Start of the Journey

Hello! I’m Anna, a Year 1 Bachelor of Environmental Studies student in NUS. Since I was young, I’ve loved nature, it was so fun to be outside and the Earth was full of such interesting biodiversity. But it was when I went to junior college that my passion for the environment really ignited.

I joined an enrichment programme which taught us about many aspects of the environment, and coupled with the knowledge of JC Geography, my view of the natural world expanded. It wasn’t just something filled with beautiful things, but something so complex, dynamic, yet vulnerable.

My friends and me (pink shirt on the right) on a school trip to Taiwan!

This idea of vulnerability was also probed in a different way after reading Neo Xiaoyun’s essay in the book Eating Chilli Crab in the Anthropocene (Schneider-Mayerson, 2020). She wrote about chilli crab, something not frequently thought of as an “environmental”issue. What’s more, crabs aren’t conventionally seen as lovable animals, and they don’t have much public presence in media.

I was able to hear Xiaoyun speak about the book and her thoughts in an event, and she mentioned “everything can be environmental if you dig deep enough”. That thought stuck in my mind and led me to think harder on the topic of food and less-popular animals she discussed.

As cliché as it is: food is integral to Singapore’s identity; but does Singapore’s beloved food culture align with the current climate crisis?  

Are there aspects of the environmental issue I am missing by ignoring the convoluted food web and its less-explored elements?

This blog isn’t simply going to be about food waste or promoting vegetarianism (I’m not strictly one myself anyways). I wish to delve deeper into the intersectional nature of food and understand its role in a larger ecosystem. Hope you’ll follow me on the ride!

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