Source: Ages Ago, Penang

I had the chance to visit this eatery – Ages Ago in Penang, and the photos on the wall caught my attention. The words on this particular photos (above) really caught my attention, so I snapped a few photos before my order arrived.

Every photo has a story to tell.  I am choosing this particular one for today’s blog post – taste of home. Why?  For those of you who have been living away from home, I am very sure you can relate to this sentence: Taste of Home – A pleasant memory of my childhood.

How much do you agree with the above sentiment?

Imagine this scenario: you have been eating out for a long time or have not had the chance to have home-cooked meals for a while. You were invited to a friend’s place for dinner and they served one of your favourite childhood dishes…

When you saw that particular childhood favorite dish, and it tasted or smelt similar to the dish that you used to have during your childhood years, how would you feel? Happy? Nostalgic?

Research has shown that food is an effective trigger of deep memories, as it is shaped by the situation and emotion at that time. Thus, for those of you who still have the pleasure of enjoying fond food memories, take the opportunity to reconnect to your favourite childhood dishes. Reconnect to your relatives and share your childhood stories with your children, and allow them to understand you better.

For example, I shared my experience about enjoying the A & W root bear with ice cream with my grandmother. It certainly brought back memories of FUN and happy times with her. I did walk back to the bus station on my recent trip back to Penang, and sort of traced our footsteps. I could still see us “running” across the busy intersections, walking into the A & W outlet and enjoying the glass of root bear together.

Remember: food is a great “connector”. So take this opportunity to share your favourite childhood dishes with your family, and through those dishes, share the stories behind them. This allows your children to get to know your better and learn more about your heritage.