“Rather than bitter medicine, I hope you get nourished by delicious food.”
—Ji Yeong to the Great Dowager, Bon Appetit Your Majesty! (Netflix, 2025).
THESE WORDS LEFT an impression on me. In the series, Ji Yeong, the palace chef’s dishes are more than culinary creations—they are acts of care and offerings of memory. In another scene, Ji Yeong’s cooking evokes in the Great Dowager memories of her mother’s dishes from childhood—it reminded me that food is deeply personal and sentimental. It carries stories, belonging and identity.
I am a Malay from Balik Pulau. We are sometimes assumed to be the same as the Malays of Tanjong (George Town), the Jawi Peranakans or the Indian Muslims. In truth, our identities differ; this is no more evident than in what we eat. Just as dialects vary depending on geography, so too does the food we eat and how we prepare it. Each ingredient, each method of preparation carries traces of history and place. These subtle variations, which might be imperceptible to outsiders, distinguish our meals, our taste preferences and ultimately, our identity.
