When East Met West (second course)

In an apartment on Sacramento street, many moons from China, my grandmother sat with an infant, a husband and a new journey ahead of her. As the honeymoon phase faded, both my grandfather and Venus fell into their matrimonial duties. For them this meant my grandmother was to be the care taker of the house children and of course “Diddy”, (my grandfather’s nickname). Diddy’s job of course was to find some regular work, since musical gigs were few and far between.

I could imagine the look on her face, when my grandfather presented her with a beautiful rib roast, in which she had not the foggiest notion of what to do with it. My grandmother who had no reason to step foot in a kitchen before being married and having a baby, was befuddled. But as the story goes, given some time and with the help of a few good friends, she found her way around and in the kitchen.

Venus remembered some of the dishes she watched others cook back in China, and tried her best to recreate them. She was good at observing. My mom tells me she could master almost any dish. She remembered these sweet Singapore style pan-fried noodles, and a few other Chinese dishes made for her back in China. In time, Venus would pluck a few chickens, but only after the fact the butcher did the initial deed. An African American woman by the name of Hattie, one who became a good friend to my grandmother, helped her with greens and other soul food dishes. My grandmother also learned Filipino dishes from a Filipino woman who was friend as well. She had an intuitive way with American breads and desserts. It was the desserts she mastered with ease. Braided breads, a signature chocolate cake, a very unique pie. If you could think of it or name it, she could make it, and if she didn’t have a recipe, she’d make it her own. All this from a special mindset she adapted while learning, “if you can read a recipe, if you have an imagination surely you can cook”.

My grandmother was in no way famous, but I admire her as if she was. Just like many other restaurant entrepreneurs. The tenacity, the dedication and the following of dreams. Their story goes deeper than knowing how to read a recipe, somewhat of a love affair of the art of cuisine. This desire to speak to the people through the dishes you create can be quite spiritual. Beyond the egocentricities that we see on tv or in the media. Those people are exuberant and entertaining by far. But then there are others. They are sometimes unrecognizable, ordinary people, tucked away in kitchens no bigger than a studio apartment. They spend anywhere from 8-to 16 hours a day, with their heads down or heads up, creating amazing food. They are tired, on edge, irritable and intense. They are lighthearted, creative, kind perfectionists who are interestingly wild and courageous, and sometimes downright quirky. Not only but most often fellow chefs can understand the joy and pure happiness of course, after mise en place is set, after the timelines have been executed, getting pleasure out of watching the expression on the faces of friends, family and guests. This is when it is time experience fulfillment, that is if they are not too tired to do so.

I have always wanted to write a cookbook. I thought that I could write a cookbook with a clear and concise outline on narrative and substance. This is what I am, this is where I grew up, this is what we eat here is how to cook it. But that is not the case. What is clear and concise, is that my family, from way back has always carried this spirit of openness, kindness towards others. My grandmother could cook her ass off, and she learned to do so through people of different ethnic backgrounds. My own cuisine, heavily influenced by South East Asian food, Filipino, and dollop of soul food, also learned by my family, peers and the families of my peers.

In San Francisco, known as the melting pot, fusion reigns over tradition, even though we all love going home to our roots. So instead, I will recreate some of our traditional family recipes, as well as the recipes that have given me such a romantic influence. An impression of memories, that I will carry with me for a lifetime.