One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop
whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.
—Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti
Eating is inarguably one of the joys in life and with so many choices to pick from, it can never be boring. Food is always a common topic amongst everyone and it brings people together. Talking about food is a natural ice-breaker; I’ve gleaned many helpful tips and recommendations from taxi drivers on where the best local food is, I’ve conversed with strangers and learning about their favorite foods, etc. I personally find that cooking and eating is a creative act; naturally I love doing both. And food always comes with happy associations, such as family, friends, joy, love, beauty, sharing, holiday celebrations, travel memories. Which is why you will run into foodies no matter where you go, and people Asians will never cease taking photos of what they eat, so that they can document their gastronomic experiences.
The above image is some meatballs and lemon asparagus which I made for one of my dinner parties. Here’s a peek at more of my gastronomic experience in pictures (warning: do not view on an empty stomach).
I managed to dig out from the archives several photos of me in my Elmhurst kitchen from back in the days. Gosh, I used to spend all my time in that space cooking and baking. I don’t cook as much anymore these days though… *sad sad* (which is kinda ironic, because I now have a bigger and cleaner itchen but severely under-utilized). I certainly miss popping into my nearby 24-hour Stop&Shop to pick up groceries in the middle of the night and start baking something while everyone’s asleep. And hosting brunches or dinner parties for Team MB spontaneously. Those were the good old days for me. Life really wasn’t as bad (dare I say even better?) when it was the ghetto-kitchen days. ;P *nostalgic sigh* My “Asian Martha Stewart” hat has been collecting dust in the last couple years ever since I moved to SG. :%uD I suppose this can be attributed to not being familiar enough in this town to get ingredients from and also not having spontaneous company to invite over for dinner. Cooking for one (or at most, two) is kinda a dull affair and it’s easier/cheaper to just eat out. :x
Making canapés for an hors d’oeuvres soiree at home.
Making Black Pepper Crabs from scratch with Vancouver dungeoness crabs (first time I had to kill a live crab). Long live Hong Kong Supermarket!
Sauteeing prawns for Christmas dinner.
First attempt at making pineapple tarts at home.
After successful first attempt, making it again on a separate occasion.
Baking a pumpkin cheesecake for the winter holidays!
How often do you eat something and think “Wow, this tastes just like home cooking” and happy fond feelings just bloom from within you? Or after eating out in restaurants every day, sometimes you just miss your mother’s cooking because it’s simple and home-y? Nothing beats home cooking, I think. It’s not so much the end result of how the food tastes or looks, but more of the act of whipping something together and creating something from scratch, then sharing it with people you love that’s most gratifying.
So it’s clearly established that we all love food, yes? Sadly though…. worldwide, obesity has more than doubled since 1980. For the first time in history, being overweight is killing more people than being underweight, and every year more than 5 million people die from obesity or diet-related diseases. This has to change, and it’s down to us. We need to get back to basics and start thinking about where our food comes from. We need to become a conscious community and understand the food choices we make on a daily basis. We can do this by improving food education.
Encouraging people to cook from scratch at home is at the heart of this. We all have family and friends who could make better food choices. It’s called Food Revolution, a revolution to start standing up for real food and rejecting overly processed food that manufacturers crank out for profits. They don’t care about our health, they just want products to fly off their shelves! Food Revolution is about working together to empower people with the skills to improve their diet. Making simple changes to our food choices will improve our quality of life and our children’s. Let’s make some noise, raise our voices together and have a lasting and positive impact on their lives and ours.
Food Revolution is a movement started by celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver and it is coming to Singapore on May 19th! I hope everyone who’s reading this can join me and attend this free public event. By attending this event, you will be showing your support and standing up for real food! The more the merrier, so please help to spread the word and let’s have a fun time together on May 19th. :)
To be in the loop, visit Food Revolution Singapore Facebook Page and follow @FoodRevSG on Twitter. And of course, save the date – May 19th! Join me and other food lovers that day at the free event. :D
If we’re not willing to settle for junk living, we certainly shouldn’t settle for junk food.
—Sally Edwards
♥ℳ
If you are a foodie like me, please join me in standing up for real food!
Food Revolution Day on 19 May is a chance for people who love food to come together to share information, talents and resources; to pass on their knowledge and highlight the world’s food issues. All around the globe, people will work together to make a difference. Food Revolution Day is about connecting with your community through events at schools, restaurants, local businesses, dinner parties and farmers’ markets. We want to inspire change in people’s food habits and to promote the mission for better food and education for everyone.
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