Kwong Wai-keung, Chinese master chef at three-Michelin-star T’ang Court, on the importance of ingredients, health, and MSG
- Kwong Wai-keung’s dreams of being a policeman were dashed by his disapproving father
- As a chef, he prides himself in ‘looking after people’s health’
Tell us about your childhood. “I left school at the age of 14. I was one of eight siblings, which was considered normal then; if you had only four children, people thought you were a small family. So my father had to work hard. All my siblings finished secondary school, except me.”
How did you get into cooking? “I wasn’t particularly studious, but I didn’t have terrible grades. At that time you either fixed cars or cooked. With cooking you could earn HK$180 including tips: you could watch a movie for HK$3; a hot dog was a few cents. If you fixed cars, it took five years to graduate, and only if the master mechanic thought you had talent. You hardly had any salary so you had to live in the workshop. With that meagre salary you could afford only underwear and a haircut.
“I wanted to make money to watch movies. I don’t know why I like watching movies – I still do. I don’t care what kind, I watch everything.”
Did you consider other careers? “When I was 18 years old my dream job was to be a policeman. The salary was HK$1,400. I applied and I passed the test, which involved dictation of 100 Chinese characters and you couldn’t get more than four wrong, and you couldn’t wear glasses. I was five foot six at the time, 120lbs. There wasn’t much of a physical test. They checked my family background and then sent me a letter saying I was accepted.
