Eating is an activity that is close to the heart. For Asians, eating together also offers the opportunity to catch up with friends and family, especially parents and in-laws.

And even though Asia is known for its great dining choices, the first choice among urban Asians isn't a restaurant, hawker center or fast food outlet.

73 per cent of 1,000 surveyed in Singapore said they preferred to eat at their parents' or in-laws' homes. 43 per cent of a total of 9,000 respondents surveyed in Asia said the most important thing about a good meal was the opportunity to get together with loved ones, with 50 per cent of Singaporeans who participated in the survey agreeing that being with friends and family is the most important thing about a good meal. And bonding time is especially important between that of mother and children.

The survey results point to a still-strong awareness of familial bonds and parental influence within the Singaporean family. But as more women step out of their homes to blaze their career paths in the working world and spend less time as a homemaker in the kitchen, will this trend of bonding over a family meal at home still be viable in the years to come?

Also, will the children of modern, working mothers who do less cooking at home still be able to bond with their parents over a good home-cooked meal?