Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour

Hailing from a multiracial country, communicating with people of different race and culture happens on a daily basis for me. Thus, I have always considered myself to be competent in intercultural communication. However, leaving Malaysia for the very first time in my life and embarking on a new phase of life in Singapore has brought my understanding of effective intercultural communication to a whole new level.

The geographical proximity between Singapore and Malaysia may make one ponder as to how culturally different these two countries can be. In this context, culture is not confined to our ethnicities and beliefs, it can be something as microscopic as the food we eat. As I come from Penang, a state which boasts of our delicious array of local delicacies, food was one aspect which I took awhile to get accustomed to in Singapore. In fact, Penangites have been “accused” of regarding our delicacies so highly that we may undermine that of other cultures. I admit that I initially possessed some form of stubbornness for refusing to eat certain food in Singapore, as I have this mindset of “why-settle-for-something-inferior-when-I-have-tasted-the-best”. For example, I refuse to eat the Singaporean version of fried “koay teow” which is slightly sweet as I grew up devouring the savoury and spicy Penang fried “koay teow”. For some time, I was quite puzzled over why Singaporean hawkers did not think of using the conventional light soy sauce which gives Penang fried “koay teow” its savoury goodness. It took me one long conversation with my Singaporean friend to finally understand the cultural reason behind the difference in taste. He explained to me that while Malaysians prefer food which is stronger in flavor, Singaporeans have a penchant for sweeter and milder flavours.

The constant exposure to the delicious local specialties in Singapore and frequent long talks about the cultural differences between Singapore and Penang with my Singaporean friends taught me to embrace the differences and to a certain extent made me feel fortunate that I had the privilege of experiencing the best of both worlds. One dish best encapsulates that privilege of mine: laksa, a spicy noodle soup. The Penang version is a sour fish soup base while the Singaporean one is laden with flavours of coconut milk and dried shrimps but I love both just the same. That to me, is the importance of intercultural communication-the ability to recognize a cultural difference and if we cannot accept that difference, the least that we could do is respect it. J

Penang Fried "Koay Teow": Savoury Goodness

Singaporean Fried "Koay Teow": Too sweet for my liking, but at least I understand why the difference in taste now ;)

Singaporean Laksa: Fun fact: This dish is similar to a Penang dish called "curry mee"!

Penang Curry Mee

Penang "Assam Laksa": The reason why Penangites beam with pride :)