how could food be so cheap? how long more is this going to last that we pay $3 for chicken rice? it s insane. anthony: i have the solution. it s an ugly solution, it s a terrible solution, but it will probably be the only salvation. it s the hipster solution. the hipsters will save the day. damian: no, you re right. anthony: it takes people to stand up and say, look, i don t care whether his is $4. mine is $12. it s $12 and it s worth it. damian: but to go and work in a restaurant 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, that needs someone who s not passionate, but a little bit mad. anthony: man, you re telling me. damian: a little bit mad. anthony: cheers to that.
tamarind and coriander. and the famous lady fingers, or sambar bendir, okra sauteed with sambal. who s cooking now? has that changed? damian: it has changed. you know, everybody wants to go up the ladder very, very quickly, and they want to do it in a way where they don t want to put too much effort in it. where is the prestige in a peranakan restaurant? you work in a kitchen, 12, 14, 15 hours a day, and most of them don t want to do that. so what happens is that they want to work in a french restaurant, they want to work in an italian restaurant. why? because they get more money. anthony: okay. damian: okay? anthony: i think it s a tactical mistake, because i just flew halfway around the world to singapore, and i sure as shit am
cheers, tony. anthony: cheers. chef damian d silva has made it his mission to preserve and protect the knowledge, techniques and flavors of singaporean heritage foods. guan ho soon is the oldest peranakan restaurant in singapore, pre-dating independence. damian: so this is a dish you probably find in lejo. it s sour, it s sweet because of the pineapple, and it s savory as well. anthony: ikan assam nanas, sour fish curry with pineapple. so really, we re really talking about a sort of, i hate the word fusion, but its natural fusion. damian: it s indigenous fusion. it s a fusion that started 500 years ago. so now, it s evolved so much, tony, that it s become a heritage on its own, a cuisine on its own. you know, there s nothing i
flew halfway around the world to singapore, and i sure as shit am not eating french food when i am here. damian: no, you re right. you shouldn t. anthony: and you know what? i m not going to eat japanese food. damian: so you talk about peranakan cuisine, right? are there people who cook it today? i can tell you out of 100 peranakans, maybe 1. anthony: whoa. damian: maybe one. anthony: so you re saying that basically, you re talking about the dinosaurs. damian: yeah, this no longer exists, tony. it s gone. anthony: one of the things i admire about singaporean food culture is that people are very passionate about food. they value a fancy french or italian meal as much as they enjoy a really good chicken rice. they re just not willing to pay for it. damian: exactly. you know, that s the public that we have to re-educate.
think that is like this anywhere in the world. thank you. that s duck. anthony: braised duck. itek sioh, duck braised with tamarind and coriander. and the famous lady fingers, or sambar bendir, okra sauteed with sambal. who s cooking now? has that changed? damian: it has changed. you know, everybody wants to go up the ladder very, very quickly, and they want to do it in a way where they don t want to put too much effort in it. where is the prestige in a peranakan restaurant? you work in a kitchen, 12, 14, 15 hours a day, and most of them don t want to do that. so what happens is that they want to work in a french restaurant, they want to work in an italian restaurant. why? because they get more money. anthony: okay. damian: okay? anthony: i think it s a tactical mistake, because i just