High Life Issue #4

品 76 #4 2017 年 1 月 After working for 10 years in luxury retail, Meng quit his job and started his own business. According to him, any job that could be affected by the economy made him feel insecure and uneasy in the past. “Luxury goods are not necessities. Food is. No matter how good or bad the economy is, people still need to eat,” he comments. A frequent traveler to SoutheastAsia, Meng’s hobby is to do research on curry recipes in various countries. His signature dish during lunchtime is Japanese vegetarian curry over rice. “I go to themarket eachmorning to buy the freshest vegetables available, then I come back here and begin to make the curry sauce by creating a seaweed broth,” he says. “My secretmix of spices go in next. I enjoy traveling and tasting different types of curry. After that, I return to Macau and cook up my own version. “Vegetables are not difficult to deal with. These days, meat is not really good for the body as it contains antibiotics and hormones. My goal is to serve pure, healthy and tasty vegetables. “Most people’s idea of curry is a paste blendedwith spicy flavorings, but it is a lot more than that. Actually, curry is not even related to any spices. In India, where it is originated, theword ‘curry’ means ‘sauce.’ The proportion and how the spices are used can vary, but the basics include ginger, clove, cinnamon, fennel seed, fenugreek, black pepper, chili and turmeric. Some of these are used in Traditional Chinese medicine also. Therefore, curry is indeed very healthy.” After a bowl of vegetarian curry over rice, Meng suggests I try his latte. At Chakra, latte is made with organic soy milk in lieu of cow’s milk. The result is a velvety smooth drink. Every sip of it leaves me with a warm, satisfying feeling. The jazz recording plays on and I am so grateful it led me to this place.