ABOUT 10 years ago, I took some friends for a seafood meal on the Sai Kung waterfront. I had more motives than simply being hospitable. They were all ranking members of Singapore Inc, headed by the man who did such an astonishing job of repositioning the Lion City as a tourist attraction and Southeast Asian hub, Pek Hock Thiam.
At that time, he was executive director of the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board. He was accompanied by three of his colleagues.
Like most Hong Kong residents, I get slightly irritated as well as envious when confronted with Singaporeans' pride in their magnificent and hygienic outdoor restaurants. OK, I thought, cop this, you lot, as we drove out to Sai Kung.
I had called my friend Wong Chuk-shan, the owner of the esteemed Chung Thai seafood restaurant on the waterfront. She had set up a nice table outside. It was a balmy night and we watched the stars, the junks swaying at anchor beneath a crescent moon and the sampan women offering rides.
As the beer was poured and the wine opened, Mr Pek exhibited typical Singaporean tendencies: looking about, talking to restaurant owners, examining the steel fencing on the praya, peering at the inadequate lighting, asking about public toilets. As we tucked into the steamed lobster and chilli prawns, he enthused about the waterfront area as a vastly under-used tourist attraction and gave a couple of dozen suggestions about how it could be improved.
About five years later, I was in Singapore and Mr Pek tracked me down. 'Dinner,' he said. We wandered down Boat Quay and Clarke Quay. He said nothing: he had no need. The contrast between those two well-managed and fascinating culinary venues alongside the rejuvenated Singapore River (once a vile pool of putrefaction) and the under-used Sai Kung waterfront was stark.