Planting Change

Samantha Lim discovers how Eric Olmedo, principal research fellow at the Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA), is establishing The Ulam School to create a new culture of eating.

- Samantha Lim

IN TAPAI: Travels & Guilty Pleasures of a Fermented Malaysian by Hishamuddin Rais, the flaneur and food lover insists that, “A Malay meal without ulam is just like the French having one without wine.” So it’s interesting that Frenchman Eric Olmedo is putting his backbone into reminding us Malaysians of our ‘forgotten salad.’

Why ulam, a traditional salad comprised of leaves and herbs eaten raw or blanched, when it could have been lauk-pauk, kuih-muih, or a multitude of other dishes particular to the Malay Peninsula?

“Sorry to be an alarmist,” says the affable sociologist. “But Malaysia, Vietnam, and to a lesser extent, Cambodia, are facing a public health crisis. In these three countries, which constitute my team’s fieldwork, the increasing prevalence of overweight and obese citizens from 1990 to 2013 has been staggering.”

FAT NATION

There is no sugarcoating the fact: Malaysia has reached the highest prevalence in Southeast Asia. “Almost half the population is affected,” reveals Olmedo, quoting the Asian Development Bank Institute. “The exponential rise of urbanisation, sedentary lifestyles, and unhealthy eating habits are the leading factors for obesity and its associated health complications.”

It certainly doesn’t help that our cities are awash with fast food chains. “Furthermore, the high volume of imported vegetables has made it expensive and logistically challenging to obtain healthy meals,” adds Olmedo, making a case for the locavore movement. “This is why we need ulam: to fight against imported macro greens with low nutrients.