A wonderful world: October 2009

Monday 19 October 2009

Food, sex and life

I don't really want this to be a food/ restaurant blog because there are already thousands of them out there written by professional and non-professional critics. It seems like everyone is a self-proclaimed restaurant critic these days! Honestly, I am quite shocked by the number of people who are obsessed with food and their quests to seek out the best and most authentic restaurants in town. In many cultures, food has always been very important in their daily lives i.e. the Chinese, Japanese, French and Italian etc. But now the obsession for food, restaurants and celebrity chefs has become almost a global phenomenon. Yet have we questioned the reason behind this phenomenon? Why are we so preoccupied with food, restaurants and celebrity chefs? Is it simply for the sensation or are there more complex psychological reasons? Or perhaps it is a combination of both.

It is commonly known that food and sex are closely linked, afterall they are the most basic needs of human beings. Apparently the pleasure we get from eating is similar to love-making, both acts can evoke our emotions in many ways. If we look at our society today, we see 'sex' everywhere, from advertisments to art, music, films, TV, magazines and internet etc. Let's face it, 'sex' sells. When we look at the recent trend, it seems that food has become a profitable selling 'tool' as well. There are endless of coookbooks and TV programmes by celebrity chefs from all over the world, as well as countless of food and restaurant blogs. To some people, restaurant guides such as the Michelin have become almost as sacred as the bible! Last year, I witnessed the massive queue outside a bookshop in Ginza and I found out that it was a queue to buy the newly launched Tokyo Michelin guides! As our society becomes more narcissistic, it is no surprise that sex and food have become the most efficient and effective selling tools since they satisfy our constant needs for instant gratifications. Since we all crave for security, the comforting and nuturing feelings we get from eating and sex can make us feel secure temporarily, and many people even use them as escape routes, but fundamentally, they are only illusions and will get us nowhere.

I belong to the generation known as Generation X, so I have never experienced war nor poverty, and like many of my friends, I have enjoyed a pretty hedonistic-driven lifestyle during the economic boom years. We tried out the most talked about restaurants in town, went to the most privileged bars and clubs, bought discreet designers' fashion and stayed in the coolest as well as the grandest hotels in the world. It was fun, exciting and adventurous, but fundamentally superficial and unfulfilling. In the past 2 years, I have had a chance to review my life and realised that a pleasure-driven life no longer satisfies me anymore. Hence I have made a lot of changes internally and re-prioritised what is really important in my life.

I am not saying that food (and sex) are no longer important in my life, but I definitely don't want my life to be dominated by pleasure or ego-driven acts. I still enjoy going to good restaurants but I have lost interest in trying out the hippest or best places in town. Of course there are still restaurants that I would like to visit one day, but I am not going to be too upset if I never get to visit The Fat Duck or El Bulli. I believe that at times we need to examine our lives and question ourselves to see if we are using external factors to fulfill our lives. Food is an essential part of our lives, and without food, we will all die. But when we let food take over our lives, then there is something not quite right. Over-indulgence is never good for us, whether it is sex, alcohol or food.

When I look back and think of the best meals I have had, apart from the quality of the food or outstanding cooking techniques, the most memorable factors are usually related to the companions and my state of mind at the time. It might sound like a cliche, but honestly if we are happy and fulfilled in our lives, then even a bowl of plain rice can be the tastiest and most satisfying meal.

Monday 5 October 2009

A room with a view

Breathtaking view from Hacienda Na Xamena in Ibiza

Like many students, I did some traveling around Europe before university, I was particularly excited about going to Florence, partly because of the film, A room with a view. I imagined a romantic and historical city... I wasn't so wrong except that I didn't expect the city to be jam-packed with tourists from all over the world! I didn't stay in a particularly charming B & B and there wasn't much of a view either, it was quite disappointing and I have never been back to Florence since.

As I got older and traveled more, I became more concerned with the view from my hotel room. Sometimes I would even pay a bit extra just to get a nicer/ higher view. Perhaps it's the anticipation when I enter a room, it would be the first thing I check and the impact can make a difference. I love observing people, while some people might hate the noise, I quite like having a room facing the streets provided it is not super noisy of course. A balcony with a view is even better, because it's nice to just sit and chat outside with a partner/ friend and sipping wine under the stars and moon... it can be such a pleasurable/ romantic experience.

Sometimes our brains can work in a very selective way, we pick out certain scene or people or sound or smell or form or name etc and we forget the rest... I tend to forget names of hotels, but the views (if memorable) usually stay in my mind. And with the help of camera, we can all recall views and memories that we have long forgotten...