Crossroads

Dear friends,

I'll be coming back to Singapore for the month of July 2008. During which I am looking forward to share my Buenos Aires tango insights with you guys. I'm organising some workshops, guided practicas and also a couple of milongas for everyone to enjoy themselves.

This is the website to go, to check out the details of the activities I am planning: midsummernightstango.blog.co.uk

After living 26 years of my life just eating and not cooking anything other than instant noodles and fried eggs; after having inspired to learn to cook because, living in a faraway land the thing you miss most about your country, and that which could let your foreign friends have a taste of your culture - is the food.

After two failed butter cake attempts, one failed Char Kuay Teow (fried chinese flat noodles with dark soya sauce) attempt, I proclaimed myself graduate summa cum laude from the Isaac Ho Mommy and Granny's school of cooking, year 2007.

After all that, here I am, back in Buenos Aires ready to flex my culinary muscles in front of my friends.

"I am going to host a Chinese New Year's party at home, and I propose a 10 dish chinese culinary spread. I would be inviting 15 guests; Javier, Andrea, Marite, Rosana... etc..."

"...And the dishes I would prepare are Jiao Zi (steamed prawn dumplings), hainanese chicken rice, Ma Po Dou Fu (beancurd with spicy meat sauce), stir fried beef with celery, Nian Gao (sticy new year cake)... etc..etc.." I told Royce and Jean Michel excitedly late January 2008, two weeks before the Chinese New Year.

"Yup! This Chinese New Year would be the time where I return the hospitality to all my argentine friends and also cook for them some real chinese food, not the lousy ones they get from the chinese restaurants here... Hehehe... and Royce I would like you to help me cook..." I continued excited, all gungho and ready to cook up a storm.

"Hold hold hold hold... Isaac, calm down..." Jean Michel said, bemused. "How many cooks you have?" He asked. "One, myself. Plus Royce two. Plus Maxima as a helper. Heh heh heh."

Royce, the real cook, chimed in, "How big is your kitchen? How many pots and pans for cooking do you have?" Slowly, the Isaac that was flying in the clouds was being pulled down to earth.

"I think you should consider that you have only one or two afternoons to prepare your meals, the size of your kitchen and the cooking tools available to you, and most importantly, you cooking experience and manpower available. A 10 dish spread is impossible!!!" They said a matter of factly.

I couldn't help but feel the impact of crashing down to earth. But I know they had the best of intentions and they are experienced in organizing parties. Plus I know I have the tendency to be a little bit extremely idealistically inclined.

"Ok... what do you guys think then..." The disappointment in my voice could not be suppressed. I think my dear friends sensed that and but they were determined not to let me fly off into outer space. "Isaac, what is important in such a gathering is that all your friends enjoy your presence, much more important than proving you are a good cook."

In the end we decided on doing a much scaled down party: my now famous 'Hainanese chicken rice' (who better to do hainanese chicken rice than a hainanese?), a 'ku lou yoke' (sweet and sour pork), supplemented by the bah kwa (dried pork) Valerie sent to me from Singapore, ready made steam buns bought from Chinatown in Buenos Aires, and Royce's stir fried kangkong.

During the party day, 15th Feb, Friday, I started cooking from 10am in the morning; Maxima helped in the kitchen all day. Poor Maxima had to put up with my army like commands.

In the end when the guests arrived around 830pm I was still putting together the finishing touches of the dish, at that moment I thanked Royce and Jean Michel for keeping me in place, if not the guests would probably had to wait till 12 midnight to eat... But we made it, Royce, Jean Michel, Maxima and I!

As we rolled out the dishes, the guests came streaming in, Rosana who used to teach with Cacho Dante, Cecilia my first argentine friend, Adriana my spanish teacher and two of her students, Gimena, Bichy, Andrea Misse, Annie and Fish the taiwanese dancers, Sandra, etc... the house was packed.

Jean Michel and I did a little impromptu standup comedy act while introducing the dishes. Reminisence of my university emcee days with Nick the Dick. There was a lot of chemistry between us because Jean Michel did theatre too when he was studying. There were loads of laughter talking about the exotic chinese food and their names.

Then the party got underway. I put on some funky chinese music, the food was swept up fast. They enjoyed the food very much, they even wanted the secret recipe! Well it was not hard to impress because good chinese food is hard to find here.

Looking back at the party, food is really a way to bridge cultures. Especially chinese cuisine which is so sophisticated, delicious and has so much history. It is really a good skill to learn; a very personalised way to spread the goodwill and introduce my very own culture in a foreign land.

All thanks to Isaac Ho Mommy and Granny's cooking school!