#level2chef

[ilikefoodlikethat]

【Foodie?】

Finally finished reading @selftaughtgourmet ‘s <LIZ關鍵詞> about foodie and stuff, I actually started reading it last year but stopped after reading few chapters since a lot of the concepts I already knew, I was getting bored. I started to pick it back up since social distancing, learned more about Taiwan’s food culture and its trends, by putting some of the issues into Hong Kong’s shoes, it’s really relatable and intriguing to think about. Now I’m waiting to read @yanwei525 ‘s <The Vanishing Flavours of Cantonese Cuisine> since I’m a Hong Konger and I want to learn more about Cantonese cuisine. It sold out last Christmas and I’ve waited ever since.

So, what exactly is a foodie? In the era of social media, this word has been lavished. At the same time, you can’t deny their existence because without them, a lot of restaurants will not be discovered. We can’t help but wonder their legitimacy, whether they really know food, or wrote an excellent review because the restaurant paid them or wrote a poor review because the restaurant denied to offer them free meals. Foodie, to simply put, can be defined as a person *who likes to try different restaurants, who likes to cook and has a vast knowledge on food (whether it is ingredients, history, trends etc.), and last but not least the willingness to learn new things all the time.*  At least that’s my interpretation. The word “foodie” is relatively new (first appeared in 1982) compare to “gourmet” or “Epicurious”, so its definition and controversy are still up for discussion, but after all it’s all about identity. Some of you might think that I’m a foodie, but I don’t try out different restaurants in Hong Kong that often, except when I’m traveling. I’m more like a home cook in Hong Kong, or a level 2 chef *cough*. Of course, I keep check out global and local trends/news on a daily basis, and lately I’m more into the relationship between food and social issues (eg gender and identity). It’s your choice to judge the importance of how we address others as a foodie or not, but the most important thing to me is the willingness to learn continuously, rather than only eating and posting it in social media.

[ilikefoodlikethat]

【FAQs of a Home cook】

I liked to cook since I was small, so I encountered a lot of questions asked by relatives, friends, and strangers. Sometimes I just get tired of answering the same question as I meet new people. Obviously, affection for cooking and food co-exist, it is merely interdependent and impossible for someone to like cooking but does not like food, only vice versa might not be true. Thus, as the receiving line, I get inquiries about everything, e.g. reason for the passion, recipes, restaurants of choice, terminology explanation etc. I actually don’t mind answering all the questions, it’s fun to share and might arouse the questioner’s interest. So, here it is:

 1.      Why do you like to cook? – Just like everyone with their hobby, it’s fun, challenging sometimes, enable me to gain confidence, end result is enjoyable, and it actually helps me destress.

2.      What is your signature dish? – This is actually a question I find annoying because I like to try different recipes, and seldomly repeats the same dish. Yea I’m weird like that. If I fail, of course I will try making it again until I succeed.

3.      When will you cook for me? –

4.      Which restaurants would you recommend? – For this, I actually answer it differently each time, depending on the person who’s asking. Clearly, the one who’s asking might have a preferred cuisine or dining under certain occasion, so I should reply differently based on their situation. However, that’s not what I meant. I actually answer it differently by how close I am with the person who’s asking, or how likely she/he is going to listen to my recommendation. Why would I go through all the research and think process for a person who I barely know or has absolutely no desire of accepting my suggestion? It’s just common sense.

5.      Can you teach me how to make *certain dish* ? – I love replying to this because I don’t have a lot of friends who’s interested in cooking, so to get people involved in cooking, I will always answer this question in detail and nicely (unlike the usual sassy and sometimes toxic me).

6.      Where do you buy *certain ingredient* ? – I’m a price sensitive person so I do a lot of comparing between supermarkets, wet markets, individually owned stores, and online stores. Not only do I normally know where to buy certain ingredients, I also know where to purchase at a lower price compare to overpriced chained supermarkets in some cases.

 So, to answer question 3, it’s not like I will not cook for the person who asked (provided that she/he is a friend), but the thing is, I’m more of a savoury home cook than a baker. It is hard to cook for the person who asked especially when I don’t feel like that person is close enough with me to get invited to my house (and my house cannot accommodate too many people). So, if I were to really let others to taste my food, I usually bake and bring it out to them rather then inviting them to my place.