Singapore celebrating meeting with Trump cocktails and Kim tacos
singapore — Singapore is a city that takes great pride in its food, so it’s not surprising that enterprising restaurateurs are using next week’s summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to showcase some culinary creativity.
Restaurants are marking the city-state’s time in the global spotlight with everything from red, white and blue cocktails to tacos named after the two leaders. Several of the stunts are being marketed with a twist on Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” slogan.
At Harmony Nasi Lemak in central Singapore a signboard with drawings of Trump and Kim greets passers-by with the words: “Let’s make HARMONY great again!”
Inside it’s selling what it calls the “Trump-Kim Chi Nasi Lemak,” which puts American and Korean elements in a traditional dish of rice, fish or chicken and chili paste that is popular in Singapore and neighbouring Malaysia.
The new dish features US dryaged beef and a stack of spicy kimchi, a Korean staple.
Zach Wen, the restaurant’s cofounder, said the dish isn’t just a gimmick and he hopes it spreads a positive message.
At the Mexican restaurant Lucha Loco, they’re promising to “make tacos great again” by selling specialty tacos by the name of “El Gringo,” which in Spanish means the foreigner, and “El Hombre Cohete,” which translates as the rocket man. The former has the flavours of an American cheeseburger, while the latter is packed with Korean fried chicken.
Executive chef Nelson Burgos said the restaurant is also offering customers the chance to smash piñatas shaped as caricatures of the two leaders that are filled with sweets. It’s “a gesture of celebration for us and for having such a big event in Singapore,” he said. “It’s an event that’s probably never going to happen again in our lifetimes.”