiltless Chicken pasta. My brother gets the ribs every time... loves them! Oh, and their lava cakes... just like home!

There are other places as well that I haven't tried out yet.. Tony Roma's, Outback, California Pizza Kitchen and probably more. While getting "authentic" American food can be a chore, it certainly is worth it sometimes. It's funny how the little things count for so much... like the football games (like legit football, and not soccer or rugby) that play on the tvs while you eat.

So anyway, that by no means was an adequate description of the concept of eating "American Food" while in Singapore, but I hope it will suffice for now. Enjoy your next trip to Five Guys or the Olive Garden...and think of me while you are there! I know they will certainly be two of many trips I will be making once back in the states!