Like A Goth To A Flame

Today I met Singapore's only Goth.

At least I believe this species to be in the singular but I may be mistaken. His callow expression as he descended the concrete steps into Centrepoint's basement level was offset by a delicate touch of mascara smudged around each eye. He displayed enough steel body piercings to make him a danger in the proximity of any sizeable magnetic field.

Slouching past me, he was quite oblivious to the contralto pleading of the young lady opposite as she attempted to sell Bread Talk's latest yeast creation.

Bread Talk is an interesting phenomenon that has spawned many copycat franchises. Each tries to outdo the other with an increasingly bizarre concoctions for fillings. Not content with a mere sausage in a roll, the bakeries now produce buns with encapsulated local delicacies. Most famous are the chicken or pork floss varieties. The same company has also successfully franchised kaya toast.

Kaya is a very rich spread which contains (amongst other ingredients) duck egg, coconut milk and pandan leaf flavouring. Its green colour should not signal 'Go' but rather 'Stop' and think of the calories.

Today Orchard Road was very crowded as it was the last day to buy big ticket items before the additional 2% rise in GST, which comes into force tomorrow.

No doubt my friendly neighbourhood Goth was stocking up on his stainless steel finery before the price rise.