It’s no coincidence that so many phrases about making a living are rooted in food. “Bread and butter”, “rice bowl”, and “putting food on the table” are just a few familiar examples.
These expressions are more than metaphors, they echo lived experiences. Especially in times of economic crises, where downturns are often most visible in the rising cost of food staples such as rice, milk, bread, and eggs.
The ongoing geopolitical conflict in the Middle East has driven up the cost of living worldwide. In Singapore, thankfully, several welfare unions and charitable organisations have stepped in to cushion the impact of rising food prices.
One of these is the FairPrice Group (FPG), a leading food retailer that was first established as a single cooperative supermarket by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) to keep staples affordable amid the 1970s oil crisis.
History repeated itself on April 8, when FPG announced that it would freeze the prices of its 100 most popular daily essentials until May 31 – a move that was expanded to include more than 200 additional staple products on April 23.
“Food and groceries make up over 20 per cent of the average household budget, and even more for lower-income families,” Mr Vipul Chawla, group chief executive officer of FPG said, as quoted by The Straits Times.
Anyone who grew up in a lower-income or large household can testify that the best comfort foods are those forged in the crucible of scarcity.
These dishes are triumphs of culinary resourcefulness, designed to transform a handful of humble staples into bountiful, soul-warming feasts. Think Italy’s renowned cacio e pepe pasta dish, which is made with just black pepper and grated pecorino romano.
By prioritising ingredients that can be stretched and scaled, these recipes turn the challenge of a limited pantry into the triumph of a crowded, well-fed table. Even a luxe fish head curry can be made frugally by substituting the star ingredient with an affordable can of sardines.
In my household, the go-to breakfast was a quick egg omelette with chopped onions and chillies sandwiched between two slices of white bread. While my brother and I washed our groggy faces and got ready for school, my mother would quickly whip up about five eggs in a nondescript bowl with a fork.
She then grabbed a red onion and a red chilli from the crisper, cut them up with the precision of a master chef while fully dressed in corporate attire. The chopped vegetables were then added to the bowl of beaten eggs along with a pinch of salt and stirred to combine.
Before pouring the egg mixture into a heated pan, my mother would usually add a knob of butter to make it non-stick. A couple of minutes on each side over a medium flame should produce an appetising omelette with specks of red and purple that comfortably feeds four.
Roughly portion the omelette and place it atop slices of white bread with the condiment of your choice, and you have the quintessential working man’s breakfast.
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12 Mar 2026 19:09
