Food fight: Our cuisine is our culture

It has been said that a hungry man is an angry man; now imagine a hungry nation and the types of emotions that stir in their bellies upon hearing their others are laying claim on their favourite dishes.

August is a very patriotic month for most of us in the region especially here in Singapore and Malaysia since we are celebrating our Independence Day. Other than the fervour of watching mass displays or fireworks; we, Singaporeans, are very passionate about our food. I think by and large, we would like to believe that the foods we consume define who we are ethnically, and more importantly who we are as a nation. Challenge that notion and be prepared for an intense food fight. We have come across a few run-ins over the years where our idea of local delicacies was put to task; either through cross border taste tests or where the origin of a local dish is put into question.

A recent example was when Penang’s Chief Minister; Lim Guan Eng, declared unequivocally how Penang food was better than Singapore; sparking a sibling rivalry usually reserved for petty political issues or football. Or let us rewind further when there was an entire debacle on who “owns” Chicken Rice or Chilli Crab. Whose was it again? Was it a Malaysian dish or a Singaporean one? If you ask me, I personally think it is more of a chicken/crab and egg kind of question. When it comes to dishes why limit oneself to geographical distinction? We are, after all, of the same roots, don’t you think? It is akin to measuring and then comparing our own ethnicities and then hypothesizing which of us is the more “Chinese”, “Indian”, “Eurasian”, “Malays” or “Peranakan”! How do you truly measure or make an objective comparison of what is on our plates?

Recently Singaporeans, or at least some of us, were up in arms again when our local cuisine was challenged. Diner en Blanc is a sophisticated picnic event that was held recently here in Singapore. It is the only location in Southeast Asia to have that privilege. According to their website, Dinner en Blanc “recalls the elegance and glamour of court society, and diners engage one another knowing they are taking part in a truly magical event.”

Part of their initial marketing strategy was to involve local bloggers to the event and to suggest food items that can be brought to the picnic. One of them suggested Tau Huay or soya beancurd, as part of his food list. To cut a long story short, the blogger was “uninvited” and his post was asked to be taken down. In fact, all the bloggers that was initially invited found themselves officially “uninvited” too. Naturally, our “elite” digital squad- netizens pounced and cried foul. The audacity of implying our gracious and benevolent Tau Huay is too “humble” for an uppity picnic was a battle cry. At this point, Tau Huay was our William Wallace.

The organizer of Diner en Blanc, engaged their own version of damage control and spun the incident in a way that all this brouhaha was nothing more than just a misunderstanding caused by miscommunication. They insisted that they have no intention or manner to demean our local dishes or the quality of our social media’s influence.

I love Tau Huay. I don’t really care if it is not from Singapore, neither do I care if some people deem it to be pauper food for its lack of sophistication or complexity. However, I do believe that if you have not tried Tau Huay, you are missing out on something I would deem heavenly. It is not so much the ingredient, which is predominantly soybeans, that makes the dish but the art and science involved in its preparation. The best ones are known to warm the soul and immensely strengthen a body’s disposition with its high protein content. As humble as the Tau Huay is, to me it tastes of home; and home to me, is sacred and I, along with Tau Huay loving netizens, would do all to protect it.

There are lessons to be learnt from Tau Huay-gate;

• Despite our low numbers, Singapore does possess a high digital penetration thus making our social media circle to be one of the most influential in the world. Mock it and you be running a fool’s errand.|
   
• A very clear and concise marketing and PR directive need to be established between th client and their PR agencies; anything less is an invitation to a potential public relations nightmare. Thus choosing the right PR agency is important but being a difficult client is when insisting Tau Huay to be black when it is more commonly found in its original white form.
   
• And more importantly; nobody messes with my food, your food and our food and I mean NOBODY.