The title “you are what you eat” usually refers to the topic of healthy eating habits, i.e choosing which food is good for your digestion system, blood circulation or general health.
However my title today is mainly about the appetite for good food as a sign of improvement in life. What do I mean by this? How can food be related to an improvement in my life? Let me start with a story….
In my younger days, food was very, I mean VERY hard to get by. There were times when we didn’t even have “beras” in our home. And when this happened, I was the one who had to go to my mom’s boss’ house to borrow some money to buy food.
Normally I would be lectured by this guys about how bad my family was, asking to borrow money (i.e asking for advance pay – was this a sin?) from him almost every week.
Other than borrowing money, I was also the one always being asked by my mother to borrow (i.e buy on credit) “beras” from the grocery store in our village (the once glamorous but now gone from the world map – Kampung Sungai Udang, Segambut). Again, I could hear him or his wife babbling about having to lend us his valuable beras. Wonder if he could take that “beras” to his grave?
So, the consequences of the hardships in my younger days was that I didn’t have the appetite nor the desire nor the wants for GOOD FOOD, because I knew my family couldn’t afford it.
This attitude of mind towards food continued until I further my studies in the UK, and in fact until I came back here to work. To tell you the truth, I can’t even remember when did I start to have the desire for good food but for sure now I’m a better person in terms of the choice of food or what to eat.
Suffice to say, I’ve improved a lot in this aspect of my life and I’m still learning. In fact I’m now becoming a person whom I once heard uttered by the son of a Dato’ in my school…..he said something like this…”my father has a lot of money but he is very careful on what he spends, except for food. He wouldn’t mind spending on food”.
Yes, that’s who I’m now. I don’t mind spending money on good food, so that my sons and family won’t experience what I’ve experienced. For example, nowadays I would spend a lot on fruits, good quality cakes for birthdays and what I like most Nasi Kukus Ayam Berempah….mmmm Yummy !
Other than borrowing money, I was also the one always being asked by my mother to borrow (i.e buy on credit) “beras” from the grocery store in our village (the once glamorous but now gone from the world map – Kampung Sungai Udang, Segambut). Again, I could hear him or his wife babbling about having to lend us his valuable beras. Wonder if he could take that “beras” to his grave?
So, the consequences of the hardships in my younger days was that I didn’t have the appetite nor the desire nor the wants for GOOD FOOD, because I knew my family couldn’t afford it.
This attitude of mind towards food continued until I further my studies in the UK, and in fact until I came back here to work. To tell you the truth, I can’t even remember when did I start to have the desire for good food but for sure now I’m a better person in terms of the choice of food or what to eat.
Suffice to say, I’ve improved a lot in this aspect of my life and I’m still learning. In fact I’m now becoming a person whom I once heard uttered by the son of a Dato’ in my school…..he said something like this…”my father has a lot of money but he is very careful on what he spends, except for food. He wouldn’t mind spending on food”.
Yes, that’s who I’m now. I don’t mind spending money on good food, so that my sons and family won’t experience what I’ve experienced. For example, nowadays I would spend a lot on fruits, good quality cakes for birthdays and what I like most Nasi Kukus Ayam Berempah….mmmm Yummy !
And why is taking good food is important? I think you can figure this out for yourself my friends.....
