Climate change is real. The planet is hurting, a fact made clear by Sir David Attenborough’s film on Netflix, A Life On Our Planet. But as we were cooped up at home and the outdoors grew silent, we found our wildlife flourishing; otters were spotted frolicking on our shores more frequently, and in national parks elsewhere, researchers saw usually shy animals emerging in the light of day.

While that has drawn attention to our encroachment on their natural habitat, the pandemic has also made us aware of our own bodies. By now, we’ve developed the habit of washing our hands more, wearing masks, and sanitising our mobile devices. We have become mindful of what we eat and how we move. Now more than ever, we resonate with Hippocrates’ saying of “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” even when it comes to what we drink (p62).

In Asia, we are privileged to have an arsenal of tools and ingredients at our disposal such as fermentation techniques (p46), native plants with healing properties (p38) and urban bee farms (p84). We can also learn from the monks who prepare temple cuisine without losing a spiritual connection to the earth (p54), or an Austrian biodynamic vineyard, Clos des Vignes du Maynes, which depends solely on Mother Nature for their harvest (p94). We can hold hope for the future as researchers of neurogastronomy, Timor-Leste Food Lab and University of Gastronomic Sciences push to make breakthroughs in the study of food, changing our perception on nourishment and biodiversity (p71).

Above all, it’s through fostering a relationship with nature that will teach us to better appreciate the animals and plants we consume. And it is high time we did, lest we resort to an entirely cell-based diet (p106) in the years to come.

Wine & Dine November/December 2020 issue is available on Magzter.