What if your favourite packet of Maggi isn’t just comfort food, but a mirror of global capitalism, cultural loss, and nostalgia? The writer unpacks how a Swiss invention became a South-east Asian staple; redefining taste, memory, and the meaning of home in just two minutes.
Indonesia, interrupted; nothing happened in Bukit Gombak; our contortions to avoid recognition of Palestine worthy of Olympic gold; the quandaries of long-term planning in an ageing society; Lawrence, the mellow; closure of the storied Cathay cineplexes; and more.
In the 1970s, as female flight attendants in the West were fighting gender discrimination, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways were building brands around their sexualised female icons. Are we willing to accept sexism when it subsidises “the nation”?
Dear reader, Mainstream news has been dominated by Lawrence Wong’s National Day Rally and vapes; and subaltern headlines by The Projector’s closure. We cover those extensively in “Singapore This Week”, our weekly digest. Other stories that caught our eye but didn’t make it in include the first...
The practice of farming in Singapore has gone through several waves of transformation. What are today’s urban farmers trying to achieve?
Professor Wong lectures on AI; the erstwhile "nothingness" of Punggol; more youths opting for plastic surgery; our vaping policy; cooking oil in the skies; memories of Alhambra, classic theater of yore; and more
Dear reader, Listen. Last week, to commemorate Singapore’s 60th birthday, I drowned you in words. This week, I leave you with music, specifically a playlist of the golden era of Malay music, from around the time of independence. It’s been curated by Khir Johari, food historian and author...
The traditional Malay music produced by a British company in the 1960s and 1970s is an aural guide to history, tradition and the meaning of change.
Local firms give workers day off to watch Tamil superstar’s latest release; the art of (really) listening; Malay representation at NDP; hawker woes in the news, again; Singaporeans besotted with Chinese brands; Prabowo government mangles history; things going swimmingly for Sea; and more.
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