Chef Chat Mingkwan
As the handsome boy in an urban family of Bangkok, people often pointed at him and laughed when he walked by...Chat, of Unusual Touch, was often left behind to help his aunt prepare the family dinner while his mean and jealous older siblings ran off to play. At first, he despised the task and thought of himself as the male Cinderella, “Cinderambo,” who often fell sleep waiting for his oxcart. But later he learned to enjoy the knowledge and skills he gained, including discovering the sweet revenge of spiking and spicing his brother and sisters’ meals. The number of Thai bird-eye chilies in the meal went up and down according to the fluctuating love he had for his siblings. He often intentionally prepared their meals to an almost unbearable spiciness by adding a couple of handfuls of Thai chilies AND got away with it! The food was so spicy, but so delicious, his siblings were unsure whether to punish him -rafting him out in the ocean or to praise him- or staked his head on the altar. Then, sweet and spicy revenges became his passion and cooking went along with it. He gradually fine tuned the skill and continued cooking as his sibling’s bitter complaints, commendations and praise were his only rewards and encouragement.
The oxcart never arrived so he came looking for MikeC in the US and to also pursue higher education in a design field, while cooking and training in a French restaurant; his first big step in the culinary profession. After many years, he miraculously got a degree and worked for several years in the hospitality design business specializing in kitchen and restaurant design. Later, his Cinderambo kicked in as his yearning to sweat in the kitchen drove his culinary passion wild so he flew to France and became an apprentice at La Cagouille in provincial French cuisine in Rayon.
Returning to the US, aimlessly still, he traveled extensively, eating mostly and also collecting artifacts, throughout Southeast Asia and realized a wealth of culinary knowledge among these countries and their unique cuisine. He again became an apprentice, this time of Southeast Asian cuisine and easily mastered the skill with his Thai cooking background. He put his skill to test in the culinary metropolis of San Francisco at a restaurant that specialized in Southeast Asian grill for several years before realizing his call (got fired) of sharing his knowledge. His overall philosophy (can’t remember when the Zen came in) is similar to his cooking simplicity. Untie the knot (better not tie it in the first place), either the one in your stomach or the unclear one in the recipe. Make it simple, straight and true to yourself. Let’s walk this path together but don’t cramp each other's style, please.
And what do you know, Chat also knows how to write too! He authored many cookbooks specializing in Southeast Asian cuisine. Visit Chat and look at his artifacts at unusualtouch.com.
