What You'll Do

How can a plate of chicken rice tell the story of a family's journey across generations?

Join Jen Foo, IT programme manager by day and passionate home cook by heart, as she prepares a hearty Hainanese dinner rooted in memory, migration, and heritage. On the menu: iconic Hainanese chicken rice and Hainanese pork chop — dishes that have travelled far, from island kitchens in Hainan to colonial households in Singapore, and now to your plate.

Jen’s journey begins with her grandfather, who arrived in Singapore by boat from Hainan. He worked as a cook and butler for a British family, and eventually brought over his wife and seven children to start a new life. Every week, he would cook familiar dishes from home — chicken rice, roast chicken — meals that brought the family together and reminded them of where they came from.

These recipes have been passed down, from grandfather to father to Jen. Even when living and working overseas, Jen continued to cook these dishes — for herself, for friends, for connection. For her, food isn’t just nourishment — it’s comfort, memory, and a tribute to the first steps her family took in Singapore.

About What’s For My Dinner

Food is more than just sustenance; it carries history, culture, and care. Nowhere is this more evident than in confinement food—a deeply rooted and intimate tradition designed to nourish new mothers during one of the most vulnerable and transformative periods of their lives. For this special edition of What’s for My Dinner, we invite you to step into the world of postpartum nourishment, where food becomes a form of healing, and every meal tells a story of maternal resilience, ancestral knowledge, and familial devotion.

Across cultures, confinement food is both a practical and symbolic gesture of love. These meals are crafted not only to help mothers recover physically after childbirth, but also to offer emotional comfort, reestablish strength, and provide warmth during a time of rest, bonding, and redefinition of self. What makes confinement food so powerful is its blend of nutritional science and inherited wisdom—recipes passed from grandmothers to mothers, from one generation to the next.

Though ingredients and techniques differ, the intention behind confinement meals is remarkably similar across cultures. In Chinese traditions, for example, dishes often feature warming ingredients like ginger, sesame oil, and rice wine, believed to dispel “wind” from the body and replenish qi (energy). In Malay and Indonesian households, herbal tonics and jamu—a mix of turmeric, ginger, and tamarind—are consumed to restore balance and vitality. Indian confinement meals often include ghee-rich lentils, warming spices, and iron- and calcium-rich vegetables to support lactation and boost strength. In Western traditions, too, bone broths, soft proteins, and hydrating fruits and vegetables play a role in postpartum care.

What binds these traditions together is an underlying belief: that a mother’s well-being is the foundation for a child’s early life. Confinement meals reflect this value by placing care at the centre—care in preparation, in intention, and in nourishment. They are not quick fixes or convenience meals, but slow, considered acts of love that honour both the physical demands and emotional journey of motherhood.

In this dinner, we invite you to experience this cross-cultural tapestry of postpartum care. Through warm broths, restorative dishes, and thoughtfully prepared sides, you’ll taste more than just food—you’ll taste heritage, healing, and the universal understanding that to nourish a mother is to nurture a family.

About The Host

Jen Foo is an IT programme manager with a deep love for cooking and heritage. Her culinary journey is rooted in family — inspired by her grandfather, who came to Singapore from Hainan and worked as a cook and butler for a British household. Growing up, Jen learned to cook by watching her father recreate the Hainanese dishes of his childhood, especially the family’s weekly staple: chicken rice.

Though her career has taken her around the world, Jen has always carried a taste of home with her. Whether hosting friends overseas or recreating family recipes in her own kitchen, she sees food as a way to stay grounded — a means of connecting with her heritage and honouring the journey of those who came before her.

Today, Jen continues to share her love for Hainanese food, cooking for community, friends, and anyone who believes that food can tell powerful, personal stories.

Who should come?

Everyone is welcome to participate!
Participants under 13 must be accompained and supervised by a parent/guardian at all times.

Programme Details

Approximate Duration: 2 hours (Please arrive 15 minutes before the tour for registration)
Language: English
Meeting Point: Meet at Paya Lebar Station Exit D - Street Level (30 Paya Lebar Road, Singapore 409006)

Ending Point: The event will start and end at the same point.

The events will proceed rain or shine.

What to bring?

Participants should be dressed respectfully in smart casual (i.e. collared shirt, long pants and covered shoes). Sleeveless attire, shorts/miniskirts or sandals are strictly not allowed. Participants will be denied entry if they dress inappropriately.
Participants should bring along an umbrella and a bottle of water.

Please ensure that you bring along any personal medication. Asthmatic individuals are reminded to bring their inhaler.

Other important information

Dishes contain nuts, eggs, and gluten. The food is non-vegetarian and not halal-certified.
Parking is available at Grandlink Square.
The venue is not wheelchair accessible.
Photography is allowed at event premises.

Disclaimer

Each ticket admits only one participant.
By agreeing to participate in the tour, every participant will be responsible for any injury, loss of damage due to careIessness of other actions on his/her part or that of children under his/her charge.
Videos and photographs may also be taken during the event. By registering for this event, you give My Community full rights to use the photos for marketing and publicity.

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My Hainanese Dinner with Jen Foo