October 25, 2011

Defining the National Dish.

... a national dish is supposed to represent a particular country. It can be a staple daily food for the majority of the population. It can represent the region and ethnicities of the whole country. Or it can be a local dish because it incorporates locally produced ingredients.


For Singapore, a quick search online will garner a variety of images - Hainanese chicken rice, Laksa, Chili Crab to name a few. However, even these dishes are ambiguous as other neighboring countries  have also claimed to have a stake in their originality (Especially so when Singapore had a brief merger period as well, which further dilutes the originality of dishes).

But me thinks... as long as the dish can be created using ingredients grown and harvested in singapore... it is a national dish in essence. the idea of creating a national dish is up to the decision of the individual.

Just imagine, fish caught off the shores of our island... steamed in lemongrass and garnished with lime wedges. all these ingredients are easily found in singapore farms.


i especially like the statement in purple as it gave me the idea for my project.





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