5 Foods We Missed During MCO

Dubbed as ‘The New Normal’, the current situation revolving around the COVID-19 outbreak has affected our lives in many ways. Social distancing is now the norm when we’re out and about, and staying at home is highly encouraged in order to reduce potential spread of the highly infectious virus. While we wholeheartedly embrace ‘The New Normal’, we can’t help but miss some of the things we used to do - especially food! Here are 5 foods we missed during MCO that we used to enjoy during the pre-COVID 19 era: 

 

1. Hot Pot / Korean BBQ 

 

Photo by Sean Lee on Unsplash 

 

We totally miss sharing a hot pot (also known as steamboat) or a BBQ grill with our friends and family! Do you remember when Haidilao hit our shores and we had to queue for HOURS just to get a seat? Haidilao even perfected the art of helping customers pass the time while they queue for a seat by serving free-flow snacks and beverages, and even manicures! 

 

Now with social distancing, long queues are a thing of the past - but perhaps it’s for the better. We foresee that restaurants will instead embrace a booking or reservation system - rather than allow long queues to crowd up their storefront. This ensures that eating at your favourite restaurant will be a relatively hassle-free experience! 

 

2. Mamak Food

 

Mamak Food tastes best when enjoyed with a group of friends! There’s just something about going down to your local mamak joint after a long day, ordering a Teh Tarik, and just chatting about the day with your friends. With a variety of roti and fried foods to choose from, you can also enjoy mamak food at any other time of the day - from morning till late at night! Our mamak joint is like a best friend who’s there for you at any hour, when you need food to soothe your soul. 

 

While we miss hanging out with our friends in our local mamak joint, it’s best that we enjoy our meals in smaller groups and practice social distancing in the meanwhile. You can also support your local mamak joint by tapau-ing your favourite foods and bringing it home! 

 

3. Late Night Supper Spots

 

Hungry after working overtime in the office? Or maybe after you’ve gone clubbing with your friends? Or just hungry late at night in general? There used to be many supper spots you could hit up if you’re hungry past 10pm, ranging from fancy cafes to roadside burger stalls. 

 

Even though business hours have extended for most businesses, operating hours are still governed according to their categories as permitted by the International Trade and Industry Ministry. It’s probably for the best - since snacking late at night is not exactly the healthiest thing you can do for your body! 

 

4. Bubble Tea 

Yes, we know - you could still technically order bubble tea from food delivery platforms during MCO, but that didn’t stop people from missing their daily dose of bubble tea at home! For most people, it didn’t seem worth the extra delivery cost to deliver bubble tea to their homes. In fact, it seemed like most people were more willing to go the extra mile and make their own versions of bubble tea from scratch! With boba pearl recipes going viral on the Internet, and even Tealive offering their own DIY Bubble Tea kit, bubble tea fans did their best to satiate their cravings by making their own variations of bubble tea! 

 

Now that most food businesses are open again, remember to practice social distancing while queueing for your favourite bubble tea beverage! 

 

5. The latest offerings from Family Mart 

Image by takaya_abe14 via Instagram

Let’s not kid ourselves - most of us head over to Family Mart because it was close to our workplace or on the way there. While you could still technically go to Family Mart during the MCO period, it was mostly out of the way for people who were practising social distancing by staying at home. As a result, we ended up missing out on our favourite sofuto ice-cream and oden bowls of the season! 

 

Now that some of us are back at work, just remember to continue social distancing and maintain good hygiene while you’re shopping at Family Mart. Every little bit counts! 

 

Though it feels like we missed out on our favourite meals during MCO, we’ve actually gained a newfound appreciation for these foods and everyday experiences! Let us continue to practice gratitude during this period of the ‘New Normal’ in order to better appreciate the small moments that we’re going through day-by-day. We can get through this! 

In light of the current circumstances, Mayflower Holidays recognise that our customers may have difficulty in reaching us through our customer support helpline. We strongly urge customers with non-immediate concerns to contact us via email at cs@mayflower-group.com or through our contact form if you have any concerns or issues. Meanwhile, we would like to remind everyone to stay safe and continue to practice social distancing during this period of restricted movement. See you again soon!