Working for Dinner

Posted by Wayne (Melbourne, Australia) on 6 September 2007 in People & Portraits.

This photo is obviously not taken by me (I'm the guy in red) but was taken by a photographer friend Joshua Chan at one of the dinner parties being hosted at my place.

I've been told I look rather serious/scary in this photo and prima facie it seems like I'm telling off my very dear friend Tjokro but nothing could be further from the truth. If memory serves me well (and I believe it does) we were discussing about how to bring out flavours in a particular dish.

I love cooking. It's both an art and a experiencial process. I love the interactions it facilitates; between the cook and his food, the cook and his guests, the guests and their food, the guests with each other and the privilege of the cook to see the work through from raw ingredients to the smiles, laughter and joyful conversation it ultimately results in. To me...it quite literally is an all-consuming passion.

I'm in the process of planning a Sambal Stingray (aka Skate) night since my usual fishmonger now stocks Skate (=D). It's going to be at the foot of my apartment building and it'll be semi-outdoors. The guest list is starting to build and I'm getting very excited about the prospects of cooking and accomodating the needs of the diners as well as the new presentation and serving opportunites for the food.

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