The new local brand sells a curated selection of long-lasting, shelf-stable foods that will see you through 14 days—or longer
With the fourth wave of Covid-19 raging through Hong Kong, the uptick in cases means it’s back to working from home (if you’re lucky), or even quarantining or self isolating. There's a sense of unsettling deja vu as restaurants limit their tables and hours, bars shut, and residents are encouraged to stay at home and avoid socialising—but like all difficult situations, there are moments of creativity that shine through the darkness. Back in February, we marvelled at the beauty of Apocalypse Kitchen, a unique photography project by food stylist Gloria Chung and photographer Mike Pickles, which took everyday objects and reimagined them as doomsday pantry situations. Now, another creative mind has taken it to a more practical level.
Esther Leung is a media professional living in Hong Kong who saw the rising interest in long-life foods and launched Best Before, a lightly tongue-in-cheek online company promoting well designed and taste tested shelf-stable products that would address any emergency situation where fresh food and deliveries are not an option—including long periods of isolation at home, where perishables are not a long-term solution. The platform mainly features clever products sourced from around Asia, particularly Japan—a country well known for their innovative takes on food and drink and sophisticated emergency food products that were created during times of hardship and war, from instant rice to chewy rice cakes and curry food rations.
We speak to Leung about Best Before and how she sees the appetite for canned and pre-packaged foods—from Danish bread to tinned Bafun sea urchin—take flight in a world where Covid-19 still affects us all.
How did you come up with the concept of Best Before? I imagine it must be Covid-19 related?
When the pandemic broke out in February, panic buying of all sorts of things hit Hong Kong, one of the most wanted supplies was probably toilet paper. Looking at the empty shelves in supermarkets and the fear on people’s faces, I couldn’t help but think: this is probably what the apocalypse looks like. That’s when I started to think of promoting “apocalypse”—rather than facing the fear of death unprepared, why don’t we equip ourselves? We have always asked for a better quality of life, but never prepare for the inevitable end of life. Our Chinese brand name is “Deng Goi” (釘蓋). In Cantonese, it literally refers to closing the lid of a coffin before it is buried, and is used as an alternative way to refer to dying. The English name “Best Before” perpetuates our hope that everyone finds the best of their lives before they “Deng Goi”.
See also: "Apocalypse Kitchen" By Two Hong Kong Creatives Reimagines Meals In The Age Of Coronavirus
Are you originally in the food business?
I am completely new in the food business! I was actually working in the media industry, so I’m more like in the “promoting apocalypse” business now. Canned food is just our first step. We expect to roll out more survival goods in the future. Why canned food first? Because their designs just look too good and they are so delicious!
