Read it and make a reflection/reaction about the story that will connect to the

Globalization.
A story: Gio, Latif, and the Laksa

When Gio was a second-year international affairs student in a university in Cebu

City, he obtained funding to join the school team participating in an international Model
UN competition in Sydney, Australia. At the height of the competition, Gio made plenty
of new friends and became particularly close to Latif asked Gio where he was from.
Upon discovering that the Gio was from the Philippines, Latif lit up and declared that
he was a big fan of Filipino actors Jericho Rosales and Kristine Hermosa. Gio was
pleasantly surprised to learn that Latif had seen every episode of the ABS-CBN
telenovela Pangako sa’yo (“The Promise”). The show had air on Malaysian TV a few
years back, and its two stars had developed a modest following.
Ashamed that he did not know as much about Malaysia as Latif knew about the
Philippines, Gio asked Latif what his country was like. Latif, he discovered, was from a
Muslim university in Kuala Lumpur. Gio asked him what he liked best about living in
“KL”, and Latif immediately mentioned the food. Latif explained that in Kuala Lumpur,
one can find Chinese, Indian, and Malay cuisines. He told Gio that his assortment of
foodways was the result of how Britist reorganized Malaysian society during the
colonial times. The Britist did little to change the way of life of the Malays who were the
original residents, but brought in Chinese laborers to work in the rubber plantations and
tin mines and Indians to help manage the bureaucracy and serve as the initial
professional core of a potential middle class. One of the ways that these ethnic groups
were identified was through their foodways.
According to Latif, Malaysia eventually became famous for these cuisines which
can be found in the various “hawker centers” across the nation’s cities and towns.
These food stands are located in outdoor food parks where locals and tourists taste
the best of Malaysia, from nasi lemak to laksa. Gio interrupted Latif and asked, “What
is laksa?” He felt more ashamed at his lack of knowledge. “Ahh…let me show you what
it is and how it is prepared!” replied Latif.
The next day, Latif took Gio to a Malaysian Restaurant a few blocks away from
the University, Gio was surprised to discover that Malaysian food was readily available
in Sydney. Having noticed this, Latif explained to his Filipino friend that, over the years,
as more and more Malaysian students moved to Sydney to study, Malaysian
restaurants followed suit. Soon after, they were catering not only to these students, but
to Australia-born ‘Sydneysiders” as well, whose culinary tastes were becoming more
and more diverse.
Gio finally had his first taste of laksa – a rice noodle soup in a spicy coconut
curry sauce. He found the flavors intense since, like most Filipinos, he was not used to
spicy food. However, in deference to his friend, he persisted and eventually found
himself enjoying the hot dish. After the meal, Gio and Latif went to a nearby café and
ordered “flat whites” – an espresso drink similar to latte, which is usually serve in cafes
in Australia and New Zealand. Both knew what flat whites were since there were
Australian-inspired cafes in both Kuala Lumpur and Cebu.
A few years after graduation, Gio moved to Singapore, joining many other
overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the city-state. The culture was new to him, but
one thing was familiar: the food served in Singapore was no different from the
Malaysian food he had discovered through Latif. He would later learn form Singaporean
colleagues that the island country was once part of the British colony of Malay and the
postwar independent Federation of Malaysia. Singapore, however separated from the
Federation in August 1965 and became a nation-state. Today, they may be two distinct
countries in this part of the world, but Singapore and Malaysia still share the same
cuisine.
One Saturday, while Gio was checking his facebook feed along the very busy
Orchard Road – Singapore’s main commercial road – he noticed that latif had just
posted something 5 minutes earlier. It was a picture from Ochard Road. Surprised but
also excited, Gio sent Latif a private message. Latif replied immediately saying that he
too had moved to Singapore and was, at that moment, standing in front a department
store just a few blocks away from where Gio was. The two friends met up, and after a
long hug and quick questions as to what each was up to, they ducked into a café and
renewed their international friendship….by ordering a pair of flat whites.
After he settled down in his apartment, Gio sought out and found a favorite laksa
stall in Newton Hawker Center. He would spend his weekends there with friends eating
laksa and other dishes.
The new friends promised to stay in touch after the competition, and added each
other on Facebook and Instagram. Over the next two years, they exchanged emails
and posts, congratulated each other for their achievements, and commented on and
liked each other’s photos. Latif sent his mother’s recipe to Gio and the latter began
cooking Malaysian food in his home.
One Saturday, while Gio was checking his facebook feed along the very busy
Orchard Road – Singapore’s main commercial road – he noticed that latif had just
posted something 5 minutes earlier. It was a picture from Ochard Road. Surprised but
also excited, Gio sent Latif a private message. Latif replied immediately saying that he
too had moved to Singapore and was, at that moment, standing in front a department
store just a few blocks away from where Gio was. The two friends met up, and after a
long hug and quick questions as to what each was up to, they ducked into a café and
renewed their international friendship….by ordering a pair of flat whites.