Greetings fellow gatherites. Today I’m asking your advice AND giving you a heads-up about some of my future articles. I just accepted an invitation to travel to Macau (China) on a culinary tour that will include visits to Macau's top restaurants and Macau's Culinary Institute, as well as interviewing local chefs. This is part of a promotion by the restaurant chain PF Chang, which will be developing another regional menu for its Bistro style US restaurants to bring Macanese cuisine to the US by next October. This is my chance to be immersed and trained in the authentic Macanese ways of cooking, as well as to absorb the local culture. (Not-to-mention eating some darn good food!)
So - have any of you been to Macau? I know it was a Portuguese colony until 1999, and that true Asian fusion cooking originated here with roots in Vietnamese/Latin/Portuguese&Chinese cuisine. It is one of the most densely populated places in the world, and it rivals Las Vegas as the “Casino Capital”. And, I know where it is. Nothing else.
- Any suggestions on places to visit if my incredibly tight schedule allows?
- Any recipes or techniques you particularly want to know about?
- Questions I should ask the top chefs?
This is your chance to travel with me, albeit vicariously, to learn all about this cooking style, and this major tourist destination on the China coast. Your participation is invited.
Richard Frisbie, FOOD Correspondent:
RICHARD FRISBIE is published twice a month to Gather Essentials: Food
It is a food junkie's take on growing, raising, preparing and - above all else - eating food. Together we’ll explore the trends, addictions, equipment and regional specialties that make up the sometimes mundane and sometimes sublime cooking and dining experience. You can keep up with my other postings and Gather activity by joining my Gather network -- just click the orange “Connect” button on the upper left-hand side of this page --- I look forward to hearing from you.
BIO - Richard has been writing culinary travel articles for more than five years as a columnist for his local newspapers, and as a regular contributor to the many Hudson Valley, Catskill Mountain and other regional New York publications. His most recent addition to that list is a wine column called “Fruit of the Vine” for Life in the Finger Lakes magazine. Online, he writes frequent articles for EDGE publications and Travel Lady, as well as Gather.
You can read all of Richard's articles or find him with the other Food Correspondents, plus celebrity chef content and plenty of other Foodies at http://foodtalk.gather.com
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Comments: 26
It's great that you're going to Macau!! I took Joseph there 2 years ago and enjoyed some great food. As you know, it was a Portugese colony, so lots of interesting mix of Chinese/Portugese creations. You must try the Portugese-style egg custard, the pork sandwich, Portugese chicken and almond cookies... oh I'm so jealous just thinking about them... It is a long flight but well worth it!!! -- Karin
I imagine it si something like Vegas - there is the strip with the casinos, then there is the real city.
I look forward to hearing about you trip, and learning what Macau cuisine is.
(REALLY - This is just what I was looking for - thanks)
I'll come home with recipes, and some ingredients, and a better idea what PF Changs is. Meanwhile - Everyone is razing me about going on vacation (they do this each culinary tour I take) when I know I'll be working - WORKING - 24/7! (But it is a fun change of pace from my bookshop - I like it)
# Any suggestions on places to visit if my incredibly tight schedule allows?
# Any recipes or techniques you particularly want to know about?
# Questions I should ask the top chefs?
Donald - many times (!!) - we are all envious! How recently were you there? What is the weather like now? What should I pack? (You know - light sports coats, cordoroy?(sp?) - like that?)
The Portuguese are famous for their egg desserts so you cannot go wrong with any of their custards - they are also famous for their sopas secas and I'm sure they must have some fabulous ones with the Chinese influence.
Can hardly wait to start getting feed back articles from you!!!
Have fun and don't sleep, please, just check out food and recipes 24/7!!!
;-))
I think you will find much of Macao to be like Hong Kong in many ways, but with a touch of Iberia instead of merry old England. You will definitely find adventure on the tables. Both the dinner table and the gaming tables. Watch out for the latter, house rules can be different from Vegas. Your culinary adventures should be sublime! If you can manage an add-on excursion, I would suggest Ho Chi Min City (Saigon) or Bangkok, two more centers of A-Fusion cuisine. Saigon with it's classical French influences. The Thais incorporating Indo and European touches to the Southeast Asian ingredients.
Have a wonderful trip and bring us back some fantasiful dishes!
But the food will be fantastic - I tell you all about it when I get back.
Richard, this is something I tell people to do (I really stress they should do this)! In Asia especially, make sure the card has your hotel/guesthouse/hostel address written in the local dialect for the cabbies!!! Unfortunately even that does not help sometimes. In Taipei, I had printed out directions to get from the airport to the guesthouse in three languages - English for me, Anglicized-phonetic Taiwanese Mandrian, and the Taiwanese Mandrian character set - it was almost pointless! From the mid-town train station at 10:00 PM, I could not find a cabbie that could read, not even their own Mandrian character set!!! By cross-referencing the sparcely detailed map back in the station lobby with the pseudo-English directions from the guesthouse, I was able to guide a cabbie to within two blocks of my destination. The last block of the journey took an hour to decipher but I finally located the guesthouse. A little nerve racking to be wandering a strange Asian city loaded down with your expiditon pack at midnight, but you do get a good story to laugh about afterwards!
Richard, you will have fun! Surely they will schedule a little time to wander. If not, remember, you can sleep on the plane! (you've got around 22 hours of actually flight time plus whatever layovers are scheduled) I was on a three and half week typhoon-trip through S.E.Asia and had scheduled 3 full days layover in Hong Kong, the time being totally my own. Rarely will you ever have as much time as you wish you coulc have in any place, but if somehow you can tack on some extra days, I would try to explore a little on your on at least where ever your stopovers are. I'd imagine that you may be flying into Hong Kong and ferrying over to Macau, any other connections? Tokyo? Taipei? Shanghai?
on one trip a local tourism person saw me reading my itinerary and over heard my expression of concern about the impossibility of some event planned for the next day. When I arrived at my hotel that night I had a fax with the changes I wanted and an appointment the next morning for someone to hand me the things I needed - all very professional! I was impressed! (it also reminded me to be good where ever I go!!)
It will be fun and I'll be well cared for - thanks for the good advice Mr Bill. Unfortunately, I have to return to my shop and my orders on the 19th, (and my livelihood) so the luxury of extra time isn't possible.
I look forward to telling you all about Macau - AND - to be honest - it is that ability that led to my invitation.
GATHER FOOD CORPS ROCKS!
It's good to know that everyone is very enthusiastic about this exciting journey that Richard is going to go! Im from Macau, Im Portuguese and Im 16 :) You must be thinking, "What is a young girl doing here?" - haha, well im studying in a foreign country at the moment and im taking Home Economics for my exams. One of the huge projects Im doing at the moment consist of talking about Macau Food. I know what recipes to write about - thanks to you all! - but then I need to draw a MIND MAP and think about MACAU FOOD widely and write down possible areas where I could look into and investigate - this is what Im finding it hard! I have lived in Macau all my life, but never really took great interest in its gastronomy and internet isn't helping me much. I tried talking to my parents, but they know hardly anything about Macanese food. Do you guys think you could help me? I already got written down in my mind map that I need - where Macau islocated, the spices..... - but what else ??
Please help me with this one, Im struggling!!
Thank you very much you all!
Here are links to my Macanese cooking articles. The links at the bottom of each of the articles should help you to find more info.
Good Luck with the project!
PF Chang recipe
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977048157
African Recipe
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976955363
Interview With Venerable Macanese Chef
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976952251
Macanese Menu with Wines
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976951815
The Best Dim Sum in the World
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976936986
Have a fantastic day Richard!