Pop-up kitchen tours the world promoting Singaporean cuisine

There are many ways a country can promote itself to the rest of the world, including job contests and networks of virtual ambassadors. It wasn’t until just recently, however, that we came upon the likes of Singapore Takeout, a pop-up kitchen in a shipping container that’s traveling the world to promote Singaporean cuisine. Part of the Singapore Tourism Board’s SPICE initiative — that’s short for Singapore International Culinary Exchange — Singapore Takeout is essentially the story of “one mobile kitchen, nine cities, 10 chefs and 15 food brands on a 365-day gastronomic journey,” as the project’s Facebook page puts it. Housed in a custom-fabricated shipping container that unfolds into a working kitchen, Singapore Takeout is now in the midst of its yearlong tour to key cities around the world, each of which will host a three-day event highlighting the flavors of the region. London already had its turn hosting the effort earlier this month, and Paris will be next with an event at the beginning of July. Also on Singapore Takeout’s itinerary are Moscow, New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Delhi, Dubai and Sydney. At each location, a prominent Singaporean chef will collaborate with a local guest chef to design and create a menu that incorporates the best of the two cuisines; live culinary demonstrations are part of the package as well. We’ve seen shipping containers used in myriad ways — most recently, to create a shopping mall — but their transportability makes them particularly well-suited to traveling promotional purposes. Tourism boards — and brands — around the world: be inspired! Spotted by: Katharina Kieck