My background is in sociology and political science, so to me food isn’t just about nice or not nice; it’s about what its place in society is and the cultural memory of people. 

I learned how to cook well because I didn’t ask the chefs to tell me their secret recipes; I asked them to show me. My aunties were the only ones who knew how to cook these authentic recipes so I asked, “When my aunts drop dead, where am I going to eat all this food?”

When [diners] are paying for themselves, especially in Asia, they say, “Why should you tell me how to dress? I’m paying the money. I should dress how I want to dress.” In a way, it’s wrong.

None of my chefs are Asian-trained because I don’t want anyone to argue with me and they don’t have to un-remember techniques that other authentic Peranakan cooks use. You can’t have four authentic cooks in one kitchen with each one having their version of authentic. There’s no school that teaches authenticity.

I think McDonald’s does what it does perfectly and there’s nothing wrong with that. The most important thing is consistency. If it’s mediocre, it has to be the absolutely same type of mediocre every day of its life.

Food is the cheapest way to buy into style. If you don’t know how to eat properly, you’re branded as not stylish, like in Pretty Woman. The first thing people need to learn how to do is to eat properly. Have you seen how many people here put knives in their mouths? It’s so damn dangerous.

I don’t think the enjoyment of food should be a matter of life and death because to millions of people around the world, having food or no food is a matter of life and death. You shouldn’t make it into a religion.

My father put me in a convent for one year because he said, “Getting used to the life of luxury is very easy. You better get used to the rudimentary.” You can get used to luxury overnight.

I’m okay with criticism because I’m a professional critic. It doesn’t make me emotional. If someone tells me something bad [about my food], we’ll taste it. Either that the person is correct or they don’t know and we tell them of our intentions. 

[Restaurateurs] don’t realize that the [magazine story] is not your PR conduit. If you want [writers] to say exactly what you want to say, can you pay for advertisement? Just because you give a writer a free meal doesn’t mean you should expect a write-up. Do you know the value of a page?

I should watch more National Geographic and the news, but a lot of it isn’t news any more; it’s just a repeat of rubbish. I wish they would just repeat the important stuff. The only thing I end up watching is George Clooney’s wedding that looked like a scene from Ocean’s Eleven. Isn’t it so voyeuristic?

I read a lot of murder mysteries but I don’t like psycho-thrillers. I love reading them in hotel rooms because in a hotel room, you’re so scared to go to the toilet, which is part of the fun. But I’m terrible because sometimes I skip to the end, which I shouldn’t.

I’m an only child. I like to be home alone with no music. I realized that because I was a music critic, I only like listening to it live. Music is so important that it shouldn’t be background.

When a foreign worker stands up for me on public transport, he’s not standing up because I’m Singaporean; he’s standing up for me because it’s a gentlemanly gesture. [It’s] how well brought up you are. I wish more Singaporeans would be gentlemen.

I had a stroke four months ago so I understand what it is like to be challenged. We shouldn’t make our minds up based on disabilities; we should give people opportunities and challenges.

I’m trying to do more community work. Doing something that satisfies you is so self-centered and self-obsessed. It shouldn’t just make you happy but also should be meaningful and something greater for others.