BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONS) IN ARCHITECTURE FOOD AND CULTURE (ARC3223 / CLS60203) ASSIGNMENT 1A: RESEARCH PROPOSAL ______________________________________________________________________________________________ CHEOK JIAN SHUANG 0320089 LECTURER: MR. NICHOLAS NG
Research Title : Hawker center brings Malaysians from different cultural background together. Research Question : How does hawker center bring Malaysian cultures together? The best of Malaysia’s food isn’t served at fancy restaurants but at stalls set up by the roadside, in hawker centres, or in street-side coffee shops. Patronised by rich and poor alike, hawker stalls are found all over Malaysia, from urban sites beside busy highways, to idyllic seaside locations. Hawker centres in Malaysia are essentially permanent collections of street-food stalls, normally in an open-air complex, with communal tables. For Malaysia has always been a multiracial country, it is important to know that Malaysian food plays a major role in uniting people with different cultural backgrounds, while hawker center is the place where variety of food from different races, religion and cultures are gather at. Therefore, hawker centers are known as a communal hub for the community to exchange thoughts and ideas about food which is not from their origins, and that is when the assimilation of culture happens, unconsciously.
The study is aimed to examine the process of cultural assimilations through food consumption in hawker centers. It is to observe that these local cuisines from different cultures available in hawker centers are being consumed by consumers from different races, religions and cultures. As the cuisines are being consumed in a dissimilar way, by people from different cultural backgrounds, this phenomenon greatly contributes to the exchanging of thoughts and ideas from the cultural aspect in most of the cases. It is also important to understand the role of placemaking of hawker center in which it too, affects the process of cultural assimilation. With the scale of the hawker centers are relatively small, the configuration of spaces are said to be compact and so, the distance between tables is close and intimate. Hence, people from different cultural backgrounds are brought together, side by side due to the intimate scaled spaces.
The research is being done in a systematic sequence: identify the research topic, evaluation of objectives, selection of planning approach as well as recording the data collected. The preliminary methods were done by visiting Medan Selera in SS2, and observing the user groups as well the the food they consumed. The process phase is done by photographing the spatial configuration. The experience and interpretation of observations are being translated into analytical diagrams as well as visual presentation. A wonderful diversity of nationalities, culture and religions in Malaysia has resulted in a fusion cuisine which boasts some of the world’s best street food. Hawker centres are the place where people can experience all kinds of different cultural food in one place, and hence, assimilation and exchange of cultures take place when people are having food which is dissimilar from their origins. On the other hand, small scaled spaces evoke the sense of intimacy as well as the sense of community which will then bring up to the exchange and assimilation of cultures. The clash of both culture and the authenticity of the food with the necessity of space creates an engaging overlay in the field of architecture. References: 1. Hawker food in Malaysia. (n.d.). Retrieved October 01, 2017, from https://www.insightguides.com/destinations/asia-pacific/malaysia/cultural-features/hawker-food 2. Malaysian Hawker Food Markets. (n.d.). Retrieved October 01, 2017, from http://www.aroundtheworldin800days.com/blog/malaysian-hawker-food-markets 3. Wieteke, K. (2017, January 24). How places are made: a case study on foodways in Malaysia. Retrieved October 1, 2017, from http://edepot.wur.nl/408996