In 2021, I founded NTU’s first Food Studies Research Cluster. Housed within the School of Humanities, the research cluster is interdisciplinary and examines food from perspectives of linguistics, culture, history, and politics. We’ve hosted several online panels, guest speakers, and an in-person/online conference.

Guest Speaker: Assoc Prof Nicole Tarulevicz, “More Revolting Details”: Colonial Anxieties about Meat in Singapore

15 Nov 2024, online talk

See the recording here

Conference: The Language of Food: Exploring Culinary Communication and Culture.

January 29-31, 2024 | In-person Singapore | Online

I hosted a three-day international interdisciplinary symposium on the relationship between language, food, and culture. Two days were in-person presentations and one day of online presentations. Find out more about the program and presenters at the conference website. https://sites.google.com/view/language-of-food/home

Future of Food Symposium: Emerging Issues, Challenges, & Opportunities for Global Food Security

21 April 2022, Thurs | 7:30pm – 9:00pm SGT webinar

On behalf of NTU’s SoH Food Studies Research Cluster, I co-hosted the event with Luke Tay, futurist and founder of Cornucopia FutureScapes. I also gave a presentation on the future of food and how it relates to global food lifestyles and culinary culture.

A food opinion leaders’ foresight survey was conducted in early 2022, to tap near- to longer-term perspectives on emerging themes and concerns for the global food system. The symposium profiled key findings from the survey. Thinkers and advocates from across the global food system addressed notable takeaways which resonated with their own work, sharing perspectives on the emerging landscape.

Programme
  • Welcome & Overview of Survey Responses; World Upheavals, Autarky & Minilateralism? Luke Tay, Founder, Cornucopia FutureScapes)
  • Visions & Scenarios for the future of food, Prof Sohail Inayatullah, UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies at the Sejahtera Centre for Sustainability and Humanity, IIUM
  • Emerging currents in global food lifestyles and culinary culture, Dr Keri Matwick, Lecturer & Coordinator, Food Studies cluster NTU School of Humanities)
  • The rise of community farming, Russell Fock, Foresight Associate, Cornucopia FutureScapes
  • The role of “alternative” agriculture, Lim Zi Yang, Foresight Associate, Cornucopia FutureScapes
  • Changing urban metabolism and economics of food, Dr Marvin Montefrio, Asst Prof (Environmental Studies), Yale-NUS College
  • Food information and communication, Prof May Lwin, Chair & President’s Chair Professor of Communication Studies, NTU
  • Developments in the Asia-Pacific, Genevieve Donnellon-May, Department of Geography & the Environment, University of Oxford
  • Developments in Europe, Estefania Simon-Sasyk, Founder, Mycelium Gastronomy Innovation Network
  • Developments in the United States, Dr Leah Jones-Crank, Earth Institute Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Columbia University
  • Reflections & Responses by Prof Paul Teng, Adjunct Senior Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
  • Concluding Dialogue

Impact of the Pandemic on Singapore’s Restaurant Industry

26 August 2021 | 4:00pm – 6:00pm SGT webinar

This forum provided opportunity to have a public discussion on the challenges and opportunities that faced Singapore’s culinary industry during the pandemic.

Four guests share their insight and inside experience to the food and beverage scene.    

  • KF Seetoh – K.F. Seetoh is a food critic, entrepreneur, and advocate for the street food industry.  He is well known as the creator of the Makansutra guide to hawker food and for championing Singapore’s Hawker Centres’ inclusion in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage listing. 
  • Rajeev Panjwani of Coriander Leaf– Rajeev Panjwani is the CEO of Coriander Leaf Group, a leading Singapore brand of Pan-Asian restaurants, catering, and culinary education.  Previously to his tenure at Coriander Leaf Group, Mr. Panjwani has a depth of management and consultation experience in F&B and hospitality.
  • Lim Jialiang– Lim Jialing is a beer-distributor, entrepreneur, and graduate of NTU.  His experience ranges from being a chocolatier, marketing sustainable beer, and creating his own casual bar-and-dining concept. 
  • Sam Chablani– Sam Chablani is a chef and culinary entrepreneur.  Guided by the mantra of “No Burn, No Taste”, he has moved from a bricks-and-mortar restaurant to catering barbecues and selling his trademark umami butter and Basque burned cheesecake. 

Questions that guided the discussion:

  • Challenges – Who has been most challenged by the pandemic, and why?  Do you see their prospects improving as restaurants are allowed to open, or will these challenges be persistent?
  • Opportunities – Who has been able to hold their own or even thrive in this time?  Are there “winners”?
  • Responses – What can be done to mitigate or help the food industry?  From within the industry itself?  By customers?  From a policy perspective?
  • Consumer Changes – Do you think consumer tastes or demands have changed in this time, and in what ways?   
  • Stories – What stories give you the most hope?  What stories concern you the most?