A Journey of Taste, Culture, and Creativity

Food isn’t just something I eat—it’s something I feel. It’s the smell of my grandmother’s kitchen in Guangdong, where she’d spend hours steaming har gow (shrimp dumplings) until the wrappers were so thin, you could almost see through them. It’s the taste of laksa in Singapore, where the first spoonful felt like a warm hug on a rainy day. And it’s the sound of sizzling char kway teow in Malaysia, where the smoky aroma made me stop in my tracks and think, This is what joy tastes like.

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The Global Table: Flavors That Shaped Me

Traveling has taught me that food is the best way to understand a place. In Singapore, I wandered into a hawker center and ordered laksa on a whim. The first bite was a revelation—spicy, creamy, and tangy all at once. It felt like the city itself: vibrant, diverse, and full of surprises. I sat there, slurping noodles, watching families laugh and share plates, and realized that food isn’t just about taste—it’s about connection.

In Malaysia, I fell in love with char kway teow. The dish was messy, with charred noodles and smoky wok hei (the “breath of the wok”). It wasn’t perfect, but that’s what made it unforgettable. It reminded me that beauty often lies in the imperfect, the real, the human.

Then there was Guizhou, where I tried sour fish soup for the first time. The broth was fiery and tangy, with a citrusy kick from majiao (Sichuan pepper). It was bold, unapologetic, and completely unexpected—a dish that challenged my palate and expanded my idea of what food could be.

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The Kitchen as My Creative Playground

Cooking, for me, is like designing. It’s about balancing flavors, textures, and colors to create something that feels just right. I remember trying to recreate dim sum at home after a trip to Hong Kong. Folding dumplings became a meditation—each pleat a tiny act of precision and care. When I finally nailed the perfect har gow, it felt like finishing a design project: a mix of pride, relief, and joy.

Food also inspires my work in unexpected ways. Once, while sipping oolong tea in Fujian, I noticed how the leaves unfurled in the hot water, their earthy aroma filling the room. That moment sparked a packaging design project, where I tried to capture the tea’s warmth and depth through colors and textures.