Thank Kopi Tiam for 80-cent kopi

The global financial crisis seem to be reaching out farther onto our doorsteps and further into our wallets as the undercurrents of East and West meet and churn as they do in Singapore.An American living and working here as a permanent resident described his travial,smacked in the middle.Singapore dollars paid and banked,his savings are sent across to brokerages and banks in the US. His expenditure have to be calculated into local dollars due to the daily rate changes when on the card.It pained him to see the red in all his US stock.
The fiery meltdown has hit him like a local tsunami,singed the bottom line,and all credit line. He might have to retire a bit longer ,even decades,if the US economy does not bounce back through the New President. Now newly networth adjusted, his buying and consuming habits have changed drastically, to local food court instead of 4 stars dinning.He remarked that local food court really cut the fare out of the food and into the tummy of the local,for a cheaper price,minus air-conditioning and personal attention of the waiters.
He got some rather stunned looks when I hunker down in front of a nice, steaming bowl of fishball noodle soup or mee siam,fast on the serve and easy on the wallet.
Out goes gourmet coffee, switching instead to kopi O from the neighbourhood kopitiam,which kind of grow on him. And 80 cents is sure a lot better than 50cent US.
Plus he gets smiles and approving comments ,another smarties gets into the grove. His accent might be bearable when he order kopi siu dai (coffee with less sugar).When financial crisis,it hits local and expat alike.
As the financial storm fans across the world and to local shores,expat needs to act,eat local.Binded by the local Blacks,old' kopi,it gets the day longer.