1. Introduction
1.1 Food is not merely something that we consume for sustenance or even pleasure and entertainment. It goes beyond that. Every culture has its own food and its own customs associated with eating food. It fosters social cohesion because it is a shared commonality and is, therefore, a form of national and cultural identity.
1.2 Food is undoubtedly an important aspect in Singapore. This is evident from the many hawker centres we have to the great variety of restaurants specialising in cuisines of countries around the world. Our food is an expression of our multicultural and multi-racial identity. The primary institution that promotes our food heritage is the hawker centre. Singapore was ranked as the Best Street Food City in 2013 . Explore our heartlands and that is where genuine local food culture resides, such as the chicken rice, laksa, char kway teow, satay and roti prata. The hawker centres not only encourage social interaction, but also serve to provide inexpensive food for the public masses and facilitate small business activity for the lower educated and unskilled segments of society.
1.3 Singapore food has also extended its reach to the global community. With Singapore being a financial and commercial hub, many expatriates have come to work here, eaten the food and missed it when they went back to their home countries. There is a thirst and hunger for authentic Singaporean flavours. This helped to promote Singapore’s reputation as a global tourist