Former restaurateur Lim Tse Wei releases his debut book on Singaporean food culture
Little Perfections, by a Singaporean, US-based writer and cook, examines what Singaporean food is truly worth with essays and recipes
While many professional chefs and home cooks trace their start in gastronomy to their grandparents’ or parents’ kitchens, that was not the case for Lim Tse Wei.
In the opening chapter of his debut book of essays and recipes, Little Perfections: Eating in Singapore, the US-based Singaporean writer and cook reveals: “I did not learn to cook at my mother’s side, or my grandmother’s, and though my grandfather had been a cook for some years, we did not speak of it in the family.”
“In Singapore, it’s rare to hear about people who are genuinely passionate about what they do, and so Kitchen Confidential was a window into this world,” he explains. At 22, he was uncertain about his future, and cooking seemed like a viable anchor.
Another push came from Singapore’s entrenched attitudes towards manual labour, which brushed against his personal beliefs. “If you grew up in Singapore, you are used to the idea that people who work with their hands are those who don’t do well in school or aren’t smart enough. I’ve always found that idea incredibly offensive,” he says.
His book echoes this sentiment with characteristic bluntness: “In Singapore, good sons do not learn to cook. They study hard and go to college and get jobs in nice, clean places with climate control.”