Are you a big fan of local hawker dishes like Hainanese chicken rice and have often wondered what goes into them?
Now you can discover more about the Singaporean Chinese culture from the ‘Secret Ingredients’ Travelling Exhibition, served up by our Faculty of Languages and the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, currently on display in the Level 1 corridor in S Block.
This unique exhibition uses food as its theme to connect with the community by offering an interactive and fun experience to discover the origins of favourite hawker delights like Bak Kut Teh and more through ‘Mission Control’ games and QR codes.
Students are able to explore the various stations mimicking crime scenes, labs and more to play detective and solve the mysteries of these dishes.
“I think this is a really engaging experience for all the students to learn about the heritage of Chinese food in Singapore,” said Year 10 student Beau, who was playing the interactive game on her mobile phone.
This initiative brings Singapore’s distinctive local Chinese culture closer to more homes and hearts to understand the different cultures and international perspectives.
“The purpose of the exhibition is to heighten our student's cultural awareness of Singapore as part of the integration of culture into our Mandarin curriculum. We hope that this interactive exhibition can engage our students, provide them with a better understanding of the ingredients and what hawker food entails in our local culture,” said Jonathan Leow, DCIS Head of Languages Faculty.
Food is one of the most powerful, and accessible, mediums to understanding different cultures. History, values, traditions, and stories can all be understood through food. Our Dover Court community is fortunate to have such a unique and interactive opportunity to deep dive into the ‘secret ingredients’ that tell the story of Singapore’s culture. Exposure to learning initiatives like this initiative enriches our students’ international perspectives and awareness, better preparing them to flourish in our dynamic, global environment.
“Today I learnt that dragons are used for good luck and good fortune, and Singaporeans used coconuts and pandan leaves for their curry,” said Year 10 student Hana.
“I learnt about Chinese culture and food, and I really enjoyed my experience,” said Daniel from Year 10.
“It was a really good experience for me,” Tristan Gael agreed.
Check out the ‘Secret Ingredients’ Travelling Exhibition to discover more about the local Chinese culture in a new light. The exhibition ends on 19th December 2022.
