Country-centric Supermarkets: An increasing trend
By Lorraine Koh - Friday, Jan 20, 2012
When a Filipino supermarket sprouted near my residence at the heartlands, I realised that this area has three country-centric supermarkets and counting. With the influx of foreigners setting base in Singapore, this seems to be a rising trend. But are these country-centric supermarkets really necessary, especially with so many local supermarkets?
Mdm Lee, a Korean who has been living in Singapore for over 20 years, regularly frequents the Korean supermarkets here. Mdm Kim says, “Although the price of Korean foodstuff is so much more expensive here, I still buy from the Korean supermarkets because I really miss Korean food, and the taste can only be replicated if the ingredients are from Korea.” The items she usually purchases from the Korean supermarket includes Korean chilli sauce, Korean soy sauce and Korean cold noodles.
Mdm Kim, a Korean who regularly visits Singapore as a result of her work (concert promotion), insists that the Korean cup noodles, although is of the same brand, tastes differently when bought from a local supermarket instead of a Korean supermarket. “Those bought in local supermarkets are not imported from Korea. Many of them are made in China or Singapore, even though the brand is the same.”
Junko Hayashi, a Japanese who has been living in Singapore for 18 years, visits the Japanese supermarkets at least twice a week. “I usually go to Meidi-ya at Liang Court Shopping Centre to buy Japanese produce. I feel that the fish is fresher and the quality of meat is better there.”
Some of the country-centric supermarkets we have are Shine Korea Supermarket, Meidi-ya, Katipunan Filipino Store and Yen Investment Thai Supermarket at Golden Mile Supermarket (which also has food products from Vietnam). The basement of Peninsula Plaza is also known to have minimarts which stock up products imported from Burma.
Ervin Esteban, a Filipino working at Katipunan, a supermarket selling goods from the Philippines, says, “Our customers (about 90% of them) are usually from the Philippines. Some of our bestsellers include the crackers and instant noodles. I think the reason Pinoys buy from us is because they miss the taste of Filipino food.” He describes this taste of foods from his homeland as saltier and spicier than Singapore food. Some of the unique condiments the supermarket stock up is Bagoong (fermented shrimp sauce). It is usually used in Kare Kare, a sweet peanut-based meat stew. This supermarket currently has three branches in Singapore, with two located in the heartlands.
Nostalgia seems to be the key factor in the boom in these country-centric supermarkets. Missing the taste of home, this taste cannot be replicated with Singapore products found in our supermarkets. It seems that although we can be receptive to globalism in other matters, many are still nationalistic when it comes to the unique taste of their food.
With a spike in foreigners setting base in Singapore, it seems these country-centric supermarkets are here to stay. In New York’s Mulberry Street, you can get Pandan leaves, frozen mee pok and even Buah Keluak. What are some of the essentials a Singapore supermarket should stock up? Tell us your thoughts.
