A Medium Of Change

Food May Come in All Sorts of Shapes, Forms, Flavors, and Sizes, but Its Power to Elicit Goodwill Is Universal

- Tricia Morente

Food is the ultimate diplomat.

The very notion of sharing a meal with someone suggests dialogue, communication, and communion. A business deal sealed over a traditional multi-course kaiseki in Japan; a Friday night Shabbat dinner at a hostel rooftop in Tel Aviv; a walking food tour of Binondo—these are just some of the extraordinary ways food unites people, a reminder that we’re more alike than different.

In the realm of social action, food can also be a great platform to round up a community to do good. From restaurants collaborating with charities for donation contributions to cafés cutting out the middlemen in the hope of allowing coffee farmers to earn more, a lot of civic-oriented dining and drinking are taking place these days.

It’s a trend that’s gaining traction in the local dining scene where—while it’s not unusual to see chefs dish out time, skills, and ingredients for charity-led events— there’s a growing number of entrepreneurs building food businesses largely around personal advocacies. It’s a budding movement that hopefully more people will not only take inspiration from but more importantly partake in.

COOKS FOR THE MASSES

An architect by trade and a self-professed fan of reading food labels, Nina Co’s “A-ha!” moment came during late-night work sessions when she found herself relying on a dearth of unhealthy quick-meal options. Taking matters into her own hands, Co started preparing her own frozen food. She was surprised to discover that a lot of people had the same dilemma and were keen on buying her dishes as well.