The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

The guidebooks all say that if you visit Singapore, you have to go to the Raffles Hotel for a Singapore Sling. The venerable colonial-era hotel copes with this onslaught by charging S$27 a pop ($18 US) for the famous cocktail. If this is supposed to keep out the riff-raff,  it doesn't seem to be working. When we visited the hotel's stately Long Bar last week, where the drink was invented, the place was packed with tourists, dressed in the casual blue jeans and short sleeves that Sir Stamford Raffles would have found inappropriate in such a stately Victorian setting.

Wanna try some Thai?

Driving down Central Ave. in Northeast Minneapolis recently, I spotted a new Thai restaurant that I'd like to check out: Senyai-Senlek, at 2422 Central Ave. N.E. The menu says they specialize in Thai street food - especially sticky rice and noodle dishes, but this is not your old-fashioned ethnic eatery - they have a wine bar, and bill themselves as, "Perfect for a relaxing dinner out in the City's funky, arts-intensive neighborhood."

I'm of two minds about street food.

Personally, I find it unsatisfying. I don't like to walk and eat (too messy!), and I hate the taste of wooden sticks and skewers. Yet, there's something about a bustling city street dotted with steaming food stands and vendors that makes me happy. I'll take a stroll the crowd, even if I'm not moved to stop and nosh.