Foodies who embrace hawker food have at least four events to attend in the coming weeks. They were ideas hatched just over the weekend, sparked by the dispute between a blogger and the organiser of Diner En Blanc Singapore, who initially thumbed the idea that local Singapore food was not “in line with the image” of the event.
While the dust has settled (the organiser has apologised and the blogger had accepted the apology), the hoo-ha has set off calls to organise a few nationwide makan events in the name of celebrating local fare.
Some of the events being organised are Diner En Noir (private event), Super White (merging with Makan Day) and Makan Day, the latter an initiative by popular blogger Mr Brown.
Many who aired their opinions online hissed at the organiser’s initial elitist view of local food which they felt was not in the vein of the event. Some readers took it that they meant”low class”.
Politics, religion and even race have already been used as vehicles to divide and create disharmony. Please keep food out of this movement. Food and its inherent culture should provide and bond humankind, not divide and conquer.
Tau huay, chicken rice and chee cheong fan are humble, honest, for-everyone-food. They are food the masses here can connect and identify with. Food, where Makansutra is concerned, should only have two categories – good and bad (however you interpret that to be) and further classified as cheap and not so. And every chef wants to cook stuff that sells, pleases and gels with the public. No one bears elitism and segregation in mind elitism when cooking.
Having said that, all events are worth participating – so as long we leave the ugly notion of “class” dining out the door, because all food events are good opportunities to bond and revel. It is pleasure to eat one’s favourite tau huay, but it is bliss to be able to share it.
Congregate, not segregate with food. So look out for the Makan Day’s Facebook page for the latest updates
