After fifty posts, I
am going on an indefinite hiatus. In terms of where to find food writing online
I would suggest the following:
It’s
been fun – thanks for reading.
SINGAPORE AND YEAR OF THE PIG
K
and I made a stop in Singapore for a day in between the Motherland and Boorloo.
Singapore is food paradise, and, though I usually stick to three meals a day,
every meal is better when you multiply it by itself. And so, it was three
dishes that made up three meals in a day trip while we were there. There is no
other conclusion to make other than to suggest it is a place to go with an
eating plan. Happy Year of the Pig!!
Breakfast:
Char
Sui Pao; BBQ Pork Puff;Kueh Lapis
Lunch:
Chicken Rice; Popiah; Pork and Wonton Noodle
Dinner:
Curry Puff; Golden Pork; Noodle Soup
INDIA CALLING
I have just returned to
Boorloo after a week in south India. K and I went over for a friend’s wedding
in Chennai, and, then made our way to my motherland of Kerala. In Kerala, we
visited Kochi for a few hectic days, which were spent seeing the Kochi-Muziris
Biennale and catching up with old friends and former colleagues.
For those who have not
been, India is a world unto itself; and, within that, the South is its own
thing; and, within that, Tamil Nadu is different from Kerala; and inside
Kerala, Kochi is not quite the same as Trivandrum, which is different, yet
again, from my ancestral village of Puthencurichy. Kochi though like my
ancestral place is coastal, and, it is the trade in fish and coconut and spices
that give the place its rhythm.
My relationship to India,
and this part of myself, has changed over the years. It has, in a simple way,
deepened and ripened each time I have visited, giving me a greater appreciation
for what is there; and, a thankfulness that this is where we come from in a
deep sense. This does not come at the cost of other forms of belonging, but it
does have a sanctity that comes from deep engagement. It rewards continued
visits, and returns; and, over time you grow with the place as well.
Often, I find the logic of
India hard to get inside. This is especially the case because it is resistant
to an outside other if not to those of us who return with a desire for
connection. I had to overcome the nostalgia and the expectation. If at one
stage I thought Mother India would be overjoyed to see a prodigal son returned,
I have since learnt that you need to work on belonging here, just like you do
anywhere. But, I am thankful that it is home in a deep sense, that I have a
connection to this place; and not only for the obvious reasons for health,
education, religion. India also makes sense in its intangible moments and
quotidian pleasures. I have never had haircuts as good as those I have there,
and, the sheer dexterity and expertise in any barber’s hands reminds me that maybe
I have Indian hair after all. This time round at Chitra Hairdressers at
Njaliparambu junction in Fort Kochi, my barber even made fun of my emerging
bald patch. We laughed about it, but I am only thankful he did not also point
towards my expanding waistline.
There are pleasures like
this when it comes to food as well – 10c cups of chai spiked with cardamom,
ginger, and lots of sugar that you have standing on the street; and, banana
leaf breakfasts of idli, sambar, dosa, vadai, chutney. It is green not to have
plates, and, like I have said before I am a contextual eater. It makes sense
then, to eat vegetarian with one’s hands on something you can compost. And that
is, to my mind, a type of perfection I will gladly travel for any time of day.
A WEEK OF QUESTIONS
It has been a big week
of eating, but it has been one that has left me asking questions:
1. Why isn’t more pate
used in sandwiches here? For example, a mortadella sandwich but with pate in
it.
2. Why isn’t the
Vietnamese mayonnaise on banh mi sold at the supermarket, like Kewpie? I feel
like we are missing out on a world of possibility.
3. Why isn’t there more
collaborative dinners between Indian and Burmese chefs? They truly work well
together.
4. Why isn’t pavlova
rolled more often? The best thing about Swiss roll can be applied to meringue
too.
5. Why is it so good to
go to a place where they know your name? We all know the answer to being a
local with the chef serving up your favourite dish as soon as you walk in the
door (roast pork noodles are a case in point).
6. Why isn’t there more
spiced rolls? I understand the pleasures of cinnamon, but why not allspice,
nutmeg, saffron, or some combination of all of them.
7. Why isn’t cheese included in the default setting of bacon and egg rolls? They add
moisture, and, the best kind of mouth feel.
And that is my week in
eating and questioning with thanks to K and SD.
PASTA VS NOODLES?
A little while ago I
read Colin Ho and Nicholas Jordan’s article ‘Australians love Asian food, so why doesn’t it win as many awards as Italian?’ I found the article insightful
and thought provoking. Not only do I agree with their line of questioning that
unmasks the racial economics of food in Australia, but I thought their tone and
approach were welcome. And so, I wanted to be in dialogue with them; to
complement their writing with my own brief set of thoughts. From this, one
could think about whether Asian food is a better fit for Australia than
European or whether that simply re-inscribes a new power relation that
continues to eras Indigenous presences. We could also ask ask whether money and
awards are the best barometers of quality. Of course, they go part of the way
to explaining good taste. But, the other aspect that matters is to think about
popularity and whether this can be a way to have a good life. As an analogue,
other arts, including literature, often try to boost the work of certain
individuals through prizes and best-seller status. And yet, these might not be
the books that linger longest, connect more truly with readers, or are
spiritually meaningful for the authors who wrote them. In that way, we can
carve out a space that is built on different foundations rather than simply
arguing for the assimilation of Asian flavours into European standards of taste
and hierarchy on a continent that is truly Aboriginal. This does not mean we
should close our selves, and our palates and terroir, off to the Michelin
guide. Rather, it is that we can create forms of criticism and understanding
that engage the faculties in new and distinct ways and that connect to our
individual traditions in a way that matters beyond ourselves. That is why pasta
vs. noodles is the wrong question as is lamb ragu vs roast duck vs kangaroo. We
must keep talking and tasting to find a true way forward rather than arguing
for one side against another in a food fight that no-one can possibly win.
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