E-Junkies: The first time Lay Zhang ate chilli crabs, he smashed the claw open with his hand

When foreign celebrities pay Singapore a visit, they often rave about our chilli crabs, which has arguably become one of Singapore's most famous dishes worldwide.

Lay Zhang is just the latest to corroborate this sentiment.

The 31-year-old singer – who is a member of the massively popular South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo – is in Singapore this week for his solo concert Grandline2: Infinite Lands on Wednesday (Oct 19).

"The first time I ate chilli crabs, I smashed the claw open with my hand," he told local reporters in a media conference on Monday. He said that he would eat the crabs with plastic gloves, but was unaware that he could use the crab cracker which was provided at the table.

"The crab claws were not completely cracked, so I had to use my hand. I would hold it in my palm and smash it on a hard surface. After smashing it, I could then enjoy the meat that was inside.

"But if you smash the claws like this, the sauce would splash all over you and then the stylist would have a headache, but I just didn't care. I just smashed it and the sauce splashed all over my clothes before I wiped it off."

He then found out that the other members of Exo were using the cracker and dining more "elegantly", which was what made him realise that he had been eating the dish incorrectly.

"I thought that it was too difficult to eat this dish, but it was too delicious so I was willing to put in all the effort and go through the trouble".

This goes to show just how much he loves eating chilli crabs. In fact, he had chilli crab on the very first day he landed in Singapore, and even admitted that he was willing to forgo his diet temporarily just for the dish since a visit to the island is rather rare for the Chinese popstar.

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This is Lay's first visit in five years, having last been here as part of Exo's 2017 world tour Exo Planet 3: The Exo'rdium.

When AsiaOne asked Lay what he would bring along with him everywhere he goes aside from touring items, he gave a hilariously anticlimactic answer: His mobile phone.

When we asked him further what's something he would bring to give him peace of mind and a sense of security, he said it is his fans, and that he feels comfortable around them as "they feel like a family" to him.

During the interview, Lay expressed interest in exploring attractions with historical and cultural significance, such as the National Gallery and the Peranakan culture at Katong.

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Lay is known for his passion for cultural fusions. His use of culture-bending elements in his music has become a prominent and distinguishable feature of his discography.

"I think that regardless of language, you can always fuse different cultures together and satisfy audiences across various countries," he said.

"Even if there is a traditional story that you want to tell, you can still convey them through the visuals and lyrics".

Lay, who made his solo debut in 2016, will play at the Resorts World Convention Centre tomorrow. Fans can expect new songs he has not performed before from his latest EP West, as well as hits such as Namanana, Lit, Honey and Sheep.

He is set to play in Bangkok next on Oct 22.

Watch our video for more of the interview.

wongdaoen@asiaone.com

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