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| I would like to share with you how this all came about.
My publishers, Media Masters Pte Ltd, got to know of my culinary ideas through my newspaper columns. They liked my recipes. They appreciated the response I was getting from readers. Equally important, they liked my philosophical approach to the planning and preparation of meals.
The press release that was issued in conjunction with the launching of the “The Frugal Gourmet” at Penang’s Sandy Bay Hotel on December 14, 2009 made a very valid observation.
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| It reflects my thoughts exactly. |
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Society’s excesses have invaded our kitchens. Our overall attitudes to food and its consumption have too often been swept along in pursuit of the expansive and flamboyant.
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| The time has come for re-evaluations and re-assessments of nutritional worth, for a kitchen war on waste. |
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Specifically, it is time for a return to, and enhancement of, the fundamental role of good food in our lives. |
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A war on waste, when it comes to food, is unquestionably called for. This applies to both eastern and western cooking. |
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| I am not recommending penny-pinching. I'm not urging deprivation or re-adjustment of food intake levels. |
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| Certainly not! Far from it. |
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| The fact is that we have become very slack in our approach to cooking and entertaining. |
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| I am speaking here in general terms. Pointedly, it has not been an overnight phenomenon. |
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| It has been a process that has been growing in intensity over years . . . . even decades, I can say. |
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| I've been around a long time. I've watched it happen. |
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| In our homes we over-cook and over-feed people. In restaurants we over-order and seek relief from our sins by asking for Ta-Pao. |
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| Attitudes must change. Tables should not groan with food before the homemaker or chef responsible is duly recognised. |
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| Recognition and credit should spring from the subtleties of fine content, NOT from over-load. |
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| Fortunately for me, my publishers agreed with these views . . . and liked my recipes. |
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| Let me assure you that the preparation and publication of a cook book is no easy matter. It takes time and considerable effort. |
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| Work on The Frugal Gourmet spread over 18 months. Cooking and photographic sessions were conducted here in Penang, in Singapore and as far away as Sydney, Australia. |
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I am so happy with the result. I do hope you see value in it, too. |
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