If it doesn't bounce, it's a bad fishball

December 4, 2019 2:10 PM

So let's say you're interested in food security, Southeast Asian cuisine, agriculture minutae, economic justice, deep dives on how climate change/labor rights/international treaties/[insert variable] affects global and regional food chains, and you're interested in getting that information in a serial 45-minute episode news-food-travel-documentary form from a chef, from September 2019. Well For Food's Sake, you won't believe what I have for you. Through the lens of food security as it relates to Singapore, because of the 10% food price increase there in recent years. Each episode focuses on a specific food item or two. SSYP (Single Series YouTube Post)

Brought to you by Singaporean chefs Lennard Yeong and Ming Tan, via CNA (Channel News Asia, who make no pretensions about not receiving SG government money).

"From price fixing scandals to pollution and mysterious diseases, chefs Lennard Yeong and Ming Tan travel across Southeast Asia to understand how seemingly random occurrences disturb the food supply in Singapore – and if it is possible to predict and prevent the price hikes and food shortages in the future."

posted by saysthis (11 comments total)

It's pretty cool because each 20-minute segment is answering the question, "Why is this expensive in Singapore?" in very matter-of-fact terms that are super enlightening and interesting, and they look like they're having fun doing it.

Indonesian potato frosts. I didn't know that was a thing. For example.
posted by saysthis at 2:12 PM on December 4, 2019 [2 favorites]

Also not to derail my own post, but jeez, this is the CNA documentary on The mystery of North Korean "ghost ships", and I don't know if I've ever been this excited about a state-sponsored news outlet since Al-Jazeera. Like...whoever's in charge, whatever the bias, they're covering some stuff that is genuinely not around in other English-language media.
posted by saysthis at 2:55 PM on December 4, 2019 [3 favorites]

this is great! thanks so much for this... as long as they're not claiming sg food is the best street food. :P
posted by cendawanita at 9:03 PM on December 4, 2019 [3 favorites]

thanks! vpro (dutch public broadcasting) documentary series is pretty good, too :P
posted by kliuless at 9:19 PM on December 4, 2019 [1 favorite]

cendawanita: as a Southeast Asian who is neither Singaporean or Malaysian, I confess I am an avid gawker of the SG vs MY intramurals that follow whenever the origin of/best of something is disputed. Hawker food; yu sheng; batik (oh wait that's with Indonesia). I will only say I had Singapore hawker food plenty when I was working there, but my favorite hawker experience is still Chulia Street in Penang.
posted by micketymoc at 10:07 PM on December 4, 2019 [2 favorites]

This is amazingly directly in line with my interests! Thank you so much for sharing it, I never would have found it otherwise.
posted by Mizu at 11:27 PM on December 4, 2019 [1 favorite]

I started watching the "Why is Pork and Corn getting more expensive" episode. It doesn't start well - he visits a calligrapher who makes a bunch of unproven assertions about why Chinese people are culturally have the closest affinity for raising pigs and eating pork. I gave up.
posted by awfurby at 11:36 PM on December 4, 2019

I started watching the "Why is Pork and Corn getting more expensive" episode. It doesn't start well - he visits a calligrapher who makes a bunch of unproven assertions about why Chinese people are culturally have the closest affinity for raising pigs and eating pork. I gave up.
posted by awfurby at 3:36 PM on December 5 [+] [!]

True, that particular intro annoyed me too, but I think that's a little tongue-in-cheek. They often start segments by introducing familiar tropes, which they then go on to prove or disprove. The pork episode on to discuss how African swine fever doesn't particularly impact fresh pork prices in Singapore, how increasing global demand for pork belly in particular is driving up pork prices, how rising feedstock and fuel prices are absorbed at different levels of the supply chain, and how a popular misconception that fresh pork is more tender than frozen pork is causing some people to spend more than they otherwise would.

I definitely would have stopped watching too if that was what I saw first, so I'm glad it wasn't.
posted by saysthis at 12:02 AM on December 5, 2019

Very good post title

That is all
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:44 AM on December 5, 2019 [1 favorite]

This is awesome! Thank you for posting.
posted by MiraK at 12:08 PM on December 5, 2019

interesting documentary
posted by paulasi at 1:00 PM on December 5, 2019