IT WAS not the usual request of visiting VIPs. But Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej asked to see the Tiong Bahru wet market and dropped in yesterday morning.
Here on an official visit, he is an accomplished chef and used to host a popular TV cooking show. And he clearly knew his stuff.
'Oh yes, this one, it is also the most expensive fish in Thailand,' he said, pointing to the giant ikan kurau, or threadfin.
He spent an hour touring the market and chatting with stallholders, accompanied by Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Swee Say and National Environment Agency chief executive Lee Yuen Hee.
Fruitseller Yao Caiping, 38, said he gave her some tips on storing mangoes. 'He is very friendly, not as serious as we see him on TV,' she said.