Tony Singh: Live in Edinburgh

Cross the border with us into Scotland as we embark on the first leg of The Migration Menu’s road trip, and listen in to our interview with celebrity chef, author, and TV cook Tony Singh, in front of a live audience at Kalpna Restaurant in Edinburgh. The event was part of the public anthropology festival PeopleFest, and included a Q&A from the audience who packed the restaurant.

** 00:40 – 00:58:A reminder to sign-up to our newsletter Listen To The Migration Menu Podcast – The Migration Menu, and get some great discount offers from eateries featured on the show!

**Starters** (01:09 – 05:23)

James and Luke discuss The Migration Menu’s pioneering role in taking anthropology to public audiences, capturing stories about migration from South Asia through food in ways that challenge public discourse, and promote the value of anthropology. They set the scene for their live interview with Sikh chef Tony Singh – the son of migrants from India and a regular on British TV screens – who, with Cyrus Todiwala, was one half of the Incredible Spice Men on BBC2. He currently runs a super club in Edinburgh.

**05:24 – 05:40:A shout-out from Mike Crawley, co-host of The Anthropology Podcast, to have a listen to one of our sibling shows!

**Mains** (05:57 – 22:24)

As a packed restaurant tucks into Kalpna’s brunch buffer, Tony shares his family’s journey from Punjab to Leith, in Edinburgh. There, his Scottish-born Punjabi mother pared the best of Scottish and Punjabi cuisines, and provided the inspiration for Tony’s famous haggis pakora. He talks about racism, getting quality South Asian food on to British menus, and the influence of Empire on what we eat today. The discussion also extends to cultural appropriation, fusion, authenticity, and why narrative is important to the taste of a good dish. And James and Luke end the interview with their time honored question: what does Tony have for breakfast?

**Dessert** (22:36 – 41:24)

Q&A, followed by James and Luke’s reflections on the discussion.

23:12 – 33:12:The audience get their chance to ask Tony questions, and learn about square sausage, K-pop, his favorite foods, and what ingredient he couldn’t live without.

33:21 – 41:24:Apart from a massive bag of pakoras, James & Luke had plenty of other takeaways from the interview, including Tony’s insights on food, empire, the politics of food, and the challenge of defining the boundaries of South Asian cuisine. They also take about the role of celebrity in making a cuisine, and the social aspirations that cookery shows draw upon and shape.

References

Lengyel, Ariane and Gatley, Andy (2016) Celebrity chefs and the construction of taste: from über macho to culinary crusader. In: CHME Annual Research Conference 2016, 4-6 May 2016, Belfast. (Unpublished)