It suddenly came across to me that the word ‘bittersweet’ can be associated with the taste of food or moments you come across in books, plays, reel and real life.
When it comes to food, I like the bittersweet taste of dark chocolate, durian and matcha ice cream. I’m a bit of a chocolate snob – it’s dark chocolate for me or not at all. I don’t bother wasting calories on milk and white chocolate, which technically isn’t chocolate since it doesn’t contain any cocoa! Bittersweet dark chocolate is like a dark mysterious person – it’s more interesting. Instead of a flat sweet taste, the bitterness of cocoa dances on your tongue and stimulates your taste buds to savour more of its taste. As for durian, I like pulp that’s sweet with bitter notes. Matcha ice cream is the same. It’s hard to find good matcha ice cream which strikes the right balance between the full-bodied bitter taste of matcha with the amount of sugar called for in the recipe. I’m still on that perfect matcha ice cream quest.
But when it comes to life, bittersweet moments often weigh more on the sad rather than happy side of the scale. There’s always an intense sense of poignancy to the moment, often accompanied by a tinge of regret and sorrow. Yet, one is also thankful for the experience, because you’ve matured and learnt from it, and now possess greater depth of character.
When bittersweet moments appear in reel life, you can’t help but let out a sigh and maybe find your eyes moisten at the poignancy of it all. It is often these films which leave you thinking and reflecting. It is also these films that have heart.
So what’s your favourite bittersweet food and your best bittersweet moment?