The conversation about sustainability in the F&B industry has been gaining buzz in Asia for some time now, with chefs getting ‘woke’ – as current-day lingo goes – to food waste, farming, and endemic(native) ingredients. Riding this wave is Bangkok’s {Re} Food Forum. A 2-day symposium, held on 19-20 March 2018, where 40 of the food industry’s greatest gather to spread the word about sustainability via masterclasses, thought-provoking discussions, and incredible dinners.
The lineup of names is truly star-studded, think Magnus Nilsson of Fäviken (you might recognise him from Chef’s Table), Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn of Le Du, and Richie Lin of MUME. Ranked #43 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2017, MUME’s style of liberal yet thoughtful cooking plus Lin’s mastery of the skills – honed from his time at the renowned Quay in Sydney and Noma in Copenhagen – leave us constantly impressed, so when he sat down to share his thoughts on the sustainability movement, obviously, we listened!
On the significance of {Re}
The fact that {Re} has come into existence is meaningful enough.
MUME started using local ingredients, organic, and sustainable products, because we wanted to take part and contribute to the awareness of social responsibility. With regard to {Re}…they try to create a platform for people who actually care about and would practice the topics concerned here. It doesn’t really matter what topic it is, whether food waste, local produce or diversity of indigenous ingredients. The fact that {Re} has come into existence is meaningful enough.
On his journey into endemic ingredients
Most of the restaurants that I have worked in all embraced endemic. Quay uses almost 100% Australian ingredients, and promotes natural farming by working with a lot of different farms, and they’ve even started to grow forgotten vegetables and crops. Noma is obviously another [sic] frontier. With Nur (a restaurant in Hong Kong touting local, seasonal and organic vegetables where Lin worked before opening MUME, now closed), we wanted to bring over the idea to Asia. So in almost all my career, I believe in this type of cooking. It’s just a natural thing for us, and the style of cooking evolves by what you believe in.
On the farmers MUME work with to practise cooking sustainability
Even before we started the restaurant, I worked with a couple of farmers already. Tomo Lin（林中智）is probably the one that is more well-known. He not only grows organic crops, but also does sustainable, natural farming. When I was working at Nur, I came to Taiwan to source ingredients. I visited Tomo’s farm and we became friends since then. At that time, in 2014, he wasn’t supplying to any fine dining restaurants, and I’m probably the first one to persuade him to do so. Because I appreciated what he was doing, and I felt like he should be selling to restaurants.
We choose to work with small farmers because usually they are the ones willing to do things differently and care more about the environment.
So I asked him if he was willing to work with me, and I gave him a lot of reference on what fine dining looks like: edible flowers, shoots, etc.. He was very interested. We work with many other farmers. The problem with Taiwan’s farming is that they are all very small scale, and they grow limited items. We choose to work with small farmers because usually they are the ones willing to do things differently and care more about the environment.
We employ a guy, I-shan Wang, to take care of sourcing. We put a lot of effort in finding great ingredients that can be served simply. This is better than needing to work mediocre ingredients.
On begging farmers for new things he wants but Taiwan doesn’t have
Yes, we are constantly doing that. Before we opened, believe it or not, no one was selling edible flowers. There were edible flowers- the farmers just didn’t know people wanted it.
To be honest, a couple of restaurants is not going to make much of a change. We try to set an example; bring awareness to the general public.
Now we’re trying to find indigenous produce, like the Taiwanese quinoa we are using. Indigenous quinoa is very special for me. I always associate quinoa with South America. It strikes me that Taiwan has our own quinoa with very good quality. But I can’t just serve it in a salad. Rather than creating a simple dish, I want to make it interesting. So I tell a story that, inspired by my trip to Mexico, I research the method of making masa dough, and I make tortillas out of Taiwanese quinoa. We know how to make the produce more appealing to the public.
We also try to be more diverse on the diet. If everyone eats just one thing, then everyone grows just one thing. In the long term, it’s not good for the soil. You need rotation to sustain the land. But the problem is, if the farmers rotate the crops, they cannot sell. So they grow the same crops for the whole year, because they can always sell it. If we’re willing to change our diet, they will be willing to grow more diverse crops.
On suppliers and anticipating instability
We have to be flexible. The weather is changing every year. Last year was the hottest in 20 years in Taiwan. I was at Tomo’s farm two weeks ago and it was 30 degrees. Everything died. Now it should be winter, but this year barely had autumn, which means there may not be winter vegetables. We can still find summer crops available, like mangoes. That’s weird.
We design dishes with flexibility in mind. Say I’m making a salad, because there are 30 ingredients, I can use whatever available to make that dish. Protein is more stable. Regarding vegetables and fruits, we can adapt and change by weekly basis or daily basis. We can always just take out one thing, or even if I can’t get anything, we just take that dish off the menu.
We also try to be more diverse on the diet. If everyone eats just one thing, then everyone grows just one thing. In the long term, it’s not good for the soil. You need rotation to sustain the land. But the problem is, if the farmers rotate the crops, they cannot sell. So they grow the same crops for the whole year, because they can always sell it. If we’re willing to change our diet, they will be willing to grow more diverse crops.
On food waste and leftover experiments
Every restaurant has its own way to deal [sic] with food waste. For us, we try to use whole vegetables and whole animals. If I have a fish, we try to use the whole fish, even the fish bone. If we use a carrot, we also use the top and try to serve everything. We use the skin, the tail. Leftovers will be used in staff meal.
We [also] make our own ricotta. We hang it and we have a lot of whey. We use that whey to season stuff. Usually people just throw that away. But we see the possibility, and we incorporate the acidity into the dishes.
On the potential of Taiwan’s F&B community & sustainability
I think Taiwan has a lot of potential, and Taiwan should put focus on the environmental issues. We have the agriculture, the land, and the climate. We have everything that can move toward a positive direction. Still, more than 50% of food in Taiwan is imported. It’s normal for people to purchase imported produce, and a lot of people see imported produce [as] superior [to] local produce. So there’s still a lot to do.
The only restaurant I know trying is Shoun Ryugin. I give the chef, Hieda Ryohei, a lot of respect. He’s really trying hard to showcase Taiwanese ingredients.
It’s not just about the F&B community. We need diners to support as well. Local ingredients are expensive, and not stable. First, restaurants need to be able to charge more, and have the diners accept it. Second, to be fully dedicated to using local produce takes a lot of effort in sourcing, and it’s difficult to maintain.
…we are the ones who have the ability start taking actions.
On who is more important: the producer, the chef, or the customer
I think the customer is definitely the most important; they are the demand. [But] you can’t change the supply if no one wants it. It doesn’t matter how hard I persuade the farmer, if he can’t make a living, he won’t do it. [And as chefs,] we are the ones who have the ability start taking actions.
On the message he has for those who want to be chefs
Integrity. Work with the people you believe in. Bear in mind what you do would have an impact on the environment.
On 3 words to live by
- Fearless. Don’t be afraid to try, to fail.
- Integrity
- Love. Be able to cook with love. If you think about the whole idea you want to be a cook, it’s not just a job, it’s a passion, it’s a career, otherwise you won’t be successful. It’s love for the profession you do. You have to cook with love, just as you cook for your family.
