Junk Food Identity Crisis

Remember the last time when I spotted the healthier version of Malaysia's favourite instant noodle Maggi? Apparently, many instant/junk food manufacturers have caught on to this health conscious wave and have jumped into the similar bandwagon producing healthier version of their instant/junk food.

Normally, this would be a celebration of sorts for the health conscious community since obesity is on the rise. But then again, in my opinion, these manufacturers are just a confused lot.

Mamee Monster, now healthier than ever! Approved in school canteens too!

When I reach out for a junk food or instant food in the supermarket, I'm quite aware that the food is definitely not that healthy, but dammit, they just taste good when they are unhealthy. Come to think of it, many unhealthy food are sinfully scrumptious.

Take lard for example. Used in many Chinese dishes and without it, the dishes would not taste so heavenly. Damn those lard! As for healthy food, take sea cucumber for instance. It is supposed to be highly nutritious, zero fats but taste wise, it just does not stimulate the palate at all. Bland in other words. Don't start me going on the taste of shark's fins.

They separated the conditioner from the individual packets so it is more troublesome to eat

So, to cater for the health conscious folks, they start to produce food with low salt, low sugar, low fat and there is just a certain amount to how low it can go because any lower, you might as well just not eat it. When you cannot go any lower, start adding extracts instead. Green tea extracts, gingko extracts and what not.

The idea is, it suits the needs of the health conscious people and also profitable for the manufacturers because they can charge more. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

But then, when I do consume food, taste plays an important role and usually these junk food gives instant satiety in terms of taste. As for the price I pay for junk food, why not? It's not as if I eat it as my major meal everyday.

The future of junk food, laced with Ginseng extracts or even Ginseng flavour

However, I no longer am able to enjoy my junk food anymore thanks to the health conscious trend nowadays. Oh come on, if you are really concern about your health, go eat your vegetables, fruits and fibres. Don't make my junk food more expensive by reducing fat, sugar and salt!

At the end of the day, I just want back my cheaper, tasty junk food. I'm willing to pay the price of it on my health. Is that too much to ask for?