As I see itCarefree Singapore has time to obsess over curry calamities as it learns to live with Covid. When’s Hong Kong’s turn?

A New York Times writer’s poorly presented Singaporean chicken curry has set social media alight in the city state, with government agencies even piling in

Some roll their eyes, but Bhavan Jaipragas finds the frivolity heartening – and looks forward to a day when Hong Kong, too, can escape the pandemic doom

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A screengrab of the New York Times Instagram video showing a food writer’s attempt at Singaporean Chicken Curry. Photo: Instagram / @nytcooking

Published: 9:30am, 11 Feb 2022Updated: 7:06pm, 11 Feb 2022

When it comes to making a meal out of food-related faux pas, my Singaporean compatriots are world champions.

As more than a semblance of normalcy returns to social life in the island nation while it implements its “living with Covid” strategy, residents have been returning their full attention back to the things they cared most about before the health crisis.

In recent days, Singapore social media has been in a frenzy over a food writer’s attempt at “Singaporean chicken curry”, after it featured in a January article she wrote for The New York Times about the multicultural feasts that are a feature of the country’s Lunar New Year festivities.

The video the writer uploaded of her cooking the curry immediately sparked an uproar, as hundreds of commenters expressed horror at what the final dish looked like. Some described it as longkang (drain) water.

Jumping on the bandwagon were government agencies such as the Housing Board, which used the opportunity to remind Singaporeans that “even if the chicken curry turns out bad, the last thing you should do is pour it down the sink”.

The food writer has not publicly responded to questions over how she got the curry so wrong. But that has not put an end to the saga.