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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 2012)
News Roger Mooking, Host of ‘Man, Fire, Food’ Roger Mooking, host of “Man Fire Food,” visited Portland recently to film a show for his popular Cooking Channel series, “Man RM: One most definitely is standing up on a chair at the counter and learning how to make wontons with my father. I was very Fire Food.” The episode, which features Jason French of Ned Ludd restaurant on N.E. Martin Luther King Boulevard in Port- land, will air Dec. 11 and 30. A third-gener- ation chef and restaurateur, Mooking’s cuisine draws from a rich mix of global food traditions. Mooking is also a musician and the author of the cookbook, Everyday Exotic. The Skanner News spoke to Mook- ing on the phone Tuesday, Nov. 20. TSN: Is it true that you are the third gen- eration in your family to be a chef and restaurateur? RM: Yes, it’s true. My grandfather came from China and ended up in Trinidad, in the Caribbean. There, after many years, he eventually opened a bakery and restaurant. Then he moved his restaurant to Los Ange- les. My father ran that restaurant for many years, and my aunts and uncles still own and operate restaurants and catering compa- nies. So it’s in the blood. I come by it hon- estly. TSN: Did you ever think about doing any- thing else? RM: Yes, for sure. When I was three years old I knew I wanted to be a chef, but when I was around 15 I started dabbling in music and that really took off. So I’ve done music professionally since I was about 15 or 16 as well. I continue in both of those endeavors. TSN: What is your first food memory? young, probably 3 or 4. I was always inter- ested in the kitchen, and any opportunity I could to climb up in the kitchen and see what people are doing, or if my grandmoth- er was cooking to check up on what she was up too. I was always there you know. TSN: You are Canadian now though? RM: I was born in Trinidad and when I was 5 my family moved to Canada. I do have a lot of memories of Trinidad, strange- ly, but also I have been back many times since. All my aunts and uncles still live in Trinidad and a lot of friends, so I keep con- tact –especially now with social media. TSN: Tell us about your family’s food tra- ditions, because you have this wonderful rich mix of cultural influences? RM: Defnitely! Well, my grandfather, like I said, was Chinese fare and he used to cook traditional Chinese fare for my father growing up. So a lot of these recipes have passed down to our household. But you know we were born and raised in Trinidad and that has a very interesting mix of tradi- tions also. There is a large African popula- tion, a large Carib Indian population – the indigenous population; there is a large Chi- nese population, and a large East Indian population. So all of those food traditions are an integral part of what makes up Trinidadian cuisine. We learned a lot from Trinidad alone, but my grandfather being from China, there was a heavy influence from that. And then our family moved to Edmonton, Alberta, which has a large Ukrainian and Polish population. So my mother had made friends with an elderly Ukrainian baba, and when I walked in after school, they would be making pirogues and cabbage rolls, and kielbasa and all of this stuff. All of those come together. TSN: What is your signature as a chef? RM: I like to take comfort foods, whether they are Asian comfort foods or North American comfort foods, and give them a little bit of a twist. So I might take some- thing like macaroni and cheese and give it a twist with some curry and asparagus. Or if it’s a burger, I’m going to make a lamb burger with five-spice powder. Those are Canada do you? RM: We had our Thanksgiving last month, and it’s very similar food. We have the usual sweet potatoes turkey and stuff- ing, cranberries and so on. This year my family did a potluck and strangely nobody brought a cranberry dish and nobody brought ham. But we had a couple of turkeys. TSN: Can you give us one tip for any cook hosting a big celebration? RM: Make a list. Make a plan and make sure you have some dishes prepared ahead of time so you can just reheat them and keep them warm. Those last few minutes can be busy, but if you have prepared in advance you can keep it really simple. the kinds of things you’ll see on my other show, “Everyday Exotic”. I do a lot of recipes for many different publications, and I think people come to me for a little bit of flair, a little bit of spice, a little bit of heat and just a little bit of an interesting, inven- tive twist on regular foods. TSN: Where do you live now and do you cook at home? RM: I live in Toronto now, and I travel quite a bit with my work, but when I am home I am the designated cook. TSN: We are all thinking about Thanks- giving this week, but you don’t have that in TSN: Your new show Man Fire Food is all about barbecue. So what’s the biggest thing you have ever barbecued? RM: The biggest is I would have to say would be a whole cow. We went to an event called Bovinova in South Carolina. This is an annual fundraiser and these are entrepre- neurs and business men who do this event for charity. So they built this contraption with pulleys and 7,000 lbs of steel. It’s quite a contraption; you have to see it. So they Read the rest online at www.theskanner.com Take the Holidays to Check on Vulnerable Elders The Department of Human Services wants to remind Ore- gonians to be aware of the signs of self-neglect and/or vul- nerable adult abuse. With family members coming to town visiting their friends, neighbors and loved ones this season, it is important to take the time to check in on the vulnerable and isolated people you may know to be sure they are taking care of themselves and are safe. Self-neglect can be defined as the inability of a person (more often than not due to worsening dementia) to pro- vide themselves with the necessi- ties of daily liv- ing. According to DHS officials, Adult Protective Services received over 2100 inquiries in 2011 relating to concerns about self-neglect. Indicators of self-neglect can be a lack of food and water, poor hygiene, dressing improperly, not taking critical med- Page 6 The Seattle Skanner November 21, 2012 ications and ignoring health problems. The person’s lack of understanding of their predicament leads to harm or endan- germent. Self-neglect does not include individuals who are capable of making informed decisions or have dif- ferent lifestyles where their standards for per- sonal care or house- keeping are not that of their community. “Self-neglect and elder abuse is under- reported mostly because people do not know how to recog- nize the signs or indi- cators,” said Marie Cervantes, director of the DHS Office of Adult Abuse Preven- tion and Investiga- tions. “We want to raise awareness of self-neglect and ways to report it so that we may prevent it. Checking in on your loved ones, as well as vulnerable neighbors and friends this holiday season is a way to make sure they are healthy and safe,” she said. Last year, DHS Adult Protective Services received over 28,000 referrals of vulnerable adult abuse. The most preva- lent allegations were self-neglect, financial exploitation, and neglect of care. DHS Office of Adult Abuse Prevention and Investigations specialists work to resolve the immedi- ate crisis, reduce risk and help to establish long-term stabil- ity. For information on vulnerable abuse and what to look for go to www.oregon.gov/DHS. If you believe abuse or neg- lect may be occurring contact the Department of Human Services office in your area or your local law enforcement. If you are unsure who to contact call 1-800-232-3020 (DHS). CASE MANAGER 2 Human Services is seeking a Case Manager 2 to work with the Developmental Disabilities Services Division. This position provides services to children ages 0-15 and high school transition age group 16-18. For additional information about this position or to apply, please see recruitment #6297-41 at www.multcojobs.org. Only the first 100 applications will be accepted, so please apply without delay. Salary range $44,307-$54,518 GAMBLING TOO MUCH? Free, confidential help is available statewide. Call 1-877- MY-LIMIT to talk to a certified counselor 24/7 or visit 1877mylimit.org to chat live with a counselor. We are not here to judge. We are here to help. You can get your life back.
