RETAILING OF PERANAKAN CULTURE IN SINGAPORE : A CASE-STUDY OF PERANAKAN FOOD OUTLETS

Abstract

The Peranakan culture is a culture truly indigenous to this region, with Singapore as one of its bastions until World War II. It is horned out of a unique synthesis of Chinese, Malay and Western cultures but is distinctive from the cultures which it springs. In the post-war period, the culture began to decline as a result of intermarriage, the influence of western education, the elaborate culture and an absence of written tradition. The government gave a boost to its revival in the 1980s with the development of Peranakan Place with the aim of establishing it as a cultural centre of the Peranakans. Being an unique culture, it soon become commercialised to be used for tourism. Various cultural aspects like antiques, arts, customs and its cuisine were "sold". It soon thrived as a centre for cultural and commercial activities. Private entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to jump on the bandwagon and many new Peranakan restaurants began operations. Peranakan food is one of the most popular aspects of the culture with Singaporeans whose national pastime has often been described as "eating". With the food as a speciality, it is expected to attract both locals and tourists alike. This study examines both the supply and demand components of the retailing of Peranakan food. It looks at who the retailers are; why they have entered into the business and how concerned they are about retailing the culture in its "true" form. In addition, the study investigates the locational strategies in the siting of their outlets. The study also examines the profile of their customers, what they want in the food outlets they patronise and how far they are willing to travel to get to the outlets. The findings of this study suggest that the newer generation of retailers are mainly non-Peranakans who are more concerned with the lucrative aspects of the business than they are with preserving the culture. They are also more willing to adjust the cuisine to suit the customers' demand. Most customers are unable to judge the authenticity of the food. Neither are many very bothered about this; instead, their interest lies in the hot and spicy characteristics of the cuisine rather than in the taste of Peranakan food per se. It is foreseen that the continued retailing of Peranakan food will result in it being offered in an increasingly diluted form, especially when commercialisation becomes more important than its preservation.