Gentrification of Peasant Food
It is interesting to see how basic peasant food gets gentrified when it gets exported to another country. I can understand when court cuisine is considered high-end dining, since it was always meant to be, but peasant food?
What do I mean? It is when Hainanese Chicken Rice or Mee Siam go high-end. They are essentially hawker food. Flavourful and hearty, as they are meant to fill the stomach and satisfy the hunger. Yet, they are not meant to tickle the palate like a plate of sashimi or foie gras.
So, I do find it quite amusing that the current craze for ramen has driven it rather high end. Just look at the likes of Ippudo and you know what I mean. At least the prices at not sky-high, but the margins on that bowl are astronomical, and totally defeats the spirit behind the dish.
On the opposite end of the scale, I realize that high-end Indian food has a limited market in Singapore. Some of the food originates from the palaces of the maharajahs and are fine indeed, being the pinnacle of Indian cuisine. However, I fear that it is the idea in the minds of Chinese Singaporeans that India is a developing country, and is therefore incapable of serving up great food. Shame on us, and we consequently miss out on some really good food.
What do I mean? It is when Hainanese Chicken Rice or Mee Siam go high-end. They are essentially hawker food. Flavourful and hearty, as they are meant to fill the stomach and satisfy the hunger. Yet, they are not meant to tickle the palate like a plate of sashimi or foie gras.
So, I do find it quite amusing that the current craze for ramen has driven it rather high end. Just look at the likes of Ippudo and you know what I mean. At least the prices at not sky-high, but the margins on that bowl are astronomical, and totally defeats the spirit behind the dish.
On the opposite end of the scale, I realize that high-end Indian food has a limited market in Singapore. Some of the food originates from the palaces of the maharajahs and are fine indeed, being the pinnacle of Indian cuisine. However, I fear that it is the idea in the minds of Chinese Singaporeans that India is a developing country, and is therefore incapable of serving up great food. Shame on us, and we consequently miss out on some really good food.