From a tabletop game to a food education ecosystem connecting education, culture, tourism, health, the environment and communities, social enterprise O Sentai, now entering its fourth year, is expanding the impact of food education with Malaysia’s diverse culinary heritage as its starting point.
In conjunction with Visit Malaysia, O Sentai also plans to leverage its board game 'Winner of Delicacies' to promote Malaysian culinary culture and develop more engaging food tourism experiences.
Centred on Malaysian food culture, the board game features 38 distinctive food cards, allowing participants to discover local dishes while exploring the culinary characteristics of different states, ethnic communities and regions, ultimately gaining a deeper appreciation of Malaysia’s rich and diverse food heritage.
Over the years, 'Winner of Delicacies' has expanded from primary and secondary schools and higher education institutions to family-based nature learning, community cultural activities, corporate training and cross-cultural exchanges.
In the process, a simple board game has become an accessible gateway for people of different ages to learn about food. 'Winner of Delicacies' is currently available at more than 20 cultural, creative and souvenir retail locations nationwide, covering Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, Perak and Sabah, enabling more Malaysians and international visitors to discover the country’s multicultural food heritage through play.
Through their first experience with 'Winner of Delicacies', participants have become more aware of the differences between the culinary cultures of Malaysia’s various communities and have begun exploring signature dishes from different states and regions.
Some travellers have even transformed the 38 Winner of Delicacies food cards into their own “Malaysian Food Exploration Checklist”, using the cards to search for, taste and photograph Malaysian specialities during their travels. A single card, therefore, represents more than just a dish. It can become an entry point into discovering a place, a piece of history and a culture.
Foo said O Sentai hopes participants will go beyond simply knowing the name of a dish and begin understanding where it comes from, why it developed in a particular place, and the communities, land and ways of life behind it.
Food transcends age, geography, ethnicity and background, allowing Winner of Delicacies to create connections beyond the game itself.
In activities involving families and senior citizens, the board game has served as a medium for intergenerational communication and family interaction. In schools and other institutions, it can also provide an engaging entry point for learning about Malaysian culture, nutrition and dietary issues.
During exchanges with academics involved in the Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing (MyAgeing) at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), it was shared that games such as Winner of Delicacies, which involve recognition, memory and interaction, could potentially support cognitive engagement and memory exercises among older adults.
This also opens up possibilities for such games to be further developed as tools to support learning and memory training among senior citizens.
Beyond introducing local cuisine, O Sentai also aims to strengthen participants’ ability to make informed food choices, including recognising different types of food, reading nutrition labels and developing healthier eating habits.
The aim is to equip participants with better judgement when faced with the thousands of food choices available in everyday life.
At the same time, O Sentai incorporates farm and nature-based experiences into its programmes, helping participants understand where food comes from while learning to appreciate food, reduce waste and recognise the close relationship between the natural environment and everyday diets.
For children, food education is further extended to essential life skills, including recognising ingredients and learning basic washing, preparation, cutting and cooking techniques. This allows children to build greater independence while learning about food.
Feedback and experiences from schools, families, communities and participants of different age groups have further reinforced O Sentai’s direction: food education should not take place only in classrooms — it should become part of everyday life.
Over the past four years, O Sentai has continuously expanded the applications of food education through cross-sector collaboration.
Beginning with educational and family activities, its initiatives have gradually expanded into universities, schools, kindergartens, businesses, tourism, communities and sustainability-related programmes, positioning food as a medium connecting education, culture, health, the environment and society.
Over the years, O Sentai’s network of collaborations has spanned government agencies, educational institutions, businesses and social organisations, including Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), INTI International University & Colleges, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Tourism Selangor, Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated (MBI), Tzu Chi International School, Fatimas, Hock Soon, Biogreen, Etblisse, RE Sustainable Enterprise and Eco Lestari Strategy, among others.
Collaborations in the corporate and sustainability sectors have further brought food education beyond the school environment. Through workshops, board games, experiential activities and various cross-sector projects, O Sentai explores issues such as healthy eating, food waste, environmental sustainability and social responsibility.
Foo said: “We are very grateful to the government agencies, educational institutions, businesses and community partners who have been willing to explore these possibilities together with O Sentai throughout our journey. We may come from different sectors, but ultimately, we can all find a common language through ‘food’. This is also why we hope to build a broader food education ecosystem in the next stage of our journey.”
As it enters its fourth year, O Sentai aims to further systematise the educational content, partnership networks and experiential learning models it has developed, building a more comprehensive food education ecosystem centred around food. The ecosystem will progressively connect games and curriculum development, meals and food product development, nature experiences, cultural and tourism experiences, and community activities.
“We also hope these 38 cards will continue to create more possibilities for food education, allowing more people to move from simply ‘playing a game’ to recognising food, understanding food, appreciating food and ultimately developing a deeper connection with it,” she said.
Tourism will be one of the key directions as O Sentai expands its food education ecosystem into its next phase. In conjunction with Visit Malaysia, O Sentai plans to explore collaborations with various organisations, including Tourism Selangor, with the aim of transforming Malaysia’s rich culinary heritage into tourism experiences that are both educational and interactive.
Malaysia’s different states, ethnic communities and localities each have their own distinctive culinary traditions. Behind a local dish are often stories connected to history, the natural environment, agriculture, migration and ways of life. The company now hopes to bring these elements together by further integrating board games, local cuisine, cultural stories and on-site experiences.
Meanwhile, JCI Petaling Jaya (JCIPJ) incorporated Winner of Delicacies into an international cultural exchange programme in July this year. As part of the Dragon Ambassador programme with JCI City Hong Kong, JCIPJ organised an interactive Winner of Delicacies session at SJK(C) Kheow Bin, allowing students from Hong Kong and Malaysia to discover Malaysia’s multicultural food heritage through the board game.
Through fun and interactive activities featuring Malaysian food cards, students from Hong Kong and Malaysia learned about signature dishes associated with different communities and regions, strengthening their understanding and memory of Malaysia’s diverse culinary culture.
The activity also incorporated values such as appreciating food, reducing food waste and adopting lower-carbon eating habits, making environmental and food education more relevant to everyday life and more engaging for young participants.
Building on this collaboration, JCIPJ and O Sentai have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to deepen their partnership and lay the foundation for further collaboration in 2027.
At the MOU signing ceremony, JCIPJ Vice President International Affairs Liew Teck Lai represented the chapter in signing the agreement with O Sentai founder Foo, formalising the partnership between the two organisations.
Both parties will explore further opportunities in food education, children’s development, community programmes and international cultural exchange, allowing food education to serve as a bridge connecting local communities with international youth.
In conjunction with Malaysia’s 69th National Day, O Sentai is currently offering special promotions on its educational board games, enabling more families, educators and members of the public to discover healthy eating and Malaysian food culture through play.
Portion Masters focuses on healthy and balanced eating. Through interactive gameplay, participants learn how to create nutritionally balanced meals, understand appropriate food portions and develop healthier eating habits. 'Winner of Delicacies', meanwhile, takes players on a culinary journey across Malaysia, introducing representative dishes from different states and the distinctive culinary traditions and cultures behind them.
In conjunction with the Merdeka promotion, customers can enjoy discounts of up to 20% on board game purchases. The promotion runs until 30 September 2026, with free nationwide delivery across Malaysia.
