Art trumps science in Hari's kitchen
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Art trumps science in Hari's kitchen
Art trumps science in Hari's kitchen
Indian Hari Nayak and Japan's Kazumi Sawada
commanded a lot of the attention among chefs in
Bangkok last week for the World Gourmet Festival at
the Four Seasons - because they're Asian.
Nayak trained at the CIA in the US - no, not that
CIA. This was New York's Culinary Institute of
America.
He's one of Asia's rising culinary stars and in
Thailand he cooked "modern Indian" food at two
separate sold-out banquets.
These days reporters have to ask chefs if they do
that new "molecular" stuff with food. "Well," Nayak
said, struggling not to roll his eyes, "I know it's all the
rage, but I'll try to stick to my modern Indian cuisine.
In fact, I'll do anything but molecular."
We can do without the bubbling beakers from the
mad scientist's lab, too, and so could the guests at
the Four Seasons Koh Samui, where Nayak went
next with his perfectly enjoyable and far more
rational "mosaic of Indian flavours".
Incorruptible
You don't often hear hot gossip about journalists, but
tongues have been wagging since a certain popular
columnist in a certain mass-circulation Thai daily dished
up some juice on a certain magazine editor.
You can probably tell that we're lacking a few
details, but here's the gist: Editor X is considerably
wealthy and enjoys a hi-so lifestyle whether on duty or
on holiday, and yet rarely picks up the tab. Clearly
Editor X's lifestyle is almost completely based on barter.
Fair enough, you say. His end of the deal is to give
the places he patronises a great write-up in the magazine. That's how bribery works.
But Editor X doesn't.
Hotels, restaurants and perhaps yacht-rental agencies waive his tab, expecting a glowing review in print, and get nothing! So there have been some interesting spats.
We're as much in the dark about the identity of Editor X as anyone, but we can tell you that the first name we came up wasn't the right one.
No, not that one, darling - keep guessing!
Indian Hari Nayak and Japan's Kazumi Sawada
commanded a lot of the attention among chefs in
Bangkok last week for the World Gourmet Festival at
the Four Seasons - because they're Asian.
Nayak trained at the CIA in the US - no, not that
CIA. This was New York's Culinary Institute of
America.
He's one of Asia's rising culinary stars and in
Thailand he cooked "modern Indian" food at two
separate sold-out banquets.
These days reporters have to ask chefs if they do
that new "molecular" stuff with food. "Well," Nayak
said, struggling not to roll his eyes, "I know it's all the
rage, but I'll try to stick to my modern Indian cuisine.
In fact, I'll do anything but molecular."
We can do without the bubbling beakers from the
mad scientist's lab, too, and so could the guests at
the Four Seasons Koh Samui, where Nayak went
next with his perfectly enjoyable and far more
rational "mosaic of Indian flavours".
Incorruptible
You don't often hear hot gossip about journalists, but
tongues have been wagging since a certain popular
columnist in a certain mass-circulation Thai daily dished
up some juice on a certain magazine editor.
You can probably tell that we're lacking a few
details, but here's the gist: Editor X is considerably
wealthy and enjoys a hi-so lifestyle whether on duty or
on holiday, and yet rarely picks up the tab. Clearly
Editor X's lifestyle is almost completely based on barter.
Fair enough, you say. His end of the deal is to give
the places he patronises a great write-up in the magazine. That's how bribery works.
But Editor X doesn't.
Hotels, restaurants and perhaps yacht-rental agencies waive his tab, expecting a glowing review in print, and get nothing! So there have been some interesting spats.
We're as much in the dark about the identity of Editor X as anyone, but we can tell you that the first name we came up wasn't the right one.
No, not that one, darling - keep guessing!
