Trading Places- By Chef Shane
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Hi again,
Your strange but lovable foreign correspondent has been busy doing a pre-opening – the deadline of which is drawing ever closer.
At such times, doing stuff in foreign lands, we are viewed through many different sets of eyes.
We chefs are Godlike creatures with aeons of experience, neglectful parents and spouses, valued team members, overpaid foreigners, and mates living it up large, overseas in a tropical paradise.
The realities are quite hard to pin down.
What ARE the real benefits of getting around the globe? Career? Money? Experience?
To me, one of the main attractions of working as an expat is the ability to “trade places”
Too many expats, Western and others, tend to congregate in social groups of their own nationality, eat their own food from home, and do what they did in their home country.
I just love having a shisha and a mint tea in Dubai, next to the Creek and getting stuck into Egyptian bread and hummus with meat.
The “Dubai lifestyle” was fun to be a part of, and getting down into the back streets led to some amazing discoveries and cool little nooks and crannies to hang out.
In Kazakhstan, starting the day with a bowlful of freshly picked berries was just awesome – or sharing a vodka or 16 with colleagues and friends with some Russian music in the background of a seedy tavern in Almaty.
A 40 cent “samsa” baked in a street kiosk on the way to work was a regular treat – as was the amazing cherry juice, the awesome smallgoods and the trips to Zelyonay Bazaar.
Every day I walked through Almaty marvelling at the natural beauty, and the hills were my domain in the 9 navigable months of the year.
Shaking hands was sincere – a heartfelt greeting – and getting outside amongst the trees in the parks was a welcome break from the heat – and a great place to meet people.
A trip to Cambodia would not be complete without drinking soursop juice, having a fresh baguette in the morning, a beef lok lak or catfish amok for dinner, and getting up to watch the heart-warming sunrise exercises on Sisowath Quay.
And of course – the regular exchanges with the cheeky but shy Cambodians who got less businesslike and more truly friendly the more they saw you.
And here in Thailand I am in love with eating street food, drinking baby coconut nectar, and being a bit cheeky and playful with the locals always leads to laughs, smiles and new friends, and a really positive spin on the day.
I love eating too much chilli, trying new things and being invited to partake of something offered out of true hospitality.
I am more than happy to do things the Thai way.
Every place Sorry – let’s change that to ‘MOST’ places – on Earth, have great little customs, habits, foods, treats or events/situations that make life truly rewarding.
By insulating ourselves into social groups and refusing to partake, we are not gaining – we are wasting the opportunity to expand our lifetime experiences, and take home special memories.
Have a fresh look through a new set of eyes at what surrounds you – and do something different today.
You are living in the same old boring reality day in and day out?
Maybe from your perspective, but remember that 99% of the world’s population would find your current environment exotic, different, and maybe even desirable.
Looking through their eyes, there is a lot to experience all around you, and the world is an exciting place again.
Now, I have to go.
Just got to clear the beachfront restaurant in readiness for the tropical storm that is rolling in across the Andaman Sea, and then prepare myself for a hectic few hours at Thai Rot night market.
Of course I’ll get a bag of fresh jackfruit, try some more frog fried with Thai basil, and express shock and outrage at the more than reasonable prices, so we can end up laughing together and agreeing on a “local price”
When I get back, I’ll spend an hour on the balcony calling out to the frogs, and watching the geckos flit around the walls.
And I’ll probably be glad that I’m not in the Courthouse Hotel after work for the 5th night this week drinking pints of Reschs and eating plates of chips.
Cheerfully yours,
Chef Shane
The Culinary Globe Trotter
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Australian Chef- Matthew J. Goudge is the mastermind behind the formation of the ProChef360 platform.
Shane!
Thank You! What you say is so true!
I guess if we are expats it is a bit because our hearts longs to travel and experience the many cultures of the world. We remain westerners in our thinking but our behaviour is not. As I return to my native France, I sometimes marvel at the life there and all it’s culture, culinary and arts. I pass for an illuminated fool when I voice my awe at a simple dish and people wonder what I want from them when I engage in open friendly conversation. The France that I left many years ago, where people acknowledged each other and truly communicated seems to have been lost. I have spoken to many expat and they all seems to agree that we have this special ability to communicate openly to any body regardless of nationality, race, sex or culture. I have been away traveling for the past 30 years now and look forward to the next 30!
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