With so many foodies and chefs banging on about their colourful food heritage and family-food relationships, Bjorn Shen shares some words of encouragement for those who grew up on fast food and TV dinners
Most of us hear about chefs who come from families that are very food-involved. So-and-so’s grandma cooks the best Peranakan family dishes and their dad’s a whiz at roasts. They come from large families, and the clan gets together ever so often to tuck into a big family potluck. Either that, or all the aunts and grandaunts would whip up magic in the kitchen, stirring pots of curry, or human-chaining their dumpling-making operations.
The younger generation of such a family would channel those memories into a blogging career or restaurant boasting food cooked like mama made it. Sounds awesome, and I’m pretty damn sure many of the best chefs today come from such vivid backgrounds.
But what about those of us who don’t? I know many who happen to come from families that don’t cook at home, or don’t have the financial resources for lavish feasts.
Myself? I came from a family that hardly ate together. And when we did, we ate our takeaways apart – some at the table, some in front of the television. I can count many a Lunar New Year family gathering catered by the Colonel and a joint that rhymes with ‘Pizza Gut’. Do I think myself unfortunate? Absolutely not. Has my family’s relationship with food (or lack thereof) impacted my own in any way? Nope.
If you’re one of those like me, who don’t have a family-food relationship to validate your own personal interest in food, fret not. There’s no need to feel inadequate when you hear your friends talk about their family and what they were eating over the festive weekend. Go build your own relationship with food, and find like-minded friends to surround yourself with.
If you wanna get into cooking professionally, do it. You are not at a disadvantage.
I recall the times when I was a dumb ten-year-old rummaging through the kitchen for anything remotely tantalising to my juvenile tastebuds. I lived with my grandparents, so the only thing in the kitchen to drink was water, oolong tea and prune juice. The only way I could get something cold and sweet to drink was to dissolve a hard candy in hot water and then top it up with ice.
Those are my food memories. And it didn’t hinder me from pursuing my food dream ten years on. Now you go pursue yours.
Bjorn serves up oversized hotdogs at the Singapore Wine Fiesta, at Clifford Square from Oct 22-25.