In the terrain of untidy relationships lies an ensemble of individuals coupled or alone, each driven by desire, cravings or folly. How To Hunger is a smorgasbord of short stories about how humans hunger—for love, lust and loyalty—where their voracity for the ordinary and sublime consumes them to the very end.

A Singapore emigrant chews over her sense of belonging. A vegetarian Western tourist finds a meatier version of Asia in a massage parlour. A young couple deepens their romance through home-cooked cuisine. A friendship between a Taiwanese and Singaporean ages over a decade like fine wine. An office worker’s submerged desires bubbles over in a hotpot restaurant. A married woman is tempted by the sweet gifts of a suitor. An undertaker gets a taste of a spicy side of life. And a widower gets triggered by the scent of a curry puff.