all in good taste

MEGA sits down with MEGA Ball co-chair Ana de Ocampo to pick her thoughts about food, fashion, and why they are relevant to our culture as Filipinos

- STEF JUAN

Food is always a good topic of conversation. Sustenance is non-negotiable when it comes to human existence and that is all we need food to be. But as human civilization progressed, so did the ways and manner humans consumed food evolve. Somewhere along the way, our forebears found ways not only to eat for survival and found pleasure in the eating as well.

“Given food’s nature of being varied and influenced by what is available and by those consuming it — over many centuries — this necessity has advanced beyond just an activity, but almost a form of creative expression and shared passion,” muses Ana de Ocampo, Wildflour Hospitality Group’s CEO.

She continues, “Thus, each locale, each community, and each individual has developed their own ways of procuring and preparing food that spreads and shapes each other. This is why food and culture are so intertwined, and the identity and profile of a people are inevitably molded by their respective relationships with food.”

It’s an interesting conversation, really. Food has come to represent the culture of a people and how it intersects with many aspects of society — from the more obvious ones such as health and education, to the more esoteric world of art and fashion.

FOOD + FILIPINO CULTURE