A Sandakan Childhood:Recalling Hakka Food Memories

This narrative is centred around recalling foods enjoyed in my childhood in Sandakan, a town in the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo Island. It is more of a stream of consciousness than reflective, more descriptive than analytical. In recollecting my memories of foods eaten in years gone by, I realise it is not an exercise in isolation. When we consume food, it is not merely for sustenance as our food practices are invariably intertwined with a whole lot of experiences, rituals and habits of old. The act of remembering favourite or comfort foods can set off triggers of feelings and emotions long past. My family, like most Chinese families of the time, expressed their love for each other through food. It is through food that I acknowledge the caring family environment that our parents created for us.