SLOWOOD Local Project: Interview with Alive Food

Jennifer
Founder of Alive Food

Why do you think Kombucha & Sourdough become so popular in Hong Kong? Do you think this is a trend?

Healthy eating has definitely become a trend in Hong Kong, it is amazing to see how the COVID situation has actually created awareness of conscious eating. People are realizing by consuming the right product actually helps build a healthy immune system, which is crucial for us to combat disease. On the other hand, people in HK are in general very open minded when it comes to food, it is not surprising to see Kombucha & Sourdough have finally started to pick up in HK. 

你認為紅菌茶和酸種麫包為何在香港變得受歡迎? 你認為這是潮流嗎?

「健康飲食在香港已經形成了一股熱潮，人們好像發現到進食健康天然的食物，才可以増強身體的免疫系統，從而打倒病菌。再者，香港人的思維對新事物一直比較開放，所以我們並不訝異酸種麪包和紅菌茶受歡迎的程度。」

You mentioned the “Alive Movement” on your website, how does this play into Hong Kong’s food culture? In your opinion, what is the relationship between “movement” & “trend”?

Trend comes and goes but “movement” is a continuous lifestyle. Therefore, Alive food cannot be defined as a single product, but rather a collective of naturally fermented products that could be easily blended into our eating lifestyle.

We hope from “Alive Movement” we can create the consciousness of eating healthy without compromising flavor, delicious food and health should go hand in hand. We want to make “healthy fermented food” approachable by creating a wide range of products with an accessible price point, in order to achieve a sustainable “movement”.

你們的網頁提及到<Alive Movement>，你認為它在香港的飲食文化擔當什麼角色?在你而言，「運動」和「潮流」有什麼關係?

「潮流會有興衰，但運動卻是一種持續的生活風格。因此，我們不可以將Alive Food比喻成單一流行的產品，Alive Food應是選擇將各種天然發酵的食品帶入日常生活的態度。

我們希望<Alive Movement>可以令更多人注重健康飲食，而非盲目追求食物的味道。我們希望以公道的價錢和不同種類的產品告訴大家，健康和美味應共同存在我們選擇的食物中。」

Making fermented drinks and sourdough takes longer time for processing, what inspires you to do so? Does it relate the lifestyle attitude of slow-living?

Food health and mental health definitely go hand in hand. Living in a fast-paced city like HK, it is important to be selective when it comes to what goes into our mouth and the lifestyle we have, as it has a strong impact on keeping our body well balanced.

Making fermented food takes time and patience, which is the great example of how fast doesn’t always equal better. While we live in a world that is full of fast food that is made with chemicals and artificial ingredients, creating “slow food” with love and seeing how our body loves us back , as well as the positive feedback our customers have been giving us , are what inspired us to keep creating more fermented products.

製作發酵食品需要更長的時間，為什麼你們還會選擇製作? 跟慢活的態度有關聯嗎?

「食物健康與精神健康的關係是絕對密不可分的。生活在香港 - 這種節奏急速的城市，我們有必要在選擇食物和生活方式時變得挑剔，因為兩者對我們的身體健康有着重大的影響。

製作發酵食品需要時間和耐性，正正反映了慢工出細貨的道理。處於化學和人工物質製作快餐的時代，我們更應聆聽自己的身體，用愛心製作慢食。我們很高興收到大家對天然發酵食物的讚賞，大家的認同便是Alive Food不斷研發健康食物的動力。」