Buying local should mean that produce hasn’t had far to travel and shouldn’t have been stored for long periods of time which can result in a loss of nutrients.  If produce has to travel, it may need to be treated with a variety of chemicals to extend its shelf life and to make it fresher and more appealing.  If you are eating local, chances are you are eating seasonal produce.

I could do a full post on why it’s important to eat organic as much as possible but I’ll keep it brief here.  Basically, I try to consume mostly organic produce because I know it’s more nourishing for my body and organic farming is more environmentally sustainable.  I also know that organic produce contains far less chemicals and pesticides than conventionally farmed produce.

While there has been some debate recently about the nutritional difference  between conventional and organic produce I still think avoiding chemical exposures as much as possible can only be a good thing.  

Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible, before being consumed. So you are talking about vegetables, fruits, animal products and whole unprocessed grains (if you can tolerate them).  The benefits of eating whole foods are that they provide more complex micronutrients and therefore greater nutrition.  Eating a whole foods diet means that you don’t eat (or limit) the processed packaged foods that have more than one ingredient!
In conclusion, i hope that this events and activities will keep on going in the future and this is why i think that this events should be promoted in the future. Thats all from me, Thank you.

Late in night, the hawkers will carry waters from the hill and start preparing the tofu. By grinding soy bean, boiling, skimming, curdling, removing whey, moulding and portioning it. By the time its done, the noodle shop already demand for it to make stuffing or braising the tofu to sell. Some of them will deliver it to Kuantan as there are more customer demand for it.

Besides that, they also create their famous Sungai Lembing noodle which can only find at there. The noodle is thin and flat which is made of bamboo pressing with man power. The result is springy and chewy noodle that pair well with bowl of soup, curry or dry style. The noodle often paired with Hakka style stuffed vegetables such as eggplant, okra, bittergourd. Often with minced pork or fish and seafood. The noodle factory will also deliver to few vendors in Kuantan and the locals love it. 

Back to the mountain water where the Sg. Lembing locals uses it in many other foods. For example, tea shop, Bakuteh, herbal tea egg, and many other business. Although for me it taste just slightly better than normal but the ambience truly amazed me. Hence, there are a lot of tourist who want to find this hidden gem that locate 45minute from Kuantan.

In the conclusion, it might not be the big business or big impact for local economy but I can say that one dish can made me have a visit there before sunrise just to get a bowl of noodle soup with stuffed tofu.

 I want to introduce a café in Batu Pahat, which is JQK F&B. JQK F&B stands for Juniors, Queen and King Food and Beverage. The business concept of the café is from garden to plate. All the fresh products such as vegetable, local grapes and roselles are planted by the owner of the café. All the plant is organic and use no fertilisers. The owner uses the worm castings which are rich in nutrients and a single teaspoon can provide enough organic plant nutrients to feed a 15cm potted plant for more than two months. It’s a slow releasing fertiliser and inexpensive to produce so that the owner can maintain lower prices for the meals. Besides that, the owner is also a fantastic cook. The menu of the day is highly dependent on what’s available in garden. One of the menus is a blue pea infused rice with curry chicken and stir-fried pumpkin. This pretty-as-a-picture dish, served in brown clay crockery akin to those plates you use for potted plants, is a simple affair by most standards but tastes absolutely divine. The rustic charm certainly makes for Instagram-worthy pictures. Blue pea has many health benefits. It can help to strengthen the eyesight. That’s why the owner use a lot of it in his cooking. The owner puts a lot of effort on establishing the café, all the process from gardening until cooking are conducted by himself, so I think all the food products such as foods, desserts, beverages are slow food. 

Here is the link which is an article about the JQK F&B, https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/sunday-vibes/2017/07/258173/garden-plate

Another food product in my hometown which is famous is Ah See Wantan Mee. Some 60+ years ago, the founder Chong Ah See, the family patriarch set up a roadside stall. There, he cooked and peddled “char siu wantan mee” – handmade egg noodles mixed with a sesame-based sauce, served with slices of charcoal-roasted char siu barbecued pork) and wantan (meat dumplings). Ah See’s family prides themselves in their homemade ingredients. Sure, modern technology made the work faster now, but quality was not compromised. For example, the handmade noodles were ‘cut’ using a knife, a process that took many man hours. They still make the noodles at the back of this shop. The ‘char siu’ is still slow roasted using metal tin ovens and charcoal, right in the back alley like how they did it many years ago. Wantan; its meat and skin are also made in the kitchen at the back of the shop. These meat dumplings are tender and juicy. In conclusion, Ah See Wantan Mee is consider as a slow food because all food products are handmade to ensure their quality and taste.

Here is a link of an article about Ah See Wantan Mee, http://www.suanie.net/2015/06/ah-see-wantan-mee-batu-pahat/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKBVIqoh0Mk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqZlPPENlco

Growing up as my grandfather is a fisherman, he would always bring home fresh fishes for grandmother to cook at home. One of my favorites are Umai. Umai is a traditional Melanau delicacy made of thin slices of iced fresh fish combined with slices of onions, chili, salt, lime juice or assam paya and shrimps then left marinated. The types of fresh fishes used for this delicacy are ikan tenggiri (most popular), ikan terubok, ikan bawal, and ikan merah sometimes even jellyfish. The umai is often served with warm rice but traditionally, it is served with baked sago pearls. In Sabah, there is also a similar version of this dish which is traditional from the Kadazandusun people called Hinava. It is also made of raw fish, lime, ginger, shallots and chillies. This dish is also usually served with rice. There are still a lot of other Sarawak traditional cuisines that are worth mentioning such as Manok Pansoh, Midin, Tebaloi, Terung Dayak, Dabai and many more.

Overtime, traditional dishes like mentioned previously tends to be overlooked as it is not preferred by younger generations due to its method of preparation. Because the acidity from the lime juice or assam paya are the ones that ‘cooks’ the fishes. Also, it is sometimes hard to find this dish served in restaurants nowadays especially in urban cities as it has been urbanized with the exception of some local food stalls that serves seafoods. Younger generations also preferred foods that are known to them and some are more into fast foods or convenient foods because it gives them more comfort. They don’t have that much knowledge on traditional food as they were not exposed to it especially the ones that grew up in modernized cities. Thus, why these traditional foods are more and more forgotten. So, in my opinion, I think the event is helpful in promoting and exposing traditional foods and cultures to the younger generations in Sarawak and also to the rest of the country as it also attracts domestic tourists along with international ones.

Below are the articles related to the festival: 

And here is the video example of the event:

One of the food that I want to prefer is Dabai fruits.  It is commonly known as “Sarawak olive” due to its resemblance to olive.  However it is not botanically related to olive family.  The edible dabai fruits has a thin dark purple to black coloured skin and the flesh is yellow in colour and has a hard angular seed.  It is found in abundance along the Rajang Basin, especially in Sibu division in Sarawak.  

Traditionally, dabai fruit is prepared by soaking in warm water for about 15 minutes and then eaten with salt or soy sauce, as part of a meal or as a savoury snack. Being a popular indigenous fruit in Sarawak, dabai has good potential to be marketed as s specialty fruit since it has also been identified as a Geographical Indication product. Dabai is a very nutritious fruits with high energy level and antihypercholesterol and antioxidant activities.  
      
Here is the article about the dabai fruits:
https://blogmardi.wordpress.com/2017/02/13/dabai-specialty-fruit-of-sarawak/

I choose this fruit as one of the food that can be categorize under Slow Food Movement because nowadays, this fruit is hard to be find. In other word, it goes to the extinction. Moreover, it gives benefit to our health. In a traditional way, “Buah Katak Puru” can prevent high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney failure. The fruit have to be divided into two part before dried it and boiled it. Then, the boiled water of “Buah Katak Puru” need to be consume twice a day.

The taste of the fruit is sweet and sour. We can also eat it raw. Otherwise, we can serve with salt, “sambal kicap” or “kuah rojak”. People also use it to make a “sambal ikan” and “asam boi buah katak puru”.

Here I attach a recipe of "Asam Boi Buah Katak Puru".

“Buah Beka” or Kelantanese usually say it “Beko” is also known as “Bonglai”. It scientific name is Oroxylum indicum. You may not familiar with this kind of food because it is not planted and growing wild on the edge of the village. 

It looks like a belt and normally people does not realize that it can be eaten. It is bitter in taste and “Kerabu Beko” usually being served as an appetizer. It must be roasted first to reduce the taste of bitterness.

It should be commercialize and categorize under slow food movement because “Buah Beko” is good for our health and it can also boosted up the production of breast milk. 

Moreover, it root and leaves can also be use to reduce fever, headache and flu.

Here I attach the recipe for "Kerabu Beko".

           The dish is really famous and been a favourite of the local and tourists. This type of atmosphere is suitable for Slow Food Movement because people can interact with each other, gain knowledge about local food product and try the taste of food that has been popular for ages. Tamu Besar that held annually at Kota Belud once a year will show a local farmers, fishermen and vendors will get together at the largest open-air market to sell variety of produce, goods. It is a great approach for people to come to explore the sample local food and observe the traditional way. There also a water buffalo race, colourful parade by the local people (Bajau Horsemen).  It also can educate the consumers about the tradition of the local foods and at the same time improve the experience and make people consider to come again for the next time. 

Tamu Besar Kota Belud

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwEHMLqHYtE 

Kuih Panjaram
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNxQi8dEw0A 

Even though the appearance of the food is not appealing, however cow’s brain consist of protein and nutrients such as omega 3 fatty acid. It also consist of vitamins which is Vitamin B5 and Vitamin B12. It provide benefit for our health. That is why this kind of local should be included in slow food movement.

Somehow, “Gulai Otak Lembu” is also one of the Malay cuisine that have been forgotten. Some people may accept it but some people even cannot eat it (even me).

In order to make this kind of dish, we have to handle it with care because cow’s brain is very soft. Here i attach the recipe of "Gulai Otak Lembu" and the proper ways to handle it.

My late grandmother was a “kuih tepung bungkus” maker. In a day almost 300 “kuih” can be made and sent to the seller. Many people are passionate about this traditional “kuih”. However, not many people are good at making this “kuih” even though it use the ingredients that are easy to find and the steps of making it is also easy. The outer part of the “kuih” or the base is difficult to get the right texture because it requires the right measurement.

My mother has made a variation toward this kuih. Instead of using inti kelapa as a filling, my mother uses “ubi kayu” as the filling. The steps of making the “ubi kayu” filling is the same as “inti kelapa” because it only use “gula Melaka” and white sugar. At my area, only my mother are the one who makes this “tepung bungkus ubi” or “lepat ubi”. So, I can say that this food are categorised in slow food movement because not anyone know about this food.