'Against racial harmony': Singaporeans riled by Chinese menus with no English translation
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Stepping into an eatery, the last thing most diners would expect is a menu entirely in a language they don't understand.After all, English is Singapore's lingua franca and the working language of the civil service, bringing its diverse communities together.Wh'Against racial harmony': Singaporeans riled by Chinese menus with no English translation
Stepping into an eatery, the last thing most diners would expect is a menu entirely in a language they don't understand.After all, English is Singapore's lingua franca and the working language of the civil service, bringing its diverse communities together.While bigger chains like Haidilao, Tanyu, and Tongue Tip Lanzhou Beef Noodle cater to all customers with bilingual menus, some Chinese food establishments have been spotted operating without English menus — a trend that some non-Chinese Singaporeans call «exclusionary».A photo of a Chinese pancake stall menu recently went viral for its lack of English. The stall is located in Clementi's Gantral Mall, which one Google Maps user nicknamed «mini-Chinatown» in a review.This is in spite of Singapore Food Agency (SFA) regulations stating that food businesses offering prepacked food for sale in Singapore must provide labels with basic information about the product, such as its source, contents, and net quantity, in English.The labelling requirements do not extend to non-prepacked food like dishes served in a restaurant. Read more