Perception.

“People who love to eat are always the best people.” - Julia Child

I love food.

And, I have cravings. One of the dishes I've been craving a lot lately is fish head curry - it's sweet and spicy and sour and umami all at the same time. The meaty parts of the fish are so tender too. Finish it off with some briyani and lime juice - life is good.

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When I was in the States, cold winter nights meant getting take out from the pho shop down State Street and ordering the large. I'd drive back to my apartment, plop it in the bowl, then Netflix and chill - with my beef pho. It was heavenly. When I wanted to be more social, Tosh's Ramen right across from the pho place was where I'd go with Taylor and Taren and Trevor and Tim. We'd wait in line impatiently, then order immediately when we sat down to slurp up those bowls of Tonkatsu goodness.

Food warms the soul.

In college, I cooked a lot. And, I bought so many ingredients that we had a chest freezer just for my extra food. One time, I ordered seafood online and forgot to put in in the freezer. I got a text from Zane and Blake asking what that fishy smell was. We feasted on scallops that night - too many scallops. Sometimes, we'd have dumpling making parties or Elf parties during Christmas, where we ate spaghetti with maple syrup and candy. One of our favorite shows was Chopped, we had our own Chopped competitions. One time, we got cactus leaves and had no idea what to do with it. That didn't turn out quite as well as we hoped.

Food brings people together. 

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I love food, it makes me happy. The thing with food is, it's a treasure trove of little happy-ever-afters every day. Some of my favourite meals have been by the roadside in Thailand, and also in Michelin-star restaurants in New York. Sometimes, what seems like a run-of-the-mill diner turns out to be revelatory to your tastebuds. Or, Little Caesar's Pizza in college - Blake and I would eat two or three slices and feel bloated for the next couple hours. Zane would eat the whole pizza then promptly go to bed.

I have to say one thing - paying for a bad meal drives me absolutely crazy. I get grumpy for a few hours after.

I love tasting and trying new dishes and foods and flavors around the world. I think it's one of the best ways we learn about other people, about other cultures, about their history. No matter where we're from or who we are, food is one of the ties that bind us together.

Food is for everyone. 

When I was in Italy, the best meal I had was a pizza joint in Tuscany called La Cabonaia. It was a pizzeria in a small town near our AirBnb. Dad and the family ran it, and everyone there was local, families laughing and enjoying the food. We went there two nights in a row. I remember the second night, we were enjoying our amazing pizza and fluffy pillows of Gnocchi. In the corner was a Dad and his son, the boy was 10 or 11? They were sharing a pizza and chatting - it was perfect. They were spending time over simple but delicious food. That scene's embellished itself in my mind - I hope that one day, I get to take my kid(s) and wife to that restaurant, and enjoy a perfect Italian spring evening with tasty food.

Food helps you build wonderful memories. 

The best meals, though, are the ones I've had over the years, eating with my Uncle or Dad or Mom at Ghim Moh, the hawker centre near my house. I eat the same meals there for breakfast - the thosai or roti prata or chwee kueh - it never gets old. It's what I missed most when I was away in the States for so long. It's home.

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I'm grateful that I've never been left wanting for food - I've always been blessed to have a meal, three times a day or more. I was watching an episode of Chef's Table awhile back, and the chef featured in the episode was talking about how ingredients, how real food grows and takes time and effort to make - it really struck a chord with me - as with food, so with life - do we truly appreciate what we're offered?

“The integrity of the ingredients should never get lost. In Japanese, it’s called sozai amuru, which means ‘to protect the ingredients.’ After having this garden, to see it from seed to watch it grow, little by little, to watch the process, to see it struggle, to survive, there’s this whole level of appreciation that everything takes time, everything takes the right amount of nurturing, everything deserves effort because it’s making an effort. This little tomato took three months to grow, and to just toss it or waste it, or to take it so lightly, we’re not doing our best to truly appreciate what nature is offering, what the lessons of life that are all around us are trying to teach us."

Chopped!

Dumpling Making