.:. Eating nostalgia .:.
We all have our favourite food. It applies to everyone, of all age and sizes, gender, whether you're dieting or gourging youself. There's jus this one particular food that you know that whenever you eat, no matter how many times you eat it, you won't get tired of the taste. Be it a highly expensive plate of foie gras, bubbling hot pot of steamboat, chicken rice by your very average hawker or even a simple bowl of mee pok. There's no law that states what you can like or cannot. Hey for some even, we have more than one. And as we continue to live our lives, there's only bound to be more coming.
But what is it that makes us want to eat that particular food, from that vey same stall all the time. Singapore isn't say very big, but I'm sure there is space for there to be multiple stores selling the same food still. Recipes are abund everywhere, ingredients too. What this stall can get, so can the others. So why do we only trust The Stall, the same uncle/auntie wearing that sweaty shirt and you never know if part of it is added into your dish as extra ingredient xD.
It's not actually the taste in essence that we are after. Mostly, what we want to have is the memories that comes on the plate. Its that momentary state of happiness, as our teeth sinks into the delicious master piece, the tastes buds being tickled alive by that familiar seasoning, in turn nudging our brain to dig out the past times when you have actually tasted this dish, the happy times. The food is meerly a conduit, a pathway, a reminder for us to recall the wonderful times in our life that we have all so easily forgotten under the stresses we face.
You know the way there, not because your nose follows the smell, but because your parents were holding your hands when they brought you the first time. You recognize the hawker and know exactly what to order not from habit, but because you are a model of what how your dad use to do it. You smile not as you remember how salty but delectable the sauce was, but by remembering the times when your mum used a tissue to wipe the sauce off your mouth when you were little. The satisfaction from having the meal in the present, is just simply because it marks that you have just spent a day enjoying yourself with your family.
And that's why, we have our favourite food.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We eat only for the feeling it conjures up within us :)
Kids are picky about the food they eat in general. Its common knowledge that they do not eat their veges, the all-so-healthy yet most of the time soggy and not so tasty food, but on the contrary love the deep fried goodness of nuggets, chicken wing and the lot. They just like the joy of having the juiciness exploding in their mouth when they bite into the crunchy chicken wing, much like how these bundle of joys want to jump straight into their lives and go through it all in one breath. The tickle of their taste buds is just a small extent as compared to how much these kids are willing to go to try and experience the whole world that's waiting for them.
Teens like fast food. The hyped-up pace of food being served almost straight upon order. It's not so much the food, but rather the experience of the comfort they pursue. They dun mind whether its the burgers, sandwiches or deep fried chicken, they just want the place. The normally brightly coloured, ceiling-to-floor windows that provide the very bright lightings make it a very good place for the teens to want to sit down relax and have fun, in other words simply hang out. As compared to a coffee shop which does not have the aircon/ quieter feel, they just simply don't feel "chilled" enough.
Adults, after working in the hustle and bustle of the cities for years upon years upon years, they all simply want to sit down and enjoy a nice home-cooked meal. Its not because they've eaten so much outside food, until even cai fan becomes a bore, but rather its just not the same feeling. A meal cooked in the house they've worked so hard to buy, is a recognition to their efforts, proof of their hardwork through the years. And the person who cooks the meal in that house, is what pushes te adults to continue to step out of the house every morning.
The elderly, as we all know likes to eat traditional food. Needless to explain, these bring back fond memories of the years that have past. Time that was spent learning how to cook the dish from their parents, fun moments spent in company with the whole family. Its like looking through a album, just that this has a more physical feel to it.
Thats why we all have our favourite food, because it lets us experience what we want to experience :)
Revealed on [7:43 PM]
_____________
