Singapore is known to the world as one of the wealthiest country in the world. She is well recognised for having a diverse group of ethnics living in harmony, her clean & green efforts, and her strict social control. Ironically, even with all the glamourous achievements, Singaporeans have been labelled as the unhappiest people on earth. It may be true that Singaporeans find it stressful to keep up to the standard of living in Singapore, but Singaporens have been misunderstood. We are definitely a happy bunch, especially so when it comes down to our local food.
Singaporeans like to define themselves by their gastronomy and this little red dot is called a food capital for a reason. Singapore might be a small country but she has one of the largest variety of food from all over the world. It is no wonder that eating is the national hobby. That being said, Singapore’s food culture is a result of its diverse ethnicity. It is the mix of all the different cultures in Singapore that gave birth to the uniquely Singapore taste.They say food is the essence of a culture and in this city of diversity, food connects them all. That is why Singaporeans are so proud of their food. It is the window to their vibrant culture.
To tackle this brief, we hope to change the impression of what people have said about Singaporeans.
We would like to introduce Singapore’s culture through the vibrant colours of their local food and to
redefine Singaporeans to the world.
To do that, a series of local food will be presented in prints as an introduction to what Singapore has to offer.
A mobile application will be the accompanying guide that shows the location of all the local cuisines in Singapore. The unique thing about this application is that users will be encouraged to search via the colours of the food they want to eat. As we are targetting people who are unfamiliar with Singapore, it is always easier to remember colours than the names of the food for starters.
In Singapore, food packaging can be rather interesting. As a multi cultural country, our food packaging are widely influenced by the native of the culture. For example, banana leaves are used in the chinese and malay culture for food take aways. Brown paper and plastic bags are the more unique food packaging that is widely seen in Singapore. Recycled metal tins were once a popular way to take away the wide variety of hot beverage that our local coffee shop has to offer. Then again styrofoam and plastic containers are widely used as well in recent years. The local food packaging comes in all sorts of forms, textures and colours. We hope to share the local culture of Singaporean’s food take away through these packaging designs.
Apart from food packaging, the naming conventions for food and drinks in Singapore are uniquely local too. For example, chinese tea is commonly known as ‘Tiao He’ which means ‘fishing’ in the Hokkien Dialect and Horlicks is known as ‘Dai Ga Hou’ which is essentially a greeting in cantonese for wishing everyone well. There are much more from where that came from and we hope that we can share this unique locality to people outside Singapore.
Project Outcome:
வணக்கம்! Apa Kabar? 您吃饱了吗?*
“We are what we eat” and Singaporeans are definitely a unique bunch! Just like our nation, our food is a marriage between many cultures. While there may seem to be a bipolar difference between each culture, our local delicacies is a harmonious blend of flavours! If our cup is the canvas, our local drinks will be the palette. Experience our culture and let us colour your palette!
“We are what we eat” and Singaporeans are definitely a unique bunch! Just like our nation, our food is a marriage between many cultures. While there may seem to be a bipolar difference between each culture, our local delicacies is a harmonious blend of flavours! If our cup is the canvas, our local drinks will be the palette. Experience our culture and let us colour your palette!
*Hello! How are you? Have you eaten?
pronounciation: Vanakkam! Apa Kabar? Nín Chī Bǎo Lè Mā?
pronounciation: Vanakkam! Apa Kabar? Nín Chī Bǎo Lè Mā?
Singapore’s food palette is a food search application like no other. It acts as a visual guide to the location of mouthwatering local cuisines in Singapore. The unique feature of this application is the way users search for their food. Apart from searching the name of the cuisine, users are encouraged to search based on the food colours that they want to eat. As this project is targetted at people who are unfamiliar with Singapore, we hope to inject a fun way to explore the food options available here. Food description will be added to each food listings and tourists will not have to bother with food itinerary as they will be able to take on an experiencial and experimental way of experiencing our local food.
