"Growing up in a Singaporean Chinese family, for me food is almost the primary means of communication..." — Melissa Leong

I'm a big believer in digging deep when I travel to a new place.

Mental health is not a novelty; it's part of who we are and we need to treat it as if it were a broken arm or any other kind of medical consideration.

It's about learning how to slow down... I think this Covid environment that we're in there's a lot of sadness and a lot of pressure going on in terms of the uncertainty, but what it is teaching us or forcing us to do is appreciate the small things: be grateful for a slower pace of life.

Australians do love a good food festival. From regional gems like The Taste of Tasmania to Margaret River Gourmet Escape, diehard eaters have a litany of opportunities to revel in Australia's great produce and chow down on food made by some of the brightest culinary talent from here and abroad.