It rains every day for a few hours in Singapore; this is the season. Christmas decorations dominate on Orchard Street, and unfamiliar over-the-top kitsch in display windows invites the curious; the Asian way of celebrating is a bit extravagant, and too many colors, glitter, and plastic ornaments mottled with religions create this bizarre advertisement for the shopping crazy inhabitants of this South Asia island. I sometimes feel overwhelmed living in a city with a general curricular activity consisting foremost of eating and shopping.
My position as Executive Chef to this project matures to be important for both sides involved. After boot camp last week, I found myself bonding with the core team now aboard for quite a while. Although we are still short on chefs for the kitchen operations, I am confident I can make my menu suggestions into a spa cuisine menu, and the excitement is rising with every day we prepare for the opening day on December 10th. If only I could draw more attention to the fact that a well-trained and fully equipped kitchen staff is the core operation of a restaurant… So far, I have struggled to gain such respect.
Red, white & pure is still showing little doubts around me and with me; my personality is unusually composed compared to most chefs out there, and I care and brag little about my true talent until I am in cooking action. I have long learned that the positive energies of the Universe indeed had a hand in this matchmaking and that fueling optimistic energies is most important for our successful future, regardless of titles, money, and talent. Well, my talent as a TCM chef aside…
This unique chance to study TCM and participate in a venture that concentrates on the well-being of others is hugely rewarding. Everyone puts their soul into this project. No worries – I have not turned religious, just realizing the possibilities of this possibility and dancing on the ceiling about the chance to be aboard. I have rarely found myself this happy while working and studying this hard.
I go to bed tired and have no life on my own. No need to complain; I am still waiting for my furniture to be shipped from Los Angeles – three months ago. Living in boutique hotels gets boring. I merely come home and crash!
Check out the sample menus on the website, www.redwhitepure.com, showing how we incorporate Chinese Herbs in our concoctions. The menus read as an educational experience for the few who want to learn about the healing entities in all we intake.
My dream is to publish an extraordinary cookbook: A reference in the usage of TCM with healthy food preparations and a home-kitchen guide that can be resourced for all health troubles pondering modern city living. People active in nature have a better connection with healing plants than city people who are disconnected from intuitive knowledge. I will present a cookbook that helps anyone from simply eating better to cancer patients needing a tasty cooking choice. We all must re-discover the magic that grows amongst us and learn that prevention is better than healing.
For now, I am spending most days educating and defending my perspectives on cooking, and slowly, I am gaining respect for my wisdom and my kind personality. I still have not shown my devilish talents on the stove, but soon, soon…
TCMchef Raphael
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