2020, the Year of Reaction

At the end of 2019, I already knew my first part of 2020 would be disjointed. The end-of-year break (which I took in Taiwan) and early Chinese New Year meant that I wouldn't have a settled start to the year in Bangkok.

The thing is, I planned the trips personally, thus have made all the mental preparation required to go through the mess in Bangkok resulting from my travels.

On my return flight to Bangkok, I watched Oscar-winning movie "Parasite" on-board. This brilliant cinematic masterpiece boggled my mind for days..

I couldn't forget male lead Kim Ki-taek's quote before the movie's final act, "You know what kind of plan never fails? No plan at all. You know why? Because life cannot be planned."

Little did I know that this will become the theme for most of us for the best part of 2020 so far.

A couple of weeks after my Chinese New Year trip, I came down with chicken pox, which I failed to get as a boy despite many attempts by my mum. I didn't leave my house for the 7 days that ensued. It was easier than expected though, especially after I realised I hadn't had such a long rest in Thailand since the day I stepped in 10 years ago.

The Covid-19 catastrophe was steadily brewing globally in the meantime, and soon my everyday-life would not be spared. A day scheduled for pivotal meetings was punctured by urgent school closure for Covid-19-related issues.

From then on, 2020 was about reaction.

There was no longer a necessity to plan.

The day's activities would be dependent on official announcements/recommendations from schools and various governing authorities.

One would go bonkers in his/her struggle to keep to settled routines.

Travel, hospitality and retail are taking the first hit, which will not spare anyone moving forward, as disruptions in the supply chain and decreased demand rear their heads.

As nature takes its cruel course, I guess we have to go back to the basic priorities of our lives. Keep well, be socially-responsible, and keep your loved ones well.

I also believe strongly that somehow, good businesses deserve to survive. While we stumble around fighting for our dear lives, many livelihoods are hanging by a thread. It might be ours tomorrow.  Hopefully, once we take care of ourselves, we will not forget the people around us.

In this year of "no plan at all", we need each other more than ever.

Stay strong everyone.

Follow the Chef Project Taiwan: Wes Kuo 郭庭玮, damn I wish he's in Thailand!

My unexpected romantic relationship with Taiwan originates more from the people than the food or place itself. Every new visit brings me closer to more passionate craftsmen fighting everyday for what they believe in.

My first contact with Chef Wes Kuo started in an odd fashion. Highly recommended by my good friend Jeek, I spent nearly half an hour like a headless chicken looking for Chef Wes's restaurant, only to realize it's a hidden 'speakeasy' style bistro 2 levels above a popular Taiwanese hotpot shop at Shilin Night Market. Used to seeing similar modern bistro-style establishments in Thailand command an entire army in the kitchen, I was shocked to see Chef Wes pushing out equal quality with only 1 assistant in the open kitchen and 1 person on the floor, his wife Lucia.

Finally hanging out together in Taipei, December 2019

I enjoyed the meal tremendously. I guess deep inside me, I was yearning to dine at a modern bistro with a distinct Chinese (in this case, Taiwanese) soul running through the food regardless of its final form. Boogie Bistro would easily be one of my most frequented restaurants if it was here in Bangkok.

Then again, our first meet-up ended without speaking a single word to each other. Later in the week, we did speak briefly at Chefs Top and Michelle's pop-up at Jeek's Foodmaze Studio. It was only after I returned to Bangkok did we start communicating more online, and that was when I realised how much fire was buried within that quiet petite frame of his. Every inch of him was burning with the desire to showcase the unknown food wisdom on Taiwan's small but diverse terroir, and the energy to move towards having a louder voice to share his idealogies.

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[Stranger in Taipei #eatdrink_02] 好福食研室-Boogie bistro This trip to Taipei, the 1 place that left the deepest has to be this hidden gem, literally a Speakeasy restaurant called Boogie Bistro, hidden above a hotpot restaurant and a beauty salon in the middle of Shilin Night Market (where food is very average). Chef Wes Kuo works with one of the smallest teams I've ever seen for such a place, with his hospitable wife Lucia Chou and 1 sous chef. Chef Wes has only 1 message in his food, that is to bring out the best in Taiwanese premium ingredients, in the Taiwanese way, as can be seen from his chicken dish, which was seasoned with preserved salted radish and served with a side of bamboo shoot. My favourite dish of the night was the smoked oyster, bursting with salty goodness dressed with grass jelly sauce. His lamb shoulder was executed to perfection, in a way to allow the ingredient to shine as brightly as it can. Oh, don't forget the chicken liver Mille-feuille too. For the foodie, this place is a must-visit in Taipei, and the one legitimate reason to set foot in Shilin Night Market again. 本来不打算再去士林夜市，但是有了好福，应该每次到台北都得往士林跑一趟了。😕 #strangerin台北 #boogiebistro #好福食研室 #士林夜市 #strangerfirstimpression #strangerfirstimpressiontaipei #shilinnightmarket

A post shared by Eddie Yii (@strangerinbangkok) on Mar 6, 2019 at 4:21am PST

Subsequently, Boogie Bistro closed in view of opening a new restaurant that would communicate Chef's directions more effectively. During his break, I was glad to have spent a few days in Bangkok with him and Lucia to get to know them much better. I was a little taken aback when Chef Wes revealed his background in F & B management but actually got his success in the depths of Shilin Night Market selling 'premium' fried skewers. He then owned an equally-successful Kushiage restaurant before setting up Good Food Lab at Boogie Bistro (where I ate his food).

Without prior training in a fine-dining kitchen, he shared that all his inspirations come from ingredients from the land, and his infatuation with how to most-effectively present its story to the diners. If the best way is for the ingredient to be expressed as a mousse, he will then figure out how to make it into his perfect mousse for the dish. There is no emphasis whatsoever, on showing off how well he can cook, or how adept he is in a certain technique.

Chef Wes Kuo,  focusing on a dish at 80/20

In this moment, a mere matter of days before the grand-opening of Chef Wes's new restaurant Embers, I would like to congratulate him and Lucia for obtaining a new platform which will hopefully amplify what he has always been trying to do, that is to share and spread the spirit of his land.

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與曲木在森林裡邂逅 創作出EMBERS的林 在筆直的杉木林中 挑選了三根柳杉 從伐木開始 我們一起參與 透過曲木製作與雕琢 期待在空間中重生 溝通的火花裡 曲木的製作如同料理 我們朔源以國產材的使用出發 透過設計、前處理、蒸氣、彎曲 雕朔成型 像是一道料理的呈現 用心對待 EMBERS的存在 想說的不是我們 而是遇見了這土地上用心經營每一專業的人們 期待你們親臨感受 We fortunately encountered Curvink Architects in the forest There we meet three cedars in the woodland Logging with the lumbermen we brought the trees back to Embers Bending and steaming the timbers just like what we do in our kitchen From farm to table From forest to bar Understanding, pre-processing, cooking and shaping with heart It’s exactly assemble to the dishes we present We would talk more than just about us More about the precious people who devote their talents to this land to share with you Looking forward to meet you here We are Embers #embers #曲墨建築師事務所 #正昌製材廠

A post shared by EMBERS (@embers_dining) on Feb 26, 2020 at 8:27am PST

Chef Wes is the perfect personification of Embers, the glowing hot coal that remains after the fire, looking like the aftermath but packs more penetrative heat than you can ever imagine. I look forward to my first impression at his new restaurant. But damn, I wish he's here!