Meet the Young Mind Behind Beijing’s Newest WeChat Food Channel, Savour
While stuck at home due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Lauren Z, a student at Dulwich College Beijing (DCB), decided that she'd put her cooking skills to use and start pitching articles about her creations for various magazines. However, she quickly found that conventional food journalism was too repetitive and monotonous for her taste, with pieces focussing too much on the food and its preparation rather than the personalities and origins behind each dish. Unsatisfied with what she found on the food media landscape, she took things into her own hands and created Savour, a WeChat official account that serves as a weekly digest about food and the stories behind them. After discovering the account, the Beijinger reached out to Lauren to see whether she'd be interested in sharing her content with our readers. Not only were we surprised to learn her age given the maturity of her writing, but we were immediately taken by her entrepreneurial spirit and keen eye for design. Shortly thereafter, we published her first Savour piece. Below we dig a little deeper into why Lauren started her publication and what she hopes to achieve with it in the future.
In the beginning, Savour was more of a personal project. I would type up whatever came to mind, chuck in some of my photography, have a quick scan-through, and then immediately publish. Now, we have a dedicated team that writes articles, edits them onto a template, and searches for student photography and student-created media.
The stories behind the food are often quite interesting, moving, and valuable. I wrote about my grandfather in Savour’s first issue. He was a ship captain, and he’s got a plethora of stories and tales to share from his adventures. While out at sea, he stayed true to his culinary style: simple, candid seafood recipes. So I decided to tell the story behind his ginger smoked mackerel. Writing about him made me realize that everyone has a food story to tell.
Having had little experience in writing non-fiction before starting Savour, balancing the line between fact and fiction was a challenge for me. As a creative non-fiction writer, I’m obliged to write truthfully. But how much of my writing should be grounded in truth? How do I write about other cultures and narrate other people’s experiences, when I have never experienced them myself?
Savour is a supporter of the slow food movement. The movement opposes the standardization of taste and endorses the practice of preparing food using regional culinary traditions. The movement has done crowd-funding campaigns for farmers in less economically developed countries, connected Michelin chefs with indigenous communities, and promotes biodiversity and sustainability with the United Nations (UN). These are values and ideals that I align myself with.
I find that the food scene in Beijing operates at two speeds: Old Beijing; a trove of family-run restaurants, time-honored brands, and authentic Chinese eateries, and the rest of Beijing; that consists of globalized flavors and international cuisines. The food delivery culture has definitely been on the rise in China, especially in Beijing. Food delivery apps are amongst the most downloaded applications in China, and delivery bikes are everywhere. Even Old Beijing eateries now have partnered with delivery services.
The recent endorsements of regulations that would get street food vendors to sell again in Beijing got me excited! I can’t wait for the next time I set foot on a street vendor’s stall. Walking down a street of roadside stands and food stalls at night are arguably one of the best experiences you’ll have in the city. There are so many local as well as regional delicacies and flavors to try out. Any new policies will no doubt expand Beijing’s assortment of local and regional street food.
One cuisine I’m particularly excited to feature is Cape Malay cuisine. Because of their unique history, Cape Malay is this unexpected, flourishing amalgamation of cultures – a fusion of language, education, religion, and of course, cuisine. The livelihood of Cape Malay culture is living history, practically. I have learned that conflicts do happen because of cultural differences, so seeing elements of culture merging and existing in coalescence has been especially eye-opening for me.
Follow Savour at WeChat ID: laurensnaps.
READ: Explore Beijing’s Hutongs While Giving Back to the Children of China
Photos: Hermes Rivera (via Unsplash), courtesy of Lauren Z
