BABETTE'S FEAST

Dora and I watched this incredible foreign language DVD over the weekend which I must share with you. Written and directed by Gabriel Axel, it won the 1987 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. The story is set on a desolate Danish coastal township whose inhabitants live an austere existence in the name of faith and duty. Babette, a mysterious refugee from the civil war in France came along and things began to change. A talented gourmet chef, she terrified the pious townspeople 'with the prospect of losing their souls for enjoying too much earthly pleasures'. Half of the film is devoted to 'transforming a sumptuous dinner into a love affair, where there is no longer distinction between bodily apreciation & spiritual appreciation'. It is a brilliant mix of humanity, romance, indulgence and of course cooking. Voila!

Needless to say I was mesmerized by the menu, presented as follows :

* Turtle Soup, with an Amatillado
* Caviar on Blinis & Creme Fraiche, with Veuve Clicquot
* Cailles en Sarcophage or Roast Quail Vol-au-Vents, with Clos de Vougeot
* Salade of Endives & Walnuts
* Cheese Assortment
* Gateau with Rum
* Exotic Tropical Fruit Plate

Many have told us about the film and we are in full agreement with the Los Angeles Times' remarks some 22 years ago .... 'Delectable! A fable told with passion, intelligence and sumputousness'. HMV carries it!

WAH KEE CONGEE

My brother-in-law Joe, an American from NYC who has tempered his Hong Kong palate after almost 25 years here, and I are always on the look out for 'the next best congee'. We were at Wah Kee in Wanchai just this morning, a joint worth sharing. Located near the Wanchai market, the address is at the bottom of the menu. I have no idea what it is in English, I only know it is the 2nd right hand turn if you continue to go east, from the entrance into Wanchai market, towards CWB. It is run by a matriarch via her 2nd generation. She looks and acts the part, I imagine her iron-clad discipline is no different from Michelin chefs at the pass in a rated restaurant. She must be feared in her younger days, as things are absolutely ship-shaped now. The menu is extensive for a small place but every bowl is individually prepared upon order. My all time favorite is their meatballs, made fresh from well grounded and well seasoned pork. Add a few slices of fish, 'pei dan' ie thousand-year-old-eggs, and a very generous splash of scallions I was close to heaven. Their sides are worth a mention as well; especially the rice flour rolls with sliced pork liver, flavored with local coriander stalk ... masterly! If you want to start your Sunday on the right foot, a comfort congee breakfast at Wah Kee may be the answer. It is usually quite full from mid morning, and it closes after lunch service on Sundays.

NEW STYLE PATISSERIE

We have not been to Kowloon City for a while, and decided to explore last Sunday. The 'new face' of this area is a mix of old Chiu Chow & Thai eateries with more contemporary outlets like; wine shops, tapas bars and of course the darling of Hong Kong, pastry shops. Patisserie Tony Wong is a good example. We met Tony, the owner, at his brand new shop.
An experienced Patissier he is bringing his hospitality and big hotel background to the neighborhood, which he is obviously committed as he runs a parallel specialty cookie shop almost next door. There are clearly freshness and creativity in his products which you can check out at http://www.patisserietonywong.com/ Tony's motto is 'using the finest ingredients, and paying attention to details from the heart' .... which sounds like a winning formula. We bought a box of his nouveau mini pastries, they were fun. What we should have done is to finish our dinner with dessert & coffee there, Lavazza by the way, to wash off the garlic from our Thai fare.

Patisserie Tony Wong is at 74 Fuk Lo Tsun Road Kowloon City ... open till 9pm on weekends. Try it!

QUOTABLE QUOTE

Church is not on my schedule on Sundays, nor is it on Dora's. However, she has become a regular on this Sunday morning broadcast from the Crystal Cathedral in America. She likes the setting, the singing, but mostly the non-denominational sermons from preachers who are true masters of communication. Just this past Sunday I sat with her and became mesmerized by this 50th something pastor from a Chicago parish. He talked about prayers from on high that guided him, and his Church, to cope with one economic crisis after another. He reiterated the need of faith in such dire circumstances when helplessness over-rules.

He then observed how people have such short memories that as soon as the going gets better, we are out spending. The quote I want to share is ' ... we must all learn to emancipate ourselves from this insidious escalation of incessant consumer insecurity ...' Wow! Just how these preachers can put words together and make them sound like a Rx prescription from a physician is absolutely beyond me. As the only man at home for so many years (before my son-in-law joined the clan) I am happy to report I surived this highly contagious & incurable disease that, fortunately, only targets the Tang women. I will pass this on to the bona fide members of Shopperholic Anonymous in my dear family.

Postscript : I believe Revlon - or is it the other cosmetics company - created the 'Lipstick Index' some years ago ie when the economy goes down, lipsticks sales go up, since it is the most cost efficient way for women to look and feel good. One more excuse for the shoppers, I guess.

GO FANCL .... LESS IS MORE!

OBAMA SIGNATURE

Here it is, the signature that signed off on trillions, literally! This letter from the White House was displayed at a Special Batik Exhibition hosted by Alun Alun (a very succesful, high end local retail department store at the West Mall in Jakarta) that aims to revitalize all forms of age old Indonesian arts & crafts, notably batiks. Apparently Obama's mother Ann Dunham, had a noteworthy batik collection, which is on display. His sister, Maya Soetoro Ng, also wrote a piece on the family's interest to preserve and promote the fine art of batik. I was attracted not only by the beautiful work but Obama's signature, wondering if someone should take it to an analyst for a 3rd degree check. If Facebook made it to the master 'To Check' list, before someone gets hired, why not signatures? BTW as a retired career headhunter, I am disgusted, it is painful to watch all this BS unfolds in the trade.

70!

Once you passed the magic 60 mark I guess the next big one is not 65, but 70. While it is a fact of life I was shocked by how quickly it came, even before my 61st birthday.

Dora and I are due to renew our driving licenses before year end, and being the 'Family Messenger' I was tasked to the Transport Department. Hers was straight forward, renewed for 10 years until 2019 at a nominal fee of HK$900 .... one of the few remaining benefits from our low tax base in Hong Kong.

Then it was my turn .... HK$873 please! Why am I privileged, could it be my looks? "Sir, your new license is only good until March 16th 2019, before you turn 70 on the 17th, hence pro-rated. BTW we only give 3-year licenses when you turn 70. Is there anything else?"

Anything else? Yes, wait till you are 60, young lady, what else can I say? I guess this is one of those circumstances around which the expression 'rude shock' was coined. 70? Me? Give me a break, not so soon please!

CHOICES

I was in Jakarta this past weekend, staying at the Crown Plaza. I was at breakfast this morning, and overheard an argument between two young, modern day parents. They are obviously returnees, judging from their American accent. At the core of the dispute was whether their kid, not much older than 5, should be eating a fried egg!!! Mom was the classic willowy match-stick look, and Dad could well be the son I never had, who looked and argued like me!

Mom thought cereal and fruits were plenty enough and 'if you really insist, egg whites, but only at lunch'. Dad wanted his son to try fried egg on mee goreng which Mom vehemently opposed. Dad's best line was, ' ... how can you deprive him from our local fare, food I grew up with, who gave you that right?' 'His health', Mom retorted, ' ... this is for his own good, before he becomes a fat slob like you'. Ouch, what a low blow!

I almost choked on my eggs - yes, a double, never a single - on beautiful dried noodles, with a splash of laksa sauce. The whole scene was funny, but also sad, very sad.

My religion is; kids should be exposed to as many types of food as they are willing, at an early age. They should be given choices, and taught to make them. Kids growing up with health food only, to me, are deprived and unfairly treated. They can make those choices later in life, why not? I fully realize the global problem of child obesity but that does not justify deprivation, it is more a matter of 'appropriate monitoring' on the part of caring parents.

Speaking of religion I hold more or less the same view on religion itself. I do not subscribe to baptizing children soon after they are born. Like food, they should be allowed to choose their religious leaning, as adults. I better shut up now, before my diatribe offends.

To prove how invigorating my BF was, I prepared another helping for your reference. Delish, as Jamie Oliver would proclaim!

"THIS IS IT" ....

Today was the last showing of this amazing MJ documentary, one that would never surface should he not leave us so suddenly, and prematurely. I was in tears several times as the passing of MJ represents the passing of various stages of my own growing up. I am not the lone voice, there must be others in the audience who felt exactly the same way, I can guarantee that. Aside from the fabulous music, the seemingly unending energy, and of course the mind boggling choreography, the documentary can well be presented as the 'walking definition' of ; talent, charisma, professionalism, trust, commitment, dedication, stamina, creativity, team work, respect between coworkers ... the list is almost endless if you care to watch, carefully. What impressed me most was how MJ inspired others, and how he led from the front. We do not find too many like him, not just in the entertainment space, but broadly into the world of global leaders today. How many can claim that he or she can inspire as MJ had?

Micheal Jackson, the definitive King of Pops. I miss him so much after 'This is It' ... I can only take comfort in the fact that MJ is now at a place where there is eternal peace, where he can truly rest.

CHEF LEE IS BACK

I am sure those of you who have been to Home Wanchai must be wondering what has happened to it since they closed their doors in March. I bring good news! This little gem of a private kitchen has reopened on October 2nd under the new name 'Fullka' or 'Wealthy Family' as a loose translation. Chef Lee Yue Ching - of 'Ah Yat Abalaone' fame - is back, with his battle tested kitchen crew. Fullka is a truly Cantonese restaurant, its menu brings back fond memories to us old-timers who grew up in the 50s-60s, who might even had the luxury of a family cook.

For newcomers the best orientation to Chef Lee's magic is to order 'Mrs Wong's Special Menu' which comes in either $300 or $500 per head. Mrs Wong is an ardent fan of Home Wanchai like us, whom the restaurant honors by naming 'tasting menus' under her name. Needless to say, they are sumptuous with 12-13 courses respectively, all signature dishes. The must-haves include : Braised Giant Garoupa Fin, Top Soya Sauce Chicken, Stewed Pomelo Skin in Abalone Gravy, and for the anti-environment types who still worship Sharks Fin, the Chef will pan fry them for you. Shameful, yes, but its taste and texture are simply unmatched. For me, I would not leave until the House Fried Rice is served ... try it, and you will know why. Most admirable is the Chef's executive order to keep the much talked about lunch menu, another offer one cannot resist. This collection is 50 of the most favorite classic Cantonese home style lunch dishes @ $88 each ... which comes with soup de jour, vegetables, rice, dessert & tea. Now who can beat this in today's economy? BTW new dishes will be launched soon, once the crew gets their footing, as I salivate with panting breaths.

Without question 'honesty' is the best word to describe Fullka, the reincarnated Home Wanchai. Chef Lee is extremely honest, and that extends into his cooking, his menu, his presentation, his decor, his staff, his prices etc You cannot find the slightest tinge of fancy footwork, not here.

FULLKA : 1/F 'Butterfly' on 39 Morrison Hill Road CWB (2834 8378) ask for Money Kan the Relationship Manager ex-Ah Yat Abalone as well who will book for you ... enjoy!

CHINA TURNS 60

The People's Republic of China was born 60 years ago, on October 1st in 1949 ... 6.5 months younger than me. 60 is a key milestone as it 'marks the beginning of a new era in the Chinese culture' as the SCMP reports. Today she celebrated with a huge parade in Beijing and it must be one of the most impressive show of military might & humanity in recent world history. According to the newscasters, more than 8,000 troops & 300,000+ civilians participated. The 2-hour parade was like a Chinese history lesson on what transpired since the Communist Party assumed power 60 years ago. The 4 most prominent architects - Mao, Deng, Jiang and Hu - were hailed as leaders who put their signatures on the nation's development in earth shattering dimensions. Mao, the founding father, is fully exonerated from the Cultural Revolution; Deng the leader who opened China's doors; Jiang who launched her on the world stage; and now Hu taking her to global dominance.

The awe inspring moment was the raising of the flag, when more than half a million - supposedly what Tiananmen Square can hold, but there must be more than that number today - stood at attention and sang, in unison, the national anthem. Talking about chills down the spine, here is one for you.

Lots of slogans were paraded, among them I like these the best : (1) Socialism is Good (2) Our Nation will be Strong, Prosperous, Democratic, Civilized & Harmonious ... very well said.

Happy Birthday China, may there be many many more!