The campaign began after an immigrant family from China complained about the smell of curry from a Singaporean Indian neighbor's home and local officials brought about a compromise.
A Facebook page devoted to the row after reports were published in a local newspaper has drawn over 57,600 members, many of who said they were cooking curry on Sunday in a show of solidarity with the Indian family.
Most of the diners were ethnic Chinese, like the overwhelming majority of Singapore's 5.1 million people. But residents say curry is a Singaporean dish and that immigrants, including those from mainland China, should accept it is part of the local culture.
"The case could create problems with the integration of foreign nationals," said Florence Leow, a freelance writer in her 40s who also was one of the organizers of the event.
"Through this event we hope to cook and share a pot of curry and get to appreciate and embrace our culture."
The influx of immigrants is a sensitive subject in Singapore, where only about two-thirds of the people are citizens. Many Singaporeans say the city-state's relatively easy immigration policies are attracting too many foreigners, making it more difficult to find jobs and pushing up prices of homes.
RELATED ARTICLES:
Curry taste test for Chinese national
Content used in this not-for-profit blog remain the property of their respective owners.
No comments:
Post a Comment