It was crazy. First there was a long line just to get in the
door. You must be pre-registered and bring a copy of your email
confirmation. They check that at the door. Then, in typical kiasu
fashion, you go to the registration booth where they have a laptop
to verify your registration. So none of that make 6 copies of the
email and pass to your friends business.
Got in early and already lines were long for food. Part of the
problem, I think, was that the food was being prepared as they were
being served and they couldn't keep pace with the crowd, so as more
people came in, they got backed up. Got some murtabak and gave some
to my son and he started to cry that his mouth was burning.
He not fully trained
yet. So we went and got Killiney kaya toast and some Yeo's drinks.
And not all the stalls opened at the same time; some only opened at
1pm. Of course kiasu people were lining up at 1215 already. And
they were ang mos some more. My son kept saying he was hungry and
lines were taking about 30 minutes or more to get to the front. And
when you get the food it's a few small pieces.
So we decided to leave and go get some food. We had to get back to
the airport to catch our flight home. I didn't want to fly 6 hrs
with a hungry kid. On the way out, we saw Anthony Bourdain coming
in and I not pai seh, asked him to take photo with us. Even with my
3 year old on my shoulders, he was still taller.
So overall, I felt the organizers, in Bush's words,
"misunderestimated" the response. With lines snaking all around the
rink, there was little room to move, and even less to stand around
and relax. Most people were eating while in line at the next stall.
Too bad I missed the performances. In retrospect, if I had known I
would be flying 12 hours for 2 plates of food, I wouldn't have done
it. But it was a nice day in NY and I got to spend some time with
my son. Maybe if they charged for food, it might have been better.
Run it like a county fair perhaps.
