Why are basic actions linked to race in Singapore?

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Basic actions are linked to race in Singapore because the country’s CMIO framework tends to read everyday behaviour through racial categories rather than shared national identity.
In a dinner setting where an Indian-looking Singaporean family served hotpot with chopsticks, a guest reacted with surprise and said he did not know “Indian homes had chopsticks.” The episode is used to illustrate how the Chinese, Malay, Indian and Others (CMIO) construct leads people to treat race as the main explanation for what someone should eat, how they should eat, and which customs they should be familiar with.
The CMIO construct shapes how people interpret “what is normal”
The CMIO framework underpins how many people in Singapore come to see others, often by treating each race as if it belongs to a separate world with its own habits. In this case, the guest assumed that because the host appeared “Indian,” the home must follow “Indian things,” such as specific foods and customs, rather than recognising the family as Singaporean with shared local experiences.
Everyday interactions turn assumptions into instant conclusions
The same pattern showed up in other visits, where chopsticks were removed from the table and replaced with a fork and knife, based on the imagined difference between “Indian” and “non-Indian” practices. The writer describes how such assumptions can happen quickly, including when people offer different utensils without knowing the person’s actual background or daily familiarity with local culture like hawker centre food.
People often identify with race more than with national identity
The writer argues that Singaporeans frequently identify more with race labels such as Chinese, Malay and Indian than with a single national identity, which makes stereotypes feel “reasonable” in conversation. That mindset helps explain why a guest could pause the whole table over chopsticks and why the writer’s family is treated as if it should be doing expected racial behaviours, even after repeated exposure to Singapore’s mixed cultural environment.
The result is racial caricatures instead of complex identities
By reducing people to race-based caricatures, the CMIO lens can prevent others from recognising that identities in Singapore are complex and mixed. The writer points out that “there is no one set way to be Chinese” or Indian, and that island culture differs from large countries with which races are often associated, meaning everyday actions cannot reliably map onto race.

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Why are basic actions linked to race in Singapore?

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