This thesis focuses on the past, present and future of hawker centres in Singapore. Hawker centres are essentially communal dining spaces that allow Singaporeans from different ethnic backgrounds...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the past, present and future of hawker centres in Singapore. Hawker centres are essentially communal dining spaces that allow Singaporeans from different ethnic backgrounds to enjoy a wide range of hawker foods for an affordable price. Singapore’s hawker culture has been able to exist alongside Singapore’s rapid urban development, beginning with street food sold by itinerant hawkers and transformed into hawker centres. Over the years these hawker centres have become more than just dining spaces and have become an indispensable part of Singapore. Changes in Singapore’s near future have triggered questions about the continuity of the hawker trade and the preservation of traditional dishes. Taking matters in their own hands, Singapore has nominated hawker culture for UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as they believe this is an intrinsic part of Singaporean identity and should be preserved and passed down to future generations. The aim of this thesis is to study the meaning of hawker culture in contemporary Singapore by discussing three periods of time, while discussing food as intangible heritage and its contribution to identity and belongingness.Show less
After the 2008 – 2009 food crisis, an academic debate emerged surrounding the question if financial speculation on foodstuffs (FSF) can affect the spot prices of food. This thesis consists of a...Show moreAfter the 2008 – 2009 food crisis, an academic debate emerged surrounding the question if financial speculation on foodstuffs (FSF) can affect the spot prices of food. This thesis consists of a critical interpretive synthesis of the academic literature on FSF. It analyses studies which have been instrumental in shaping the debate surrounding FSF according positionality theory guidelines in a meta-data analysis. The results of the meta-data analysis are then compared in a refutational synthesis, which concludes that the scholars which claim that FSF can affect food prices presented the more compelling argumentation according to positionality theory.Show less
This thesis demonstrates the value of using everyday material culture in producing exhibition narratives. This is done by an in depth analysis of one particular case study, “Sour Sweet Bitter Spicy...Show moreThis thesis demonstrates the value of using everyday material culture in producing exhibition narratives. This is done by an in depth analysis of one particular case study, “Sour Sweet Bitter Spicy: Stories of Chinese Food and Identity in America” by the Museum of Chinese in America (NY). The exhibition aimed at representing the multiplicity of Chinese cuisine in the States, as well as the discussions regarding the definition of authenticity in cuisine and more generally culture. The thesis interprets food first as a frame to identity, an example of Derriderean parergon: food both shapes and is shaped by cultural identity. Statements by chefs and home cooks who were interviewed for the exhibition are analysed in order to support this perspective. In a second moment, the thesis considers the materiality of food as the element which enables the visitor to establish, through synaesthesia, an empathic connection with the stories narrated in the museum. Overall, this thesis aims at enhancing the power of material culture in creating exhibitions which combine the theoretical and abstract with the physical reality which we perceive through our senses and bear great impact on our lives and our perception of the world.Show less
This thesis will examine how medieval medical theories about humours, complexions and food properties influence the characterisation of some pilgrims in the General Prologue of The Canterbury Tales...Show moreThis thesis will examine how medieval medical theories about humours, complexions and food properties influence the characterisation of some pilgrims in the General Prologue of The Canterbury Tales. It will be argued that Chaucer draws on his knowledge of medieval diet and humoral theory to describe and satirise a number of his characters in the General Prologue and, through them, the estates they belong to. The portraits of the Franklin, Monk and Summoner will be analysed using various primary sources about health in the Middle Ages.Show less
Food, as a basic element of people’s daily lives, is closely related to its society. In terms of Chinese food culture, many scholars have done plenty of research about various related topics. This...Show moreFood, as a basic element of people’s daily lives, is closely related to its society. In terms of Chinese food culture, many scholars have done plenty of research about various related topics. This thesis takes the example of Wei Jin Nan Bei Chao period (ca. 220 CE – 581 CE), when the Han Chinese and non-Han people cohabited in a large scale, led by continuous wars and massive migrations. With the method of literature analysis, this thesis focuses on hubing (胡饼), a kind of flatbread, yangpanchang (羊盘肠), a kind of blood sausage and the grape, as three examples non-Han-originated foods, to explore the influence of non-Han dietary practice on the Han cuisine. Further, by relating the food culture to other sociopolitical factors at the time, this thesis analyses how the development of food reflected its wider society, in terms of class and ethnicity. With such analyses and discussions, this study helps in filling the omission in studies of Chinese food history, as well as better understanding the people and society during that time.Show less
