By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Nov 18: All food operators in the city will now have to maintain the best possible quality in terms of food and hygiene to honour its status as a Creative City of Gastronomy.
Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng, in stating this, appealed to all local councils to look into areas related to gastronomy to ensure eateries remain attractive and clean.
He said this is currently the main priority for all local councils including MBKS since Kuching became the first in Malaysia to join some 35 cities around the globe to be recognised under the Unesco Creative Cities Network (UCCN) for its food heritage and diversity.
“Other than that, we will also make our best effort to organise gastronomy-related events, not only to enhance and preserve Kuching’s image as a City of Gastronomy, but also to reintroduce our local delicacies and dishes from all corners of Sarawak to a wider audience locally and internationally.
“Let’s do it together and show to the world that we, Sarawak have a lot to offer,” he said during a press conference on Kuching Creative City of Gastronomy at Bangunan Baitulmakmur here today.
On Nov 9, Kuching was accepted as a City of Gastronomy by Unesco, but it was only on Nov 16 that the official recognition letter reached Kuching.
“From now, for the next four years and many years to come, we will begin our challenging journey together as a City of Gastronomy to maintain and honour the new status,” said Wee, who was part of the team that contributed to this award.
The application for the prestigious status was a team collaboration undertaken by the Federal and State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and city councils while backed by Sarawak stakeholders namely the Culinary Heritage and Arts Society Sarawak (CHASSS) and Society Atelier Sarawak (SAS).
This milestone, Sarawak Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said, would be a stepping stone in increasing Sarawak’s visibility and positive image especially on the international stage.
Noting that this is just the beginning of a long journey to sustain, he said all members of the community would have to play a role in safeguarding this title. — DayakDaily
