(Photo credit: World Halal Quest Facebook Page)
Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to meet up with the folks behind World Halal Quest; namely Lina Masrina and Bryan Yong. The whole concept of their blog revolves around travelling to the far ends of the world; mainly to document, educate and share about the the vast array and abundance of halal food available in the various countries they set foot on. For those who aren’t familiar, the word halal means “permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law“.
After the customary introductions, we got straight into talking about food and its likes – mainly within the local scene and context. What surprised – but comforted me – was that although we’ve never met before prior to this; the three of us had some sort of an instant chemistry – we managed to clicked instantly because of our shared enthusiasm and love of food. Among the various small chatter, Bryan shared some stories with regards to street food in his home country of Malaysia and how it compares to Singapore food and the food scene in general. Lina seemed very comfortable and knowledgeable when it came to talking about food (which wasn’t a surprise; as she had, to date, travelled to more than 35 countries around the world!).
Also in attendance were some of Lina’s friends/blog followers (whose names, unfortunately, I have forgotten – I’m sorry…) and they, too, were enthusiastic about food and the likes. Upon learning that I used to work in restaurant and cafe kitchens, they inundated me with various cooking-related queries and such; one of which was about the humble – yet extremely easy to mess up – steak. I shared the simple “finger test/poke” method (which I learnt during my culinary school years) as one of the ways to get a physical “feel” of a steak’s doneness – much to the delight and awe of those who were present.
Without question, I would love to meet up with them (and other fellow food lovers and enthusiasts) in the near future. Meet-ups like these are one of the more pleasurable and comforting things that I could be a part of. Though the occasional difference of opinion may arise during conversations, we can all agree that we can’t live without food – which, without a doubt, makes us loyal and life-long members of the “live-to-eat” fellowship.
eat food. live food. 