Asia’s obsession with food should not be a taboo for discussion
The go-go-go lifestyle of economic aspiration, not westernisation, is to blame for the prevalence of eating disorders
At a recent doctor’s visit, my endocrinologist admonished me for gaining 0.9kg. “You’re not obese” — I’m not even close — “but it’s something to watch”, he told me.
I left the appointment equal parts indignant and unsure. It wasn’t the first time I’d encountered this level of frankness about my body or appearance since moving to Asia. When I was pregnant in Hong Kong, my Chinese teacher confirmed that I must be having a boy. “Boys give mothers beauty, girls take it away,” she said. Years later, my property agent in Singapore was relieved to hear I was pregnant with my second child: “I thought you were just getting fat!”..
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