Photo Credit: CNA/Facebook/Sweetlands Bread and Bakery
Commenting on the decline of heritage bakeries, SMU Assistant Professor of Sociology (Education) George Wong said that if olfactory, visual and gustatory cues help people relate to memories and community, then the decline of bakeries also signals not just a loss, but also an irrecoverable dissipation of the familiar sensibilities of past communities. Asst Prof Wong noted that Singapore will continue to draw influence from reputable baking cultures such as those of France, Germany, Japan, and the Mediterranean. He added that Singapore's Hainanese loaf has become so intrinsically tied to its local cultures, and with the help of commercial successes of brands such as BreadTalk and Ya Kun globally, it has become a big part of Singapore’s own popular cultural heritage claim. Asst Prof Wong also noted that manpower, rising costs and the lack of interest among Singaporeans to join the food and beverage industry will continue to be a challenge for production.
Read more about it here.