I'm a native San Franciscan (one of the last few San Franciscans still living in San Francisco) and a hobby chef trying to push the boundaries of cooking to new levels of deliciousness throughout my global culinary journeys. For the past decade and a half I have spent an average of 2 months out of each year backpacking throughout mostly Asia and Europe seeking out unique culinary experiences. I'm what you could say an eccentric chef if not an eclectic chef. When I'm in another country, I'm very fascinated with exceptional street food from all over the world especially vendors who only specialize in cooking just one item and doing it extremely well on a small cooking cart and can sustain a living on that like those serving hand-made over cheese-cloth rice noodle rolls in Macao; and tasty fried silkworms, stuffed savory griddle cupcakes, scallion pancakes, lamb kabobs, or stinky tofu in China; and spicy BBQ squid on a stick or oyster omelet in Taiwan. I purposely seek out unusual ingredients (especially gold medal ingredients) at the local farmer's market and see what I can do with it in the kitchen with whatever else I have at my disposal. Some of my successful experiments were preparing Cantonese-style Kangaroo in Australia, Cantonese-style Reindeer in Sweden, Cantonese-style Pheasant in Denmark, Cantonese-style Horse in Catalonia, and Cantonese-style Camel in Morocco. I also like experimenting with pairing Asian foundation ingredients with Western dishes. (I do, however, want to make this clear, I politically do not support eating animals that can not reproduce fast enough to sustain a viable population.)

In case anyone is wondering, (just like French cooking is the "gold-standard" for Europe) Cantonese cooking is the traditional "gold-standard" for Asia as it is more technical involving refined techniques in food preparation more so than any other Asian cuisine especially the ones that rely more on artistic presentation and assembly line production of raw ingredients.

https://www.eater.com/platform/amp/2018/11/13/18091294/michelin-cantonese-cuisine-guide-2018

Our South-Eastern Chinese diaspora fanning throughout all over Asia and assimilating locally has contributed immensely to improving the local menus where-ever we had settled over the last 400 years.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When I visit a foreign host, I bring gourmet cooking to you and it is a dining experience which you probably won't have again as I am also carrying sauces, herbs and spices, and hard to find ingredients from the farmer's market from my prior destinations to your home.

Interests

Tiny homes on wheels

• aquaria
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• archeology
• sustainability
• ancient history
• rollerblading
• bee keeping
• broadway
• gourmet cooking
• aquariums
• play piano
• farms
• houseboats
• word play
• ecology nature conservation
• zen spirituality
• tea mixology
• ranches
• tiny custom houses on wheels

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite music is 80's music
My favorite shows are: America's Test Kitchen, National Geographic, Nova, www.loe.org
Favorite Movie: Farewell My Concubine
Favorite Book: Secret Language of Birthdays
Favorite Organization: http://tw.tzuchi.org/en/

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Last August in less than a minute, I solved an art mystery of an 4,000 year old artifact at the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi where the docent explained that this particular artifact was unexplainable. The mystery was how did a silver ring without welding seams fit snugly perfectly around a mineralized piece of wood.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach how to use Asian ingredients available at your local market. I can also teach you how to ergonomically use chopsticks and observe that it is not just an eating utensil but also one of the most versatile cooking tool as well.
I learned techniques on how to make pulled noodles in Beijing, pigeon bistilla in Fes, and imeruli khachapuri in Batumi .
A great culinary experience is what I share. I view food as medicine and I practice cooking as a meditative art. I'm a follower of the "slow-food movement" and you will also notice that I also eat slowly not because I enjoy a good conversation over a meal but I appreciate the deliciousness of each bite of a dish I made.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I really enjoy cooking for my host. Like an artist, I paint dinner plates with food not only with an assortment of bold colors from all the spectrum of the 🌈 but also with a delicious balance of contrasting flavors from healthy wholesome ingredients high in antioxidants. And if you have a favorite item in your refrigerator, I will definitely work with it re-inventing a new way to prepare it for you.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Laos, Liechtenstein, Macao, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Denmark, United States