Singaporeans eat curry to spice up their protest

It takes a lot to start a mass campaign with political overtones in Singapore, but there's no better catalyst than food.

It takes a lot to start a mass campaign with political overtones in Singapore, but there's no better catalyst than food.

HT Image

Thousands of people in the Southeast Asian city-state said they would cook or eat curry on Sunday in a protest highlighting growing anger over increased immigration.

The campaign began after an immigrant family from China complained about the smell of curry from a Singaporean Indian neighbour’s home.

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.

“Because we live in Singapore and it is such a cramped place, neighbours should understand each others’ culture,” said Stanley Wong, 37, an accountant who helped organised the Facebook page.

He, his dozen friends and family were gathering in a small government-built flat for a potluck curry dinner.

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.