Hong Kong food critic Chua Lam on good food and beautiful women
The Singapore-born critic’s first career was in films, during which he produced flicks such as Jackie Chan’s Wheels on Meals, Armour of God and Mr Nice Guy. He tells us why he finds Korean women beautiful and that China is bad at marketing its food
Why did you turn from movies to food writing? “When I was a film producer, I had to travel around the world to find film locations. Other team members focused on the scenery but I focused more on food, which I am always interested in. I was invited to write a column [by Oriental Daily News editor Chow Shek] and the publishers let me write anything I liked. So I wrote a lot about food and restaurants, and eventually people saw me as a food critic.”
"Japan is popular this year as the yen has dropped against the dollar, so many Hongkongers find it cheaper.”
South Korea has been a favourite destination of yours for a long time. How has it changed? “I went to South Korea when I studied film in Japan, which was in the 1960s. I was a poor student and the South Koreans were very poor, too. The food was simple but very tasty. They were very generous, too. If you ordered a main course, they offered you 10 to 20 small side dishes. I have been there over 100 times and I still find it exciting. South Korea has come a long way and nowadays they are wealthy and the country is leading the culture in Asia with many popular Korean songs, movies and dramas.”
