These days, the world comes to us on a plate. But there’s nothing like eating the real thing in real places.
Some of us march on our stomachs (myself included). The idea of travelling to some of the world’s top ranking foodie destinations is enough to get me on Google, searching up how long waiting lists are for restaurants like Copenhagen’s Noma or Bray’s (U.K.) The Fat Duck.
I cannot even describe the heartbreak I felt when I heard that the leading culinary institution, el Bulli, had closed its restaurant doors, meaning that I would never in my life get the opportunity to savour the culinary genius that took place within those walls. Frankly, I’m still not over it.
However, things are different now. Food can travel. It is as easy to get your hands on a bowl of chirashi don, made with fresh fish flown in daily from Japan, as a bowl of spicy Katong laksa. A cheeseboard at a local deli will have a slab of Spanish Manchego, French brie, Italian scamorza and English cheddar.
Take Singapore’s World Gourmet Summit (WGS) as another allegorical example. Renowned international chefs from all around the world have come to this tiny dot of an island to share their craft.
Of course, it all comes with a pretty hefty price tag with menus featuring “only the best” luxury ingredients. So, for those who are willing (and able) to invest, they are only a dinner reservation away from getting to experience it all… from Japanese-French fusion cuisine, to ‘authentic Thai’ and premium Scottish whiskies.
I recently attended the WGS Opening Ceremony and I would be lying if I said that I was particularly interested in the actual show. In fact, the Awards Ceremony was but a minor distraction in the way of what I truly had my eye on – the buffet spread.
Waiting impatiently for the formalities to end, I trawled the ballroom from one end to the other and beyond. Armed with a small cocktail fork, I was ready to devour every dish displayed proudly by many of the participating restaurants and chefs.
I would awkwardly pause as each plate was brought out onto the display, not entirely sure of the grace period before it becomes acceptable to grab a bite and run. And of course, there was plenty of strategically dodging eye contact with the chefs at each booth, as they rapidly began to recognise me as the girl that kept returning for far too many extra helpings to be proud of.
Flavours from all around the world were calling for attention. Thick slabs of aburi sushi were being seared in front of our eyes, chefs were putting on a show with liquid nitrogen and countless drams of whisky were being poured, not to mention wine and cognac.
Then came the fusion cuisine, with high-end Indian restaurants putting up their innovative take on a salmon taco and a Japanese chef putting his own touch on a tiramisu… as well as two celebrity chefs representing Indonesian cuisine that were ironically, a Scotsman and an American.
It seems that gastronomic borders have almost dissolved on the tongue. Travelling to a destination to seek out the food and flavours may not be as necessary anymore as it becomes ever more possible for the cuisine to come to us. Of course, there is always the question of ‘authenticity’ and the World Gourmet Summit is more geared towards fine dining than the street food vendors that populate city streets.
Yet, despite this… we should never underestimate the importance of the totality of the experience whenever we eat. It is not just about the taste of the food. It is about the flavour coupled with the sense of where we are and what we are doing… eating becomes a more romantic affair.
I can recall sitting in a hut on a rice paddy in Cambodia, ravenously digging into a grilled chicken, local stir-fried vegetables and rice. By no means was this meal a feat of culinary excellence… the chicken was tough, the vegetables were greasy. No food critic would come here and smack a Michelin-approved sticker on the kitchen door. Yet, it was absolutely delicious. The fact we were eating cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the countryside after a long ride on the back of a pick-up during a torrential downpour made the whole experience incredible, something that is impossible to replicate.
The same goes for sampling wine direct from a vineyard, or watching your food being delicately prepared at a sushi counter. There is an inherent element of theatre to experiencing a meal in another place beyond your usual haunts that make it memorable. It tastes richer and somehow better than if we were eating the same back home. Spreading lavender honey from a local farmer’s market on hot buttered toast in the English countryside is infinitely more romantic than having it everyday for breakfast at home.
I think it is fantastic that we can experience international cuisines wherever we are in the world but I equally think that it is fantastic that it will (as far as I can see) never be able to eliminate the need to stop travelling, to see what else is out there and to experience familiar things in ways we haven’t done before.
• Featured image credit (salmon fillet): klenova/iStock
