It says a lot about the Singapore people that almost 60,000 of its citizens protested anti-immigration by either eating or cooking food with curry.

Although primarily Chinese, the cultural has long included immigrants from India a result of which has been that curry has become a part of their culinary culture.

After an immigrant Chinese family complained to officials about the smell of curry coming from their neighbor's house, over 57,600 members on Facebook vowed to either eat or cook curry in protest to show their growing anger over increased immigration and the immigrants lack of appreciation for their culture.

"Because we live in Singapore and Singapore is such a cramped place, neighbors should understand each other's culture", said Stanley Wong, a 37-year old accountant who helped organized the Facebook page.

In a city-state where only about two-thirds of the people are citizens, immigration has become a hot topic saying it makes it harder to find jobs or affordable houses and that the laws are too permissive.

Immigration was a major issue during the campaign for the May general election, which although easily won by the ruling People's Action Party, still showed a marked drop in the party's support.

One writer compared the solidarity of the Singapore protest to the Boston Tea Party where Americans used food to show their displeasure. The hope is that this act of solidarity will help to open the doors of appreciation, respect and understanding of the diverse elements that comprise a regional culture.

"The case could create problems with the integration of foreign nationals," said Florence Leow, a freelance writer in her 40s who also was one of the organizers of the event.

"Through this event we hope to cook and share a pot of curry and get to appreciate and embrace our culture."

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