Eating Her Curries and Kway: A Cultural History of Food in Singapore

by Nicole Tarulevicz

Discovering Singaporean identity through cooking and cuisine While eating is a universal experience, for Singaporeans it carries strong national connotations. The popular Singaporean-English phrase "Die die must try" is not so much hyperbole as it is a reflection of the lengths that Singaporeans will go to find great dishes. In Eating Her Curries and A Cultural History of Food in Singapore , Nicole Tarulevicz argues that in a society that has undergone substantial change in a relatively short amount of time, food serves Singaporeans as a poignant connection to the past. Eating has provided a unifying practice for a diverse society, a metaphor for multiracialism and recognizable national symbols for a fledgling state. Covering the period from British settlement in 1819 to the present and focusing on the post–1965 postcolonial era, Tarulevicz tells the story of Singapore through the production and consumption of food. Analyzing a variety of sources that range from cookbooks to architectural and city plans, Tarulevicz offer a thematic history of this unusual country, which was colonized by the British and operated as a port within Malaya. Connecting food culture to the larger history of Singapore, she discusses various topics including domesticity and home economics, housing and architecture, advertising, and the regulation of food-related manners and public behavior such as hawking, littering, and chewing gum. Moving away from the predominantly political and economic focus of other histories of Singapore, Eating Her Curries and Kway provides an important alternative reading of Singaporean society.

Genres: Food, History, Food History

204 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Serge Perrin Merinos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicole Tarulevicz's "Eating Her Curries and Kway: A Cultural History of Food in Singapore" offers a fascinating exploration of how food has shaped Singaporean identity. It goes far beyond simply describing dishes; it delves into the ways food intertwines with the nation's history, politics, and social fabric. While one may find the book overly focused on state influence and perhaps lacking in direct engagement with everyday Singaporeans, I found it a compelling analysis of how food has been used to construct and reflect national identity.
The book effectively argues that in a rapidly changing society like Singapore, food acts as a powerful link to the past, a unifying force in a diverse population, and a recognizable symbol of national identity. Tarulevicz explores various aspects of Singaporean life through the lens of food, from domesticity and home economics to housing, advertising, and even public behavior regulations like the famous chewing gum ban. This broad approach provides a rich and nuanced understanding of how food has played a role in Singapore's development.
"Eating Her Curries and Kway" uses two key dishes—curries (representing Indian influence) and kway (flat rice noodles, representing Chinese influence)—to symbolize the diverse culinary heritage that defines Singaporean cuisine. The title emphasizes the act of eating and the blending of cultures that have created a unique Singaporean food identity.
I appreciated the book's exploration of state influence. It's undeniable that government policies have played a significant role in shaping Singapore's food landscape, and Tarulevicz's analysis of this influence is insightful. The book also highlights how Singaporeans themselves have actively engaged with and shaped their food culture, creating a unique and vibrant culinary scene.
As someone who loves Singaporean food, I found this book particularly engaging. It deepened my appreciation for the dishes I enjoy so much, like Hainanese Chicken Rice, Chilli Crab, Laksa, Roti Prata, Satay, Bak Chor Mee with Mee Pok, and Lor Mee. Visiting hawker centers, a cornerstone of Singaporean food culture and even recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, is one of my favorite things to do. These centers are vibrant hubs of culinary diversity, offering a delicious and affordable taste of Singapore's multicultural heritage. It's clear that hawker culture is more than just about the food; it's about community, shared experiences, and the preservation of culinary traditions passed down through generations. This book helped me understand the deeper meaning behind these experiences.
"Eating Her Curries and Kway" is a valuable contribution to understanding Singaporean society. It's not just a book about food; it's a book about history, culture, and identity, told through the lens of something we all share: the experience of eating. I recommend it to anyone interested in Singaporean history, culture, or the fascinating ways in which food shapes our world.

[Megan L · Rating 1 out of 5]

The language used in this book is as colonial as the number of references that the author makes to Singapore as a colonial property throughout this book. Although I agree with the analysis that she makes on the role of the state in shaping collective identity via their regulation of food, I think that the author could have done with some genuine interactions with the Singaporean people that she was writing about, rather than characterising them purely as subjects of the Singaporean government. The multitude of references to the authoritarianism of the PAP, or Lee Kuan Yew, and the sheer references to the chewing gum ban is too deliberate for me to take neutrally (How about the one section where she brings up the fact that "In 1968, as students around the world protested against the Vietnam War, the Singaporean government launched a nationwide registration process for hawkers"? What comparison was trying to be made there??). While there is an undeniable influence in state policy towards our characterisation of nationality and culinary identity, this book, in rejecting the historical existence of Singapore before it became a British colony or in dehumanising Singaporean people as slaves to the government's policy (Singaporeans, even in their private life, are regulated by the all-seeing all powerful PAP because they designed the HDBs we live in! God forbid! No chewing gum? How authoritarian!) this book erases Singaporean identities or histories in its fixation of the colonial and neocolonial powers that controlled Singapore, and in spite of the seeming "self-awareness" of post-colonialism, feeds right back into the erasure of our people, our stories and our identities.

[Min Hui Chua · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it’d be a personal recount of her experience with Singapore’s food scene, but it’s so much more than that.

It’s about how food has been used as a medium to drive the social political narrative here in Singapore. From kitchen design, street hawkers, home economics curriculum, she covers many different aspects of Singapore’s history through food.

Because of how expansive the topic is, there are times I forgot I was even reading about food. It became a conversation on policy making, nation building and identity discovery.

Note that this was published in 2013 and the author is speaking from an observers perspective. I think things have definitely become more progressive recently, but this is still an interesting account.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I was intrigued by the book, however, I did not agree with all of her arguments. But it is worth a read just for some of the interesting history, especially the food and advertisements chapter.

[Bryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was fine, but not what I was looking for -- I wanted more about the actual food, how various dishes developed, what the cultural context for them is, etc etc etc -- not at all what Tarulevicz is interested in.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, particularly how Tarulevicz interwove Singapore's culinary landscape with issues of identity, politics and society. Her central argument, that food in Singapore takes on a significance wider than gastronomy itself is more than compelling. 5 stars :)