The highly-anticipated annual Kuching Food Festival 2023 through the eyes of the writer.
Kuching Food Festival 2023: More creative, more choices, more fun
The annual Kuching Food Festival returns with an array of appealing foods that reflect the city’s UNESCO status as a “Creative City of Gastronomy”.
Looking back over the years, the street food choices were quite repetitive and unexciting.
However, this year was interesting as food operators have reached a higher degree of creativity.
As usual, I arrived at the location with my family at 4.30pm, and it was already packed with foodies.
I found it intriguing that there was no division between Muslim and non-Muslim stalls at the festival; instead, there was unity.
Every race and religion came together sharing a common interest — food.
Although many may argue that the food festival has diverted from its original purpose, diversity continues to bring Sarawakians together to celebrate our city as the city of food.
Aside from the introduction of newer cuisines into the market, there are food operators who are daring enough to venture beyond the local cuisine, expanding its characteristics while retaining its individuality.
One such cuisine is the laksa pie, which can be found on the left row of stalls as you enter the area from the main entrance.
Though it may sound odd, it is the unique sense of creativity that allows one to go outside of their comfort zone while maintaining a familiar taste.
True enough, Kuchingites have grown more innovative with their food.
Another observation was the number of stalls with “Blackpink” signboards offering various foods with the popular K-pop girl group concept as their marketing technique.
“Blackpink chicken”, “Blackpink croissants”, “Blackpink sushi”, and many more Blackpinks; the black- and pink-coloured foods were also popular among those who adored the Korean girl group.
While Blackpink-themed stalls were among the few repeats at this year’s food festival, another striking feature is how creative the food operators are with their respective stalls.
At one stall, a huge bagel was spinning, and at another, a big octopus was seated.
There were stalls with Chinese decorations and another with Dayak motifs to highlight their heritage identity.
Many young food operators had also taken it upon themselves to decorate as cutely or aesthetically as possible in order to attract visitors.
Regardless of how appealing a stall is to the visitor’s eyes, the food must be equally so.
Walking past each stall was a cry in the wallet because the majority of the food was pricey. RM20 for a croissant? RM16 for chicken wings? RM25 for skewers?
The foods were tempting, but I took a step back and wondered if it was a wise choice.
Despite the setbacks, I determined that the festival would only take place once a year, and it is likely that the operators have become more creative with foods.
So, I splurged. My goal? To buy food that is unlike what I could get on normal days.
I wanted to eat something that would leave me wanting more after the food festival ended.
Something that would make me remember the stall till the next food festival, hoping it would still be there.
I walked around every corner and stall, looking for something that would make me want to come back for more.
I had gotten myself baby tarts, different flavoured egg waffles with faces on them, chicken on lemongrass skewers, chicken bites, potato salad and sushi from a vegetarian stall.
I realise once I sat down that I had not ordered any main courses, just street food.
I chuckled as I looked around and noticed that the majority of the stalls sells snacks.
I also realised that many food operators were inspired by social media platforms such as TikTok, Lemon8, and Xiao Hong Shu.
The latter is obvious as there are many Chinese-inspired snacks that are available here, and I am pleased to admit that I bought one that has had me salivating over my screen — a taro bucket!
The verdict of each food I bought? I was satisfied, to say the least.
Money is scarce as food prices rise due to inflation, therefore I would not splurge as much on snacks and pastries as I would like to on normal days.
So, the food festival was a means for me to spend money in order to keep myself happy. It is kind of like retail therapy, except I could gain weight with all the goodies I have picked up.
After we finished our dinner, we went to the hall to look for more goodies, and I was surprised!
Previously, the community hall was overflowing with multi-level marketing businesses and Chinese goods.
This year’s vendor lineup includes boutiques, car accessories shops, and furniture stores, which was a welcome change.
Needless to say, this year’s community hall comprises many newcomers and first-timers to the festival.
Despite the fact that I broke my wallet this year by going to the festival, I would like to commend the festival organisers for the innovative diversity of food as well as the essence of originality.
It was a refreshing change from the usual repeat at every 10 stalls.
This year’s food festival also showed the operators’ creative side by introducing new varieties to the taste buds.
By 6.30pm, we were ready to leave the festival, but it was difficult to walk to the exit gate. We stroll slowly as visitors flood the area, looking for something to eat.
As we walk at a slow pace, the sun sets over the horizon and the lights from each stall begin to illuminate the festivity.
By 7pm, the occasion had become a colourful one, decorated with the vibrancy of what appears to be unity and diversity.
