Possible social and cultural significance of food preparation and consumption…

Different people have different ways of preparing and consuming food. Such as the Malays, the Peranakans, the Chinese, the Indians and of course Singaporeans.

Food preparation:

Social significance: We have always known what is special to eat in a particular country. Of course, ingredients would vary according to the climate and environment of that particular place. Such as the Middle-East and Southeast Asia, their environments are different and that would affect the type of food served in the countries.

The environment and climate would also affect the cooking method. Places with hot temperatures or inland countries would have either dried food, or preserved food with more spices, so that their food will be able to preserve longer, and it is not near a source of fresh food. So spices are used to enhance the flavor. Places with tropical climates will be able to access wood and use fire to roast/other cooking methods.

The Malays live in a tropical climate which allows them to plant rice, fragrant rice which need not soak in water before cooking. They also have beaches, providing an abundance of coconut, which is present in most Malay dishes. The Indians are further up North and temperatures in the country are much higher than in the tropical countries near the equator, less rainfall. In effect to this, their rice is much drier and needs to be soaked in water before cooking; their rice is commonly known as Basmati, or long grain rice.

Cultural significance: People are of different races and religion, e.g. Muslim, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Malays are generally Muslims, and they are restricted to Halal food, so no pork or lard is to be consumed by them. Some Buddhist cannot consume beef. While Hindus believe that Cows are sacred animals, so cows are not to be eaten.

Food consumption:

Social significance: India could be that their social economic situations do not allow them to purchase metal to produce utensils. Using their hands would be a substitute; after all, all utensils are influenced by hand functions. It is economic on water as it is not easily obtained in India. Banana leaves are used as “plates” in India as it may be because it is friendly to the environment, it is biodegradable and it may be because it adds fragrance to the food. Southeast Asia also uses Banana leaves, as it is common in tropical countries and adds fragrance to the food. Such foods include Nasi Lemak and Otah.

Places with colder environments will increase the amount of food consumed by the people living there. People tend to eat more if there are living in cold places, so that there will be more food as a form of fuel to produce more warmth to maintain a constant body temperature.

Cultural significance: Take note of who is eating what. If you are among Muslims at the table, don’t expect pork to be served. If there are Hindus or Buddhists present, don’t expect beef to be served. And, if there are Chinese present, look for plenty of dishes that include pork since that is a mainstay in the Chinese diet.