DISAPPEARING TASTE, DISAPPEARING PLACE: A LOOK AT TRADITIONAL CHINESE PASTRIES AND BREADS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

This study aims to discover the dynamic processes behind the "disappearing" tastes and places of Singapore by focusing on two food items: 1) traditional Chinese pastries 2) old- school bread, and contends that the significant decline of traditional Chinese pastry shops and old school bakeries results from a multitude of relational factors. The three sites of production- one traditional Chinese pastry shop and two bakeries- featured here are family owned businesses inherited across generations. What is hoped to be uncovered from this research is the understanding of the ways multiple social dimensions interact and consciously or unconsciously, construct our "taste" for particular food items in the Singapore context. The reader will be led through the three sites through a largely descriptive narration of these places to get a feel of the lives of their owners. The next portion presents the interview segment with fifteen Singaporeans to understand their thoughts and (dis)taste for these local products. In my analysis I will draw connections between my findings in the investigation of both producers and consumers. By looking at both the production and consumption process, this research suggests that along with the possible disappearance of these shops, what follows is the disappearance of the taste of these traditional Chinese pastries and old-school bread unique to these shops, and generations of personal and collective history embedded within them.