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  • Cookin with Calvin Ku

    Saturday, May 10, 2008 5:45PM / Members only

    so its saturday night... and i just got back to zuma after spending a few hours in the kitchen of HALO with Calving Ku, the exec chef of HALO (amongst other things.)

    we are getting ready for the alive not dead one year anniversary party, making about 1200 pieces of snacks for our artists to enjoy... =) so far the menu is:

     * tomato, shiso & lime bruschetta * grilled chicken with barley miso * scallops, pancetta & nori * soy-soaked tuna & wasabi tobiko * roasted portobello mushrooms with siracha chili * steak & onion sandwich with mustard sauce *

    we had a fun afternoon chopping tomatoes and telling stories abot kitchens we've worked in. its always the same when chefs get together... telling warstories about the best and the worst places we've worked.

    it reminded me of a lot of stories, which i hope to get around to telling you... but its 6pm on saturday night and it looks like we're in for a busy one at the restaurant...

    can't wait to see you all tomorrow night!

  • Finally on AnD!

    Thursday, May 8, 2008 4:13PM / Members only

    i met the boys and girls of Alive Not Dead just over a year ago...
    right before the launch of the site i guess. since then i've had
    the privilege of watching the site grow... all the while saying,
    "Pat... i'll put up my profile next week, honest!"

    anyway, i've always thought of cooking as more of a craft than
    an art, but there is a certain artistry in making restaurants
    and the dining experience... hopefully i'll get a chance to explore
    that here on AnD.

  • Lifestyle Magazine, Beijing, June 2005

    Wednesday, May 7, 2008 4:18PM / Members only

    Most chefs will tell you that the making of a good dish is all about balance. Foods should complement each other and never overpower. A well-made dish uses several cooking techniques and flavors that enhance each other. Creations should not be too dry, too ‘saucy’ or too anything, really. Even the colors should be in balance, making sure the plate is not all brown, red, etc. Several great books have been written on the subject. Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid is an exceptional study into the perfect balance found in Southeast Asian cuisine. Gray Kunz, a 4-star chef in New York, teamed up with Peter Kaminsky to explore The Elements of Taste. In this phenomenal cookbook, these two veterans explain that there are fourteen different elements of flavor in western cooking, from ‘platform tastes’ like meaty or oceanic, to tastes that ‘push’ or tastes that ‘pull.’ But, you know what? In the sweltering late-summer heat of Beijing, who can even think about food?

     

    It’s no wonder I lose weight every summer. No, I am not dieting to fit into a new bathing suit, but in the heat of summer I do lose my appetite. During the winter months, the body’s metabolism slows down, reserving carbohydrates as fats to burn slowly and keep us warm in the winter months. Along with the nutrients, toxins are also processed more slowly and end up being stored in fat cells until they can be easily burned off in the warmer weather. As the body is not producing as much of its own energy, we naturally lean towards richer foods like meats, nuts and sugary sweets. However, in the summertime the body does not want to be slowed down having to digest heavy foods while it is busy processing things left over from winter. So what does this all mean to your chef?

     

    Winter and summer alike, I love riding my kua zi. One of my motorcycle-riding buddies is New Zealand native, Royce Derbyshire. As well as being a Chang Jiang enthusiast and blowing blues harp for Black Cat Bone, Royce is also a student of Traditional Chinese Medicine. While trying to figure out some culinary tricks to beat the heat, Royce gave me a few tips from five thousand years of glorious tradition.

     

    “In the summertime the body needs to purge itself of excess heat and toxins. So you need to eat more yin foods. Yin foods help to cool you down as opposed to yang foods which will warm you up. Try to eat lighter foods like cucumbers, watermelon, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, lettuce, seaweed and citrus. For proteins stick to crabs, clams or egg whites. Bananas and apples are good cooling foods as well.”

     

    As a diner, I tend to gravitate towards food that makes me feel good. I tend to eat a lot of vegetables and grains and spicier things. As a chef, I want my guests to experience the same thing: A feeling of being satisfied but not saturated. And keeping in tune with what a guest needs is not always easy. My first day on the job at Canteen in New York, the chef had me help him make a soup to sell as a special that night. It was a rainy November night and he told me, “People like to eat soup when it’s raining.” Here at Louisiana we change the menu every month in hopes of being able to provide exactly the kind of food our guests need as the seasons change.

     

    Whether you are trying to keep cool or stay warm in Beijing, eating western food or local, the key to keeping fit and feeling well is balance. Be it the four food groups or yin and yang, eating the proper foods during the summer months will allow you to enjoy the warm weather, rather than feel burdened by it. The simplest way to do it, however, is just to pay attention to your body. I’ve had to give up my daily ham, cheese and jalapeno omelet, because I was just feeling so heavy in the morning. So for the summer it’s cereal and fruit for my breakfast. And, when it comes to balance, eating properly is just one factor. Try to take into account everything on a daily basis that may make you feel hot and if you still can’t take the heat… get out of the kitchen!

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  • posted on Saturday, Feb 14, 2009 9:39PM  [Report]
    Happy Valentine's Day!
    情人節快樂!!=^_^=
  • posted on Sunday, Feb 1, 2009 1:41AM  [Report]
    happy new year~
    加油啊~~
  •  
    posted on Wednesday, Jan 28, 2009 3:38PM  [Report]
    happy new year, blog damn it!
  •  
    posted on Monday, Jan 26, 2009 3:54AM  [Report]
    恭喜發財 May this year be happy and fruitful.
  • posted on Monday, Jan 5, 2009 10:02PM  [Report]
    Hello, I like cooking, hope that one day you know!!
  •  
    posted on Wednesday, Dec 24, 2008 11:29PM  [Report]
    hi,Dan♪Merry Christmas!! ☆。。。
  • posted on Wednesday, Dec 24, 2008 5:04AM  [Report]
    hey Dan,
    Wishing you and yours the true blessings of the season...peace of mind, joy of heart and love all around.
    Merry CHRISTmas and may your New Year be filled with blessings beyond your imaginations.
    ~ Kelly
  •  
    posted on Sunday, Dec 7, 2008 3:43AM  [Report]
    ha, nice commercial!
  •  
    posted on Sunday, Dec 7, 2008 3:03AM  [Report]
    sweet commercial!!! =D
  • posted on Monday, Nov 3, 2008 1:54PM  [Report]
    hi~~can i add you to be my friend?
  • Official artist 
    posted on Friday, Oct 17, 2008 12:23PM  [Report]
    black cat bone is comin' for ya... Nov 1 @ Fringe Club, can you make it?
  • posted on Sunday, Oct 5, 2008 6:18PM  [Report]
    this weekend is our National Day, i will go out for a train trip and eat the local food in Taiwan with my friend all day long>///< i'll take a lot of photo and update my blog, come to my blog if you have time next week^^
  • posted on Saturday, Sep 27, 2008 10:02PM  [Report]
    yinchuanming@yeah.net 这是我的邮箱!很高兴能认识你!
  • posted on Thursday, Sep 25, 2008 11:20PM  [Report]
    你好!我是中国厨师,擅长烹饪上海菜,淮扬菜,四川菜!希望有一天能认识你!
  • posted on Friday, Sep 12, 2008 3:35PM  [Report]
    Mr.Cooking!! i like cooking!!=))i'll so satisfaction if i can cooking for my lovely=))))
  • Official artist 
    posted on Sunday, Sep 7, 2008 10:59AM  [Report]
    it seems very delicious
  • posted on Monday, Sep 1, 2008 2:11PM  [Report]
    wow.nice food.very good.
  • posted on Tuesday, Aug 19, 2008 10:24PM  [Report]
    o(∩_∩)o...
  • Official artist 
    posted on Friday, Aug 8, 2008 4:56PM  [Report]
    Hi Dan....I would love to have a taste of your art work.....where is your restaurant.... for sure I will show up at the door in not time....
  • Official artist 
    posted on Thursday, Aug 7, 2008 6:48PM  [Report]
    Nice mug shot buddy. Bringing Roland in for a feed this week!
  • More comments >

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