Good things happen to those who wait; good food comes to those who are willing to walk a mile. Then there are people who live to eat, and those who eat to live. Well, to be honest, not many people today can afford the time to travel for food, much less good food, unless you’re a food connoisseur of course. It’s unsurprising that many of us believe that we eat because we have to.

As much as Singaporeans love food, the luxury of spending time to queue up for and enjoy a good meal remains for the privileged few. More often than not, we choose to go for quick bites before returning to bury ourselves in work. But even then, mealtimes are at risk of becoming a thing of the past. It was recently suggested that lunch hours should be scrapped so that trading hours could be extended. Such a proposition really leaves us wondering if we would forgo meals should it become possible one day.

We cannot proclaim ourselves to be a foodie nation anymore. We have condemned ourselves to being slaves of time. No longer can we spare a 5-minute walk to the next street to enjoy a sumptuous plate of char kway tiao at the kopitiam. We’d rather dine at the basement food court where we eat the same plate of mixed vegetable rice everyday because it’s so much more convenient. Now, that’s just sad, isn’t it?