Connection, Culture, and Cuisine: Food-Centred Adaptations of Focus Group Methodology for the Singaporean Context

Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) have traditionally offered important insights into collective perspectives and lived experiences; however, key adaptations have consistently been required to allow for the research modality to fit the Global Majority sociocultural context. These adaptations become particularly important when working with marginalized communities to empower them to have their voices heard within FGDs. This paper takes the case study of Makan Kiki , a Singapore-based LGBTQIA+ community group that adapted FGDs by integrating local food into the discussion as a metaphor, to consider how adapted FGD modalities can promote active engagement in collaborative discussions, and safety when working with marginalized communities in Global Majority societies. This paper analyses ethnographic data collected as Makan Kiki moved from ideation to video-production, FGD implementation, and dissemination. In centering food as a way to enhance a sense of safety and connection when adapting the FGD process, the findings suggest that participants began using food as a culturally-sensitive relational tool to engage with each other, enabling them to speak up about their wants and needs throughout the FGD while comfortably sharing lived experiences of vulnerability. Through localized, food-centered adaptations of FGD methodology, the paper’s findings align with feminist care theory and a culturally-grounded approach that supports a safer environment and greater participant agency when conducting FGDs with marginalized communities in the Global Majority.