Food and national security
First posted on LinkedIn.
The flavors of our food are a matter of national security.
The plate of Hokkien mee cooked by the Uncle with a white towel around his neck in our hawker centre matters more than we admit. It anchors memory, identity, and belonging.
If our everyday food becomes bland through commercial optimisation, or diluted by flavours that are no longer rooted here, people stop forming emotional ties to place. When nothing tastes like here, leaving becomes easier — and returning less meaningful.
Our ancestors brought their flavours with them, but mobility was limited. Today, it is effortless to fly back to the “original.” That makes it even more important that what exists here remains distinct.
Preservation does not mean freezing tradition. It means retaining a core, and fusing new influences without erasing what made the food — and the place — worth remembering.