Hello everyone, I am a French girl currently on exchange at NUS, and I would like to share with you a bad experience that I had at one of the hawker centres on campus soon after I arrived, as I would like to know what Singaporeans would think about it.
I am quite a health conscious girl, and I pay a lot of attention to what I eat, especially regarding the quality and sourcing of the primary ingredients; I want to know where the food comes from and for example for meat, in what conditions the animals were reared, for vegetables and rice if the producer uses organic and environmentally friendly farming methods, for eggs if they are free range, etc...
So when I ordered some chicken rice at a stall, I asked the stall lady if she could tell me where the rice and the chicken came from, how they were reared, and if she knew the producer.
She seemed really angry after I asked her the question, and started scolding at me in Singlish, and unfortunately (or fortunately maybe) I couldn’t understand what she was saying, but I interpreted it as “you are insulting me and my food, and if you are not happy, you can go find food elsewhere”.
I want to make clear that I asked the question very politely and in a friendly way, and that I didn’t intend to hurt that lady in any way.
However, don’t you think that it is normal to want to know where the primary ingredients of the food that you are eating are coming from?
I mean food is your body’s fuel, and as Hippocrates said, “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
I don’t understand her reaction, and I wanted to know if from a Singaporean point of view, my questions were seen as rude.
In France, even in a small and simple family restaurant, asking this kind of question is not seen as rude at all, quite the opposite, as it shows the chef that you are interested in his work and appreciating his food by wanting to know more about it, and he/she will happily tell you about it.
It is also quite frequent that restaurant owners, especially in the countryside, directly source their primary ingredients from the producer.
Also, I noticed that food culture in Singapore is very important (which is great, as it is the same in France, and I love that!), however, it seems to me that Singaporeans don’t pay a lot of attention to the origin and quality of the primary ingredients, as well as whether the animals were raised ethically and environmentally responsibly, which is a paradox to me as quality ingredients results in quality tasty and healthy food.
So to all Singaporeans, what do you think about this topic? Do you agree or disagree with me?
Thanks for reading my long post, and don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments what you think about all that, and if you can relate to my experience!
From a French girl who loves Singapore, Singaporean food, and NUS!
https://www.nuswhispers.com/confess...-_HJqilmoXUJJnh3kKj5UJUBcsUOvGffw_q5tyq0kGTTs
https://mothership.sg/2019/12/french-student-chicken-rice-questions/
The contributor, who claims to be a French girl on overseas exchange in NUS, shared her bad experience at a chicken rice stall on the NUS campus after she tried to ask the lady in charge where the chickens came from.
Asked the chicken rice auntie where the chickens were reared
The contributor explained that she is a very health conscious person, and pays close attention to what she eats, especially the quality of the ingredients.
When eating out, she would frequently enquire about the sourcing of these ingredients, going as far as to question the conditions in which animals were reared.
However, when she ordered chicken rice at the stall in NUS, her questions were not well-received.
She asked the stallholder a number of questions, including whether she knew where the rice and chicken came from, how they were reared, and whether she knew the producer.
In response, the lady allegedly got angry, and began scolding the exchange student in Singlish.
Although the contributor claimed that she could not understand her scolding, she interpreted it as “you are insulting me and my food, and if you are not happy, you can go find elsewhere.”
Restaurant owners in France directly source their ingredients from the producer
The exchange student made it clear that she asked the question “very politely and in a friendly way,” but claimed that she did not understand the stallholder’s reaction.
She said that it is normal to want to know where food ingredients are coming from, as food should be considered your body’s fuel.
The contributor explained that in France, it is quite common to ask these questions even in a small and simple family restaurant, and chefs will readily answer these questions, as it shows the chef that you appreciate his food.
She also noted that restaurant owners, especially those in the countryside, directly source their ingredients from the producer.
Singaporeans don’t pay attention to quality of ingredients
The contributor pointed out that Singapore is similar to France, as food culture is considered highly important in both countries.
However, she said that unlike France, Singaporeans do not appear to pay a lot of attention to the origin and quality of the primary ingredients.
She claimed that it was paradoxical, given how “good ingredients result in tasty and healthy food.”
She then asked Singaporeans whether they agreed or disagreed with her.
Can’t expect organic food at hawker prices
Some netizens felt that although the question itself may not be rude, it could be a stretch to expect the people manning hawker stalls to know the origins of individual ingredients.
Image from NUSWhisper’s Facebook page.
Image from NUSWhisper’s Facebook page.
Others pointed out that hawkers in Singapore are more focused on keeping food affordable, so it is unreasonable to expect organic ingredients at such low prices.
Image from NUSWhisper’s Facebook page.
Image from NUSWhisper’s Facebook page.
One commenter pointed out that since most of Singapore’s food is imported, locals generally do not know or care about our food’s origin, as long as it tastes good.
Image from NUSWhisper’s Facebook page.
A fellow French student thought the contributor was being a little naive, since she cannot expect to receive free-range chicken at hawker prices.
He also explained that due to cultural differences, Singaporeans are generally less concerned about food trends that are prevalent in France.
Image from NUSWhisper’s Facebook page.
NUSWhisper’s Facebook page.
Image from NUSWhisper’s Facebook page.
One lady patiently explained that the chicken rice auntie was simply shell-shocked from the question, given how she likely does not receive these queries on a regular basis.
https://mothership.sg/2019/12/french-student-chicken-rice-questions/
I am quite a health conscious girl, and I pay a lot of attention to what I eat, especially regarding the quality and sourcing of the primary ingredients; I want to know where the food comes from and for example for meat, in what conditions the animals were reared, for vegetables and rice if the producer uses organic and environmentally friendly farming methods, for eggs if they are free range, etc...
So when I ordered some chicken rice at a stall, I asked the stall lady if she could tell me where the rice and the chicken came from, how they were reared, and if she knew the producer.
She seemed really angry after I asked her the question, and started scolding at me in Singlish, and unfortunately (or fortunately maybe) I couldn’t understand what she was saying, but I interpreted it as “you are insulting me and my food, and if you are not happy, you can go find food elsewhere”.
I want to make clear that I asked the question very politely and in a friendly way, and that I didn’t intend to hurt that lady in any way.
However, don’t you think that it is normal to want to know where the primary ingredients of the food that you are eating are coming from?
I mean food is your body’s fuel, and as Hippocrates said, “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
I don’t understand her reaction, and I wanted to know if from a Singaporean point of view, my questions were seen as rude.
In France, even in a small and simple family restaurant, asking this kind of question is not seen as rude at all, quite the opposite, as it shows the chef that you are interested in his work and appreciating his food by wanting to know more about it, and he/she will happily tell you about it.
It is also quite frequent that restaurant owners, especially in the countryside, directly source their primary ingredients from the producer.
Also, I noticed that food culture in Singapore is very important (which is great, as it is the same in France, and I love that!), however, it seems to me that Singaporeans don’t pay a lot of attention to the origin and quality of the primary ingredients, as well as whether the animals were raised ethically and environmentally responsibly, which is a paradox to me as quality ingredients results in quality tasty and healthy food.
So to all Singaporeans, what do you think about this topic? Do you agree or disagree with me?
Thanks for reading my long post, and don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments what you think about all that, and if you can relate to my experience!
From a French girl who loves Singapore, Singaporean food, and NUS!
https://www.nuswhispers.com/confess...-_HJqilmoXUJJnh3kKj5UJUBcsUOvGffw_q5tyq0kGTTs
https://mothership.sg/2019/12/french-student-chicken-rice-questions/
The contributor, who claims to be a French girl on overseas exchange in NUS, shared her bad experience at a chicken rice stall on the NUS campus after she tried to ask the lady in charge where the chickens came from.
Asked the chicken rice auntie where the chickens were reared
The contributor explained that she is a very health conscious person, and pays close attention to what she eats, especially the quality of the ingredients.
When eating out, she would frequently enquire about the sourcing of these ingredients, going as far as to question the conditions in which animals were reared.
However, when she ordered chicken rice at the stall in NUS, her questions were not well-received.
She asked the stallholder a number of questions, including whether she knew where the rice and chicken came from, how they were reared, and whether she knew the producer.
In response, the lady allegedly got angry, and began scolding the exchange student in Singlish.
Although the contributor claimed that she could not understand her scolding, she interpreted it as “you are insulting me and my food, and if you are not happy, you can go find elsewhere.”
Restaurant owners in France directly source their ingredients from the producer
The exchange student made it clear that she asked the question “very politely and in a friendly way,” but claimed that she did not understand the stallholder’s reaction.
She said that it is normal to want to know where food ingredients are coming from, as food should be considered your body’s fuel.
The contributor explained that in France, it is quite common to ask these questions even in a small and simple family restaurant, and chefs will readily answer these questions, as it shows the chef that you appreciate his food.
She also noted that restaurant owners, especially those in the countryside, directly source their ingredients from the producer.
Singaporeans don’t pay attention to quality of ingredients
The contributor pointed out that Singapore is similar to France, as food culture is considered highly important in both countries.
However, she said that unlike France, Singaporeans do not appear to pay a lot of attention to the origin and quality of the primary ingredients.
She claimed that it was paradoxical, given how “good ingredients result in tasty and healthy food.”
She then asked Singaporeans whether they agreed or disagreed with her.
Can’t expect organic food at hawker prices
Some netizens felt that although the question itself may not be rude, it could be a stretch to expect the people manning hawker stalls to know the origins of individual ingredients.
Others pointed out that hawkers in Singapore are more focused on keeping food affordable, so it is unreasonable to expect organic ingredients at such low prices.
One commenter pointed out that since most of Singapore’s food is imported, locals generally do not know or care about our food’s origin, as long as it tastes good.
A fellow French student thought the contributor was being a little naive, since she cannot expect to receive free-range chicken at hawker prices.
He also explained that due to cultural differences, Singaporeans are generally less concerned about food trends that are prevalent in France.
NUSWhisper’s Facebook page.
One lady patiently explained that the chicken rice auntie was simply shell-shocked from the question, given how she likely does not receive these queries on a regular basis.
https://mothership.sg/2019/12/french-student-chicken-rice-questions/