Interview: Nicholas Platt and his famous sons, The West Wing's Oliver and restaurant critic Adam, talk about food politics
Veteran diplomat Nicholas Platt and his eldest sons, film star Oliver and food critic Adam, talk about breaking bread to win hearts and minds, and discovering Western fare in Hong Kong. Kate Whitehead reports
Nicholas Platt began his Foreign Service career in Hong Kong in 1964 as a China analyst at the United States consulate general. Through the 1960s and 70s he was stationed all over Asia, with his wife, Sheila, and their three sons, Adam, Oliver and Nicholas junior, who was born at Canossa Hospital, on Old Peak Road, in 1964.
The boys didn't follow in their father's diplomatic footsteps. Adam became a restaurant critic at New York magazine, Oliver an actor (you may have seen him in American political drama The West Wing) and Nicholas junior a journalist-turned-entrepreneur. But they did learn an important life lesson from their father about the importance of food in cultural diplomacy.
Asia Society Hong Kong recently brought Nicholas senior, Adam and Oliver together to share their experiences about food and how it connects people from all over the world. The discussion was timely - last year, Oliver played a food critic in the film Chef, channelling older brother Adam.
With Alice Mong, executive director of Asia Society Hong Kong, playing moderator, the brothers sparred light-heartedly.
Following is an extract of the conversation between the three Platts when they were back in Hong Kong:
"In 1973, I was stationed in Beijing and the Philadelphia Orchestra came through and I found myself having to negotiate between the orchestra and Madam Mao [Jiang Qing]. This was during the Cultural Revolution, she was still all powerful - it was very tricky stuff. [Conductor Eugene] Ormandy had very strong views of his own and we fought over the programme. The big point of contention was Beethoven's Sixth Pastoral Symphony.