The Philosophy of Food

Welcome to my Food Blog.

My friends on Facebook often comment on the ludicrous amount of food pictures I post on there, encouraging me to formalise all the descriptions I've been writing. People know how passionate I am about food, and they seem to like reading about my eating adventures and living vicariously through me (goodness knows why!) This was evident during the recent Wellington on a Plate festival, where the city celebrates the region's finest produce - meats from the Wairarapa, local seafood, Kapiti cheese and dairy, craft beer and wine as well. It's a two week extravaganza of culinary delights, where restaurants offer a limited-time menu or dish in celebration of local ingredients and businesses. In my second year of major participation, I took photos of everything I ate and meticulously rated and gave detailed descriptions of the food.

So then, here's the blog. A simple extension of the writings on Facebook.

What's the big fuss about food anyway? What makes it so special and why do I care so much about it?

One must understand my culture in order to begin to understand me. Asian culture, especially Malaysian culture, places a high emphasis on food. It is more than just sustenance to us - it is a social activity, a means of bringing people together and forming personal relations in both business and leisure contexts. Malaysians are mad on their food - they will eat breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, supper and continue eating into the early hours of the morning at a mamak store, because that is simply what you can do in Malaysia. It doesn't help that our food is just really delicious - a multi-ethnic conglomeration of Thai, Pacific, Indian, Chinese, Dutch, Portuguese and British influences that produces a truly unique cuisine that boasts complexity and diversity. When you go on holiday, you often have a list of things to see or a list of items to buy - when you go on holiday in Malaysia, you have a list of things to eat.

It's no wonder then, that my obsession with food is shared by aunties and uncles and cousins on both sides of the family. My parents, especially my mother, have been heavy influences in my life in this regard. Nothing beats food from home. My favourite Malaysian restaurant in Wellington, Little Penang, has a newspaper article on its window telling the story of one of their customers who broke down in tears upon tasting the food there. When the reviewer asked her what was wrong, she replied "This is just like how my mother used to make it!". And I love that story, because it resonates so well with me (even now I'm tearing up a little bit on the inside.)

I love that food can be seen, smelt, felt as well as tasted. I love when food shows glimpses into a chef's personality and character, and that you can see their passion as they present their plate in the most amazing artistic arrangements ever. I love when others show a passion for food too, because you can see their eyes light up in appreciation of what they're eating.

They say some people eat to live; I live to eat.

Posted by Jeremy at 11:16am on Tuesday October 7, 2014 :: 1 comment ::