I must say that Li Yin Zhu is probably my favourite local “Food” actress. I think she must be a foodie in real life because whenever you watch her on screen describing food she always manages to portray a deep sense of connection with the dish. I loved her work in “The Little Nonya”, where she played the matriarch of the family, and the scene where she tasted the Rempah Udang and proclaimed “就是这个味道” (This is the taste!”) ranks up there with the most memorable food scenes of all time!
This time, she plays the wife of a sick man who prepares his favourite dish of popiah in the hope that the familiar smell might rouse him from his coma. It is interesting that popiah was chosen because this particular Hokkien dish has always been linked with love.
Aside from the fact that it is served during Spring which is usually associated with love and romance, the origin of popiah is also linked with love.
Legend has it that popiah was invented in the Song Dynasty by the dutiful wife of a scholar who was so busy studying for the imperial exams that he had no time to eat properly. Out of her devotion, she came up with the idea of wrapping meat and vegetables in a roll so that her husband can have something to eat while he studies!
In the mini movie, the lady played by Li Yin Zhu reminisces about her husband and their life together and asks, “What is Love?” Is it gentle and kind? Is it romantic and sweet? Or is it about being steadfast and resolute, strong and persevering? In the end, she concludes that it is all of the above. Even though it was only a three-minute movie, the softie in me was moved to tears at the end.
It’s a great little movie! The song is so endearing and they managed to create that sense of nostalgia with scenes of old Singapore! I’ve watched it a couple of times already! I only wished they would make a full-length movie with more of Li Ying Zhu reminiscing about food! That would be a movie I’d love to watch.
In case you missed the message of the movie, it is that love is supposed to last a lifetime and in the same way, MediShield Life will take care of you for life! It’s also to remind Pioneers that they are entitled to special subsidies for MediShield Life premiums. I guess it is a more creative way of spreading a simple message.
You can find out more about MediShield Life at www.MediShieldLife.sg
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