On people in Singapore seeming more open to other novel foods than elsewhere, SMU Professor of Communication Management (Practice) Mark Chong explained this with a concept called kiasu. He said reason for the openness is the positive social image associated with it, adding, "While there seem to be psychological barriers to novel foods in many other countries, people in Singapore view their consumption as not only normal, but even desirable." He also looked at the attitudes of consumers from other countries towards eating cultured meat and said, "Surprisingly, consumers in Singapore are more open to lab-grown meat than, for example, American consumers."
