Homecooking, by robots, with love

Many local food cultures in developing countries are feeling the pressures of modernity, but is automation the solution?

A hawker market in Singapore at dusk, with lights on
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Homecooking, by robots, with love
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This audio story, written by Jacklin Kwan, will transport you to one of Singapore’s hawker centres, where talented chefs make local dishes that are an integral part of the country’s food culture. But slim profit margins and labour shortages are meaning fewer young people are prepared to work the long hours required of the hawker vendors. Automation – the use of robots in the cooking process – might be one solution that will keep this unique culture alive. But what are the impacts of removing people from such intrinsically human work?

Edited by Tom Anderson-Hall with additional recordings by Nur Aini Adilah.

Listen above. You can also download a transcript of this essay using the link at the top of the page

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