Copyright channelnewsasia
IS IT BAD THAT I CANNOT COOK AT ALL? I'm aware that I am not alone in being kitchen-illiterate. However, the way I see it, it's probably a good-to-have skill rather than a must-have. However, it is surely a pity, especially if one day I wish to revisit my family favourites. There have been occasions where I did put on an apron to learn to make a few dishes that have warmed my stomach and heart for many years. But I must confess that it was far more difficult than I'd anticipated, considering the skill and labour demanded as well as the heat and smoke involved. Pretty quickly, I had to admit that the "domestic goddess" blood simply does not run in my veins. I don't even understand how some others can enjoy it as a hobby. But what will happen in the future, when my mother is no longer around? Frankly, neither Mum nor I are the best at long-term planning. We often adopt a "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it" mindset on many matters. Perhaps one day I will video record my mother while she is cooking and look for a private chef to replicate them. Maybe soon enough we'll even have artificial intelligence-powered robot chefs who can do the same – who knows? It certainly wouldn't be the same as my mother’s original cooking, for she puts in a lot of love and care behind each dish. However, I've come to accept that perhaps it will never be possible to find a solution that matches the dishes prepared by my mother absolutely. Instead, my goal has become to find and accept next-best options that can save these dishes as far as possible for myself and my family. After all, all cuisine naturally changes and evolves over time. Who is to say that the mapo tofu or kung pao chicken we know today are the original ones when they first came about? Nevertheless, I think it's high time we find new methods to preserve the old flavours and recipes, so that these iconic dishes – emblems of our identity and culture – can continue to be loved and enjoyed by all for many generations to come. Alvona Loh Zi Hui is a medical doctor working in Singapore.
