Let’s Work and Learn

Exercise I: Read the story below and answer the questions that follow.
A Story: Gio, Latif, and the Laksa
When Gio was a second-year international affairs student in a university in Cebu City, he
obtained funding to join the school team participating in an international Model UN
competition in Sydney, Australia. At the height of the competition, Gio made plenty of new
friends and became particularly close to Latif from the Malaysian team. The two first started
talking when Latif asked Gio where he was from. Upon discovering that Gio was from the
Philippines, Latif lit up and declared that he was a big fan of Filipino actors Jericho Rosales and
Kristine Hermosa. Gio was pleasantly surprised to learn that Latif had seen every episode of the
ABS-CBN telenovela Pangako Sayo (“The Promise”) the show had aired on Malaysian TV a few
years back, and its two stars had developed a modest following.
Ashamed that he did not know as much about Malaysia as Latif knew about the
Philippines, Gio asked Latif what his country was like. Latif, he discovered was from a Muslim
university in Kuala Lumpur. Gio asked him what he liked best about living in “KL”, and Latif
immediately mentioned the food. Latif explained that in Kuala Lumpur, once can find Chinese,
Indian, and Malay cuisines. He told Gio that his assortment of foodways was the result of how
the British reorganized Malaysian society during the colonial times. The British did little to
change the way of life of the Malays who were the original residents, but brought in Chinese
laborers to work in the rubber plantations and tin mines, and Indians to help manage the
bureaucracy and serve as the initial professional core of potential middle class. One of the ways
that these ethnic groups were identified ways through their foodways.
According to Latif, Malaysia eventually became famous for these cuisines which can be
found in the various “hawker centers” across the nation’s cities and towns. These food stands
are located in outdoor food parks where locals and tourists taste the best of Malaysia, rom nasi
lemak to laksa.
Gio interrupted Latif and asked, “What is laksa?” He felt more ashamed at his lack of
knowledge. “Ahh.. let me show you what it is and how it is prepared!” replied Latif.
The next day, Latif took Gio to a Malaysian restaurant a few blocks away from the
university. Gio was surprised to discover that Malaysian food was readily available in Sydney.
Having noticed this, Latif explained to his Filipino friend that, over the years, as more and more
Malaysian students moved to Sydney to study, Malaysian restaurants followed suit. Soon after,
they were catering not only to these students, but to Austrialian-born “Sydneysiders” as well,
whose culinary tastes were becoming more and more diverse.
Gio finally had his first taste of laksa – a rice noodle soup on a spicy coconut curry sauce.
He found the flavors intense since, like most Filipinos, he was not used to spicy food. However,
in deference to his friend, he persisted and eventually found himself enjoying the hot dish.
 After the meal, Gio and Latiff went to a nearby café and ordered “flat whites” – an
espresso drink similar to latter, which is usually served in cafes in Australia and New Zealand.
Both knew what flat whites were since there were Australian-inspired cafes in both Kuala
Lumpur and Cebu.
The new friends promised to stay in touch after the competition, and added each other
on Facebook and Instagram. Over the next two years, they exchanged e-mails and posts,
congratulated each other for their achievements, and commented on and liked each other’s
photos. Latif sent his mother’s recipe to Gio and the latter began cooking Malaysian food in his
home.
A few years after graduation, Gio moved to Singapore, joining many other overseas
Filipino workers (OFWs) in the city-state. The culture was new to him, but one thing was
familiar: the food served in Singapore was no different from the Malaysian food he had
discovered through Latif. He would later learn from Singaporean colleagues that the island
country was once part of the British colony of Malay and the postwar independent Federation
of Malaysia. Singapore, however, separated from the Federation in August 1965 and became a
nation-state. Today, they may be two distinct countries in this part of the world, but Singapore
and Malaysia still share the same cuisine.
After he settled down in his apartment, Gio sought out and found a favorite laksa stall in
Newton Hawker Center. He would spend his weekends there with his friends eating laksa and
other dishes.
One Saturday, while Gio was checking his Facebook feed along the very busy Orchard
Road – Singapore’s main commercial road – he noticed that Latif had just posted something 5
minutes earlier. It was a picture from Orchard Road. Surprised but also excited, Gio sent Latif a
private message. Latif replied immediately saying that he too had moved to Singapore and was,
at that moment, standing in front a department store just a few blocks away from where Gio
was. The two friends met up, and after a long hug and quick questions as to what each other
was up to, they ducked into a café and renewed their international friendship. . . by ordering a
pair of flat whites.

 List down the hints of globalization that you found in the story.