How Singapore's food reflects its changing identity

“While the bazaar atmosphere of Bugis Street continues today, the night bazaars of the 1950s to 1980s along the area dazzled in a different way.”

This quote by The National Heritage Board is an elegantly phrased reflection of Bugis’ colourful past; a past which gained international recognition in the 50s for its nightly cabaret shows performed by the transvestite community. A history starkly dichotomous to the nation's usual state rhetoric.

Due to this, it is one which is somewhat white-washed following its revamp in the 80s, with the only remaining indicator being the name itself. The name refers to the seafaring people of Sulawesi who settled in Singapore, pioneering it to become the regional trading hub that it is today. The Bugis people, originally Hindus, were converted with the arrival of Muslim missionaries, with the majority of today’s community embedded within the Malay culture.

Bugis and Capital Mall

Upon exiting the Bugis MRT and scurrying through the bustling grind of Victoria Street, I noticed there existed little to no resemblance of this colourful past. Without prior knowledge, I would have been completely unaware as to the cultural and historical significance of this neighbourhood. The area simply reflected to me a meticulously cultivated modern metropolis. Such insights have helped grow my business acumen, teaching me to look beyond surface level factors and consider other deeper contextual and cultural factors.

Since my arrival in Singapore, it was constantly reiterated that an individual's food choices often reflect their ethnicity, their felt ethnicity or more broadly their identity. This idea became increasingly apparent during my observations. My initial impressions of Victoria Street were that it was littered with food chains and exuded consumerism.

However, when exploring deeper it became apparent to me that the food available was unrepresentative of the Malay culture or any one distinct culture. It housed a diverse range, from Popeyes to Garibaldi’s Italian Restaurant to even contemporary Australian food. The food available to me diverted from this traditional standpoint and, in my opinion, represents the shifting landscape and demographic of Singapore and Bugis. This heritage precinct, now deeply infused with art, culture and fusion food, alludes to the growth and ever-changing global identity of both Singapore and its citizens.

Artichoke Cafe and Bar

Having borne these pre-conceptions, I was expecting to see extensive evidence of traditional Malay culture within the area. These pre-conceptions of traditionalism were heavily contradicted early on, most prominently when I ventured to Artichoke Café & Bar. The walls were coated with posters, LED lights grabbed my attention and the blaring sound of 90’s hip hop filled the al fresco dining area. I was astounded by the atmosphere, housing that of a younger working demographic. It whole-heartedly encapsulated the shifting landscape, oozing this idea of modernity.

As best epitomised by the chef himself, Bjorn Shen, “Artichoke is probably the least authentic restaurant around. And that's exactly how it should be.” The menu accommodated items such as "Squid ink couscous" and "Lambgasm". Initially, I stood there simply perplexed, prompting a state of reflection about my initial preconceptions.

It resonated with me that the premise of the restaurant was not to divert away from these traditional identities and cultures, but to simply try encapsulating a more relevant "Singaporean identity". The food available infused and drew inspiration from traditional flavours, adding a modern twist and scenery more suited to the shifting identity. As a Business Information Systems major who examines systems and proposes improvements to adapt to current circumstances, it’s been fascinating to see this in practice in relation to the adaption of cultures and identities.

Moving further into the Bugis and Bras Basah area, this idea only became more apparent when visiting Chijmes, an Anglo-French Gothic chapel refurbished for dining and entertainment purposes. I stood there astounded at the ornately constructed masterpiece, which stands in stark contrast to the central business district in which it resides. Now home to 23 restaurants and cafes, to me, like Artichoke, it has attempted to shape a modern identity for the precinct. It has conserved this traditional element through its distinct architecture and infused a modern appeal through its diverse food offerings: an attempt to maintain the old rustic charm of Singapore, yet convey a modern ambience.

Chijmes

The subsequent growth of Singapore has prompted this gradual shift in identities away from the distinct Chinese Malay Indian Others (CMIO) ethnicity model. The emergence of fusion food has helped cultivate and illustrate this shift, one which is strongly apparent within the Bugis and Bras Basah communities.

If you had asked me at the beginning of the trip about Bugis, I would have neglectfully answered that it was on the downtown line, a few stops from Stevens. However, upon engaging on the trail and the Singapore Immersion Program, it’s reshaped my understanding of the role food plays in terms of articulating one’s identity. The shifting role food plays in society illuminates the idea that no one’s identity is of a static nature. The program has further taught me to challenge my predispositions and question everything.

Overall this has been truly a tremendous experience. I’d personally like to thank the Department of Foreign Affairs’ New Colombo Plan for providing the funding and support for this program. I’d further like to thank our unit coordinator Dr Jeaney Yip for the effort she put into planning the program and ensuring we had both an enjoyable and unforgettable experience.

Written by Samuel Carroll
Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies)
Majoring in Finance and Business Information Systems

My Experience Working In Shanghai

Catherine Xuan

I applied for the Shanghai Business Immersion Program on a whim during my first year at University and was lucky enough to be offered a placement – I have absolutely no regrets.

My main motivation was wanting my summer holidays to be meaningful. I realised that gaining early industry experience was the way to go. Of course, I could have applied for a local placement, but the location of this program drew me to apply for three reasons:

1. It was my chance to explore my personal aspirations of working overseas while I was still young.
2. As an Australian born Shanghainese, I grew up with an immense appreciation of Chinese culture. As I got older, my fascination extended to the rapidly evolving Chinese economy and business sector.
3. I wanted to challenge myself and develop independence by throwing myself into a new cultural, social, professional and political environment.

During my six weeks in Shanghai, I worked at Wicresoft, a subsidiary of Microsoft as a Financial Research and Business Development Intern in the Shanghai Tower (the second tallest building in the world). My work usually consisted of constructing a daily finance, politics or global newsletter that would update the international associates of Gaotime, a leading advisory and financial information provider (similar to Reuters/Bloomberg), constructing comparison reports for NYSE/NASDAQ listed Chinese companies, formulating and presenting opinions on business insights and occasionally helping with event preparation.

I was also able to attend exciting company events such as their Future Leaders Conference where the company’s top 100 employees with prospective leadership qualities gathered for a convention allowing me to meet and hear from many C-suite executives and the company’s AGM events.

From this experience, I have not only gained industry insights in the Financial Research and Business Development sector but also career path direction. I realised that the sector is not for me, but I have been able to hone in on my interests and gain clearer insight into my aspirations.

However, I was able to employ the skills I’ve learned in my degree within the workplace, enabling me to see the true benefit of the skills taught at University in a working environment as well as develop soft skills such as oral and written communication, teamwork and initiative.

Why should you do it? 

The immersion program is unique in that it allows students to not only gain valuable corporate experience but also deeply engage with their host country’s culture and develop skills of intercultural fluency and understanding that is becoming increasingly desired in the workplace.

This comes from seeing the nuances between Australian and International business, cultural experiences, understanding unfamiliar professional practices e.g. 'guan xi' in China and adaptation to social norms.

Another substantial reason to do the program is the tight-knit bunch of like-minded, exceptional friends you emerge with. You’ll form unbreakable bonds with the other students in the program with everyone going through the same first-day anxiety, too many food adventures (Chinese food is so tasty and cheap), cultural shocks among other great highs and lows for six weeks, ultimately gaining a support network for life.

So, if you’re wondering whether you should apply for the program or not, I say 100% go for it! You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Cultural Immersion Through Food in Singapore

“You don’t truly learn in a classroom. You learn when you go out into the real world and experience life in its truest form.”

This was one of the biggest takeaways during my time on the Singapore Immersion Program.

Presenting to KFC Asia

Before we get into the nitty-gritty stuff, let’s rewind to a year ago. I was a first-year student who was eager and enthusiastic about the different opportunities the university had to offer. It was Information Day and I was in a lecture theatre where student ambassadors were boasting about their experiences on exchange programs and study tours. While I was intrigued by the prospect to learn in another country, I would cringe whenever that one same phrase was repeated, time and time again…

“I’m not going to be one of them,” I said to myself…lo and behold, look at me now!

But it’s true. A textbook, a lecture and a tutorial can only teach you so much.

So, when I saw the little advertisement going around about a 2-week program in Singapore, I literally jumped at the opportunity. Not only did I see this as a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me to develop my researching skills, I also saw it as a means for me to investigate for myself whether or not this was really true!

3D model of Singapore

What is the Singapore Immersion Program? 

It’s a two-week cultural immersion program where students are asked to put their researcher hats on. Through individual- or group-based investigations and projects conducted in-country, we were able to understand and analyse an important demographic trend that significantly impacted Singaporean businesses, societies and markets.

Luckily for me, the theme this year was “food”. Now, you might be asking yourself, why did she say “luckily”? Well, I am a major, proud and passionate foodie. I actively go about consuming different types of food around Sydney and, of course, I take too many aesthetically-pleasing food photos for the gram!

Food photography taken from Ampang Kitchen and Bumbu Restaurant (Instagram: @libbi.le)

But, after reading the advertisement of the program I realised that I was completely unaware of the other aspects of food. So, one of the main reasons why I signed up for this was that I hoped it would allow me to go beyond a superficial understanding of food. For example, I wanted to uncover why specific people, like myself, develop such a growing appetite and appreciation for food – especially in terms of how it connects to identity and culture.

Surprise, surprise! I found that the compulsory individual research project was the best way for me to do this! Specifically, students were asked to write a report evaluating how food impacts different stakeholders – businesses, societies and/or markets. While I explored how culturally significant and embedded food is to the lives of the everyday Singaporean, other students researched topics such as food security, waste, sustainability and perceptions.

Contrary to this, the group presentation was a different story. Here, we entered the corporate world and gained insights into how food is marketed and advertised to its consumers.  In particular we were given the amazing opportunity to develop a marketing campaign for the one and only KFC Asia. As a marketing student, I was acclimated to creating creative projects for businesses. But instead of leaving the campaign to the side to collect layers of dust, from this experience I was able to polish up my presentation skills and finally get a real-life test run pitching and gaining valuable feedback from an actual company.

Why you should apply

Experiencing Singapore to its fullest

The first would probably be how diverse the activities scheduled in the itinerary were. Thanks to Dr. Jeaney Yip for creating such an extensive program, other than eating a lot of food, we were able to experience Singapore to its fullest. From visiting an urban farm, artisanal soy sauce maker, a brewery, Fishery port; having classes at the National University of Singapore; participating in volunteer work for Foodbank to having real conversations to business owners, locals and food specialists, I was able to experience every facet of the value chain that “food” is involved in within a food-hungry country like Singapore.

All of the experiences we were offered, from visiting an urban farm, learning how to pull and make Teh Tarik and volunteering

Getting out of my Comfort Zone

Not only did I learn more about food, but I was also put to the test.

First, I want you all to imagine a 21-year-old university student, who schedules everything to a T and would only become an extroverted human being when it is absolutely necessary. So, it’s kind of obvious right? This particular program definitely took me out of my comfort zone.

Since we had something to do nearly every day of the trip, the program really put my organisation skills to the test! I had to juggle the day-time activities, completing assessments and fitting in as many touristy bits during my free-time simultaneously.  While it felt intense, this program has definitely advanced my ability to maintain a healthy and balance lifestyle.

Additionally, due to the individual research project I had to say goodbye to my introverted self for a while. To understand food in Singapore, I had to culturally immerse myself. So, that means approaching and interviewing locals to uncover how food is significant to them.  Despite it being uncomfortable at first, over time I improved and developed the confidence to objectively extract information like a researching pro!

Being personally taught how to cook traditional Peranakan food in Uncle Raymond's home kitchen (Ampang Kitchen)

Making Friends

With 15 students literally living, breathing and most importantly eating with one another for 24 hours of the day, I don’t think that you’d be surprise if I said that I think I’ve made friends that I will meet-up with every month, grab a coffee and nostalgically laugh about our experiences in Singapore. I know it’s a real cliché, but I think if it wasn’t for this trip, I wouldn’t have met the friends I made. Isn’t it just a beautiful and magical thing? This one program can bring together long-term friendships?

Lunch at Rumah Makan Minang

Signing off

So, my advice to you? If you’re interested in being culturally immersed in another country, learning in ways you cannot possibly learn in a classroom, and you see an advertisement land in your university inbox, don’t click delete. Open the email up, read it. See if it interests you and do it, apply for it. I can promise you, you won’t regret it!

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Jeaney Yip for putting so much effort and dedication toward creating such an amazing and rewarding program. I have truly grown and matured as a student and I really owe it to people like her for making these types of programs available for all students.

Written by Libbi Le 
Current Bachelor of Commerce (Management and Marketing) and Bachelor of Arts (Digital Cultures) student at the University of Sydney Business School
Program: International Immersion Program in Singapore, New Colombo Plan Program