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What are some of the Lunar New Year traditions that you always stick to and why?
I always make a whole fish. I like lion head meatballs or meatballs to symbolize wealth, as well as roast chicken or duck. You have to have soup, but more than food it is about friends and family. I have not lived with my family since I was 20, so the last 19 years I have celebrated with my friends and it is a tradition for us as much as my biological family is at this time.
Tell me a little more about the dish you have chosen. Is there any peculiarity or advice to prepare it that you want to share?
I think it’s just time, patience, and consistency. People are always friendly and want to help, but I usually tell them to pick the most expensive wine they can find in my Eurocave, smoke my weed, eat my mushrooms, but under no circumstances should they come help me in the kitchen. [laughs]. I don’t like rushing when I cook for the holidays, I don’t like nervous energy, and I rarely like someone else in the kitchen with me besides my mom or my good friend, Taylor Takahashi, because they are so detailed and pay. attention to the nuances of the dishes. If I show you my process of washing, drying, and harvesting coriander leaf by leaf, you don’t think I’m crazy and you will do it the same way every time. Cooking and dating go hand in hand. It is not about finding the newest, brightest, most expensive ingredient, but about choosing what really interests you, learning it from the inside out and being consistent in your relationship with it. Am I right or am I right? I also cooked with the father of my colleague Omid, he is very detailed, works clean, a little crazy in the kitchen and has two good dogs.
Does the act of cooking a whole fish have any sentimental value to you, or is there an interesting story about why it has become a tradition?
Whole fish is lucky, so I do it every year. I used to think I had to eat certain dishes, but honestly it’s all about the energy and feel of the day. You want to reflect on the past year, let go of the things that were difficult, and welcome the new. It is a very spiritual feast that is more about my connection to the universe, myself, and my community than any particular dish.
