Title: "Singaporean Food's Past and Present" by Suemedha Sood
Date published: December 15, 2010
Date published: December 15, 2010
Summary:
Open air food courts known as hawker centers, have come to define Singaporean food culture. In the nineteen hundreds British, Indian, and Chinese traders brought to Singapore their culture which included how they prepared their food. Many Chinese laborers ended up marrying Malay women and therefore creating a food that had tastes from Chinese and Malay flavors. Some people are divided between being a purist that wants to prepare traditional food with high quality food and being a person who enjoys modernized foods with new twists.
Thoughts:
This article makes me wonder how Singapore was so easily influenced by so many outside cultures. I also think that it's interesting that you can tell which cultures influenced certain dishes by looking at certain ingredients, such as chili suggesting Indian influence. It can be inferred that Singapore culture was very open to new cultures and appreciated the diversity that each culture gave. I also think that this article shows that Singaporean food does not show an old traditional tie which makes me feel sad for this culture.
How this links to culture:
This links to culture because it shows how Singaporean food culture has developed throughout the years and why. Food is an important part of culture because it can show us religious, economic, and historic aspects of a culture. Food is important to Singapore since it's foods have been so widely influenced by other cultures, it has created a new and distinct food culture that sets Singapore apart from other cultures.
Open air food courts known as hawker centers, have come to define Singaporean food culture. In the nineteen hundreds British, Indian, and Chinese traders brought to Singapore their culture which included how they prepared their food. Many Chinese laborers ended up marrying Malay women and therefore creating a food that had tastes from Chinese and Malay flavors. Some people are divided between being a purist that wants to prepare traditional food with high quality food and being a person who enjoys modernized foods with new twists.
Thoughts:
This article makes me wonder how Singapore was so easily influenced by so many outside cultures. I also think that it's interesting that you can tell which cultures influenced certain dishes by looking at certain ingredients, such as chili suggesting Indian influence. It can be inferred that Singapore culture was very open to new cultures and appreciated the diversity that each culture gave. I also think that this article shows that Singaporean food does not show an old traditional tie which makes me feel sad for this culture.
How this links to culture:
This links to culture because it shows how Singaporean food culture has developed throughout the years and why. Food is an important part of culture because it can show us religious, economic, and historic aspects of a culture. Food is important to Singapore since it's foods have been so widely influenced by other cultures, it has created a new and distinct food culture that sets Singapore apart from other cultures.