1. RESEARCH PROPOSAL FOR FOOD AND CULTURE (ARC3223/CLS60203)
Name: Ho Yen Liang
Student ID: 0326660
Semester: Semester V
Tutor: Mr. Nicholas Ng
Research Topic: The Relationship Between Markets and Community
Research Question: How Does the Attributes of the Morning and Night Markets Reflect the Local
Identities Of SS2 Community?
A Vibrant Source of Food Gathering
With great food ingredients, make great food, simple as that. Food ingredients or food sources
gathering played an important role in connecting people together, in forming a community hub. Local
market has always enlivened my childhood by experiencing the variety dynamics of local identities and
cultural backgrounds of different people selling their food; how people gather their food for us from
different sources and unique ways and ideas of selling their food. SS2 neighbourhood has been well-
known for its variety of food and cuisines gathered, a food haven for both locals and tourists. However,
the local markets in SS2 are the place with strong networks for distribution of locally produced food,
it is a catalyst for creating centres in neighbourhoods that have lost their sense of place (PPS, 2018).
The topic is intended to research and study about the relationship between the presence of local
markets in SS2 and the sense of community belonging, to identify the significance of the community’s
experiences towards the local markets.
The following summarise the objectives and studies adopted to understand and learn about the
importance and the role of markets in forming a sense of community in SS2 by identifying the:
Clustering Context and Activities of Local Markets
To study about the importance of the local markets to the community of SS2, first we must understand
the attributes of the local markets set up in SS2. There are two markets, the morning wet market and
the night market, also known as the “Pasar Pagi” and “Pasar Malam”. Both markets are set up by
various local vendors, located around the center of SS2, surrounding the public space in the middle.
The morning market is set up as early as 3AM in the morning, whereas the night market is only held
on Monday, begin setting up at 4PM before the roads get busy and filled with traffic. Local vendors are
familiar with their own chosen spots to set up their stalls, the stalls are arranged according to the
categorized type of food ingredients sold, for example, there are local vegetable & fruit zones, poultry
zones, clothing and accessories zones, and the authentic street food zones. Presentation is key, and
vendors make sure that their produce is well displayed so that customers can easily find their desired
cuts or pick their preferred vegetables. The aggregation of these food ingredient spaces and the
clustering activities have gathered people with different purchase intent to interact and engage (PPS,
2018). The local markets produced fresh food ingredients, which act as the connector and serve as a
place of necessity for the local community.
2. An Interactive Community Space
I have come to realize the morning markets has pondered my attention and the first sight of the
atmosphere rebuilt my memories towards how the current existing local community remains the
dynamism in communication and engagement in conversations through food ingredients shopping
early in the morning. I have identified local vendors neighbourly greeting customers once they stepped
foot into the market, as if they have known each other for ages. Most of the locals who visit early in
the morning, are elderlies or middle-aged adults, who refer the morning market as their meeting place
in the SS2 neighbourhood. Stall hawkers will begin shouting and promoting their cheap discounted
food ingredients to capture the attention of the customers. Some of the fruit sellers will offer the
customers free tasting of their fruit produce, this interaction normally leads to an interesting
negotiation and bargain of price between the seller and the buyer. However, the night market is visited
by a range of different age-groups users, including the youngsters who tend to be more active during
the night hours. Night market refocused the community around authentic local street food culture,
promoting a potential tourism attraction. What better way to blend into the locals’ lifestyle than by
sampling the wide array of street food in the night market, as well as browsing through the goods that
reflect the country’s multi-ethnic population. These are the cultural senses of community which are
lost in contemporary supermarkets nowadays. Consequently, the local markets are responsible in
weaving the communities together, food is the central reason for why people gather, and that gathering
creates a hub for community life (PPS, 2018).
Methodologies and Expected Outcome
There are several methodologies of gathering information and research results, including personal on-
site experiences, photographic documentation of the site, and reviewing online articles related to the
research topic. Through personal experiences of visiting the local markets in SS2, the social interaction
and cultural aspects of SS2 community can be recorded through personal interpretation of sensory
experiences, wandering around the markets, observing the actions of local vendors and visitors
towards food, interviewing and engaging with the locals to acquire information regarding to the local
identity of the neighbourhood. The expected outcome of this research allows me to develop my
understandings towards the importance of how local markets could act as a community bond of local
food culture. The results could be further translated in the form of a photobook or an illustrated booklet
showcasing the food-space-people relationship and the contents of how the local market functioned
as a community magnet, a social and cultural entry point to understand the local identities of SS2
neighbourhood.
Reference
a. Healthy Hubs: How Markets Create a New Sense of Community. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.pps.org/article/healthy-hubs-how-markets-create-a-new-sense-of-community
b. Online, T. S. (2018, November 16). Neighbourhood markets play a role in connecting
community. Retrieved from
https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/views/2018/11/16/neighbourhood-markets-play-a-role-
in-connecting-community/
c. You Are Where You Eat: Re-Focusing Communities Around Markets. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.pps.org/article/you-are-where-you-eat-re-focusing-communities-around-markets
d. What Food Tells Us About Culture. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://freelymagazine.com/2017/01/07/what-food-tells-us-about-culture/
