Newsletter #2

Greetings from Montauk,

Welcome to Soy Sauce, Sugar, Mirin HQ with our white wall, white table, white couch apartment, which is a really a bad idea when you have three dogs. But what can we say, Chika and I love Fifi, Foofoo and Ohlalaa to bits.

If you’re new here, let me reveal that this is me Harvard being lazy and going with whatever template and stock shots that are available. So no, I’m still Asian, my wife is still from Fukuoka, and we don’t have pets.

Last week I made a Spotify playlist for cooking.

Happy End of Chinese New Year.

During the first day of Chinese New Year, a Friday, the Victorian government shut down the whole state because some guy decided to spread COVID virus with his asthma machine, breaking down the already tiny viruses into COVID mist from a Holiday Inn LOL When you think about it it’s actually a very effective way to spread the virus. Anyway, lobsters were destroyed, Asian families estranged, and valentine roses left to rot on the streets.

My family had a good break. We were going to bring dumplings, noodles and lou sang to a couple of family gatherings, so in the end we just had all the food to ourselves over 3 days. Best CNY lockdown ever.

Before giving out tea towels and tote bags to promote my book, I had the idea of a full-on gyoza recipe to be included as a leaflet. Since my book doesn’t contain proper recipes, I thought it’d be funny to have one that is overtly detailed.

So please click on the button below for my very detailed chicken gyoza recipe to celebrate the end of Chinese New Year. You should be able to print them out and fold 3 times like a junk mail. Please don’t let some lunar calendar dictate when we should make and eat dumplings, noodles and fake salmon salads. Ok, I take that last one back.

What’s been happening?

This week I watched Yesterday the movie directed by Danny Boyle ((I’ve only been to the UK once in my life, and it made me want to go back) and read The Loneliness of the Long-distance Cartoonist by Adrian Tomine. Both had a running theme of the flipside of being successful. Would The Beatles have a better (longer) life if they didn’t have success? Is it worth dedicating your life to an industry that will ignore your talent but not your skin colour? There’s a panel from Adrian’s book which he depicted meeting his childhood hero, only for the guy to tell him‘ I like Jujitsu’. (Adrian’s Asian.)

Anyway, not saying I’m successful.
Just saying be careful what you wish for.

Ok, what’s been happening … food wise?

This is probably for the Melburnians. Last week I finally tried dimsum at Secret Kitchen in the CBD. The serving is decent, decor elegant. Perhaps I have not been out for a long time, is $40 per person for dimsum normal in 2021? In my mind the acceptable threshold has always been $25. All I could think of was to order from Mankee. Their hargow are definitely much better than Secret Kitchen. They usually wholesale for hotels and restaurants so thanks again, COVID. I have to steam them myself but for $80 I could feed my family crazy with much better food.

Another big news in Melbourne is that Malaysian uncles and aunties are taking long train rides and risk catching virus just to have Lulu’s Fried Kuey Teow. You get to pick duck egg, giant prawns, squid etc with your carcinogenic wokhei. Once again, $17 for Fried Kuey Teow with uncle and aunties around you? I don’t know man. It’s good, but probably not as good as the ones in our mind.

What’s next?

I’m due to have a chat with one of the admins of Subtle Asian Cooking tomorrow morning. She finally received my book in Boston and we might have a podcast interview soon. No idea what we’ll be talking about.

I also want to make this newsletter a little more interactive. If you have any recipe request, restaurant recommendation, or just any random questions, please reply to this email, and I’ll respond … slowly.

Stay safe, eat well.

XXOO