Singapore culture

One of the things I’m asked most while overseas is “What is the Singapore traditional culture?”. Our response usually entails a smile, a quiet sigh and the reply “Singapore does not have a traditional culture”.
Then we'll start to reason it out that Singapore is a very young country, our grandparents were immigrants, that we are a multi-racial, mult-religious city, that there isn't a Singapore race, and maybe pepper it with our smattering knowledge of Peranakan culture caught from The Little Nyonya.

Many of the Koreans couldn't understand that there wasn't a Singapore race either. Having only seen Singaporean Chinese, most of them thought that we were the Singaporean race. To these people from homogenous countries, the fact that there were 4 major races in a land 700 times smaller than theirs seemed.. incredible. Oh, and the fact that one out of every five residents in Singapore are foreigners.

I guess Peranakan culture could be a candidate for Singaporean traditional culture. Just that it's not unique to Singapore and most Peranakans now don't know shit about beaded shoes or Nyonya cooking.

Or maybe Singapore food, which might help explain the relatively fuller bodies of Singaporeans.

The Merlion would be out. I wouldn't really want to broadcast kiasu-ism or us being a fine city either. Though it has kept our street cleanliness at a level envied by most others.

I'm sorry folks. Please do not come to Singapore unless you are looking for great food, learn English that challenges your proficiency in English, able to not litter (it's not difficult to find rubbish bins in non-MRT stations anyway), and able to not spit. The fines here are not cheap, you know.