As a chef who has worked across Southeast Asia, Goh Wooi Cheat moved to the Chinese mainland to tap into his roots and offer local diners his own unique version of Cantonese cuisine.
Cantonese cuisine from Singapore used to be famous across Asia for its high-quality ingredients and beautiful presentation, but after working in Beijing for several years, Singaporean chef Goh Wooi Cheat firmly believes that “the future of Cantonese cuisine lies in China”.
All the finest ingredients from around the world can be now found in China and the chefs’ presentation skills are improving fast,” the 56-year-old chef says.
Goh’s ancestors moved to Malaysia from Guangdong Province, so he has been familiar with Cantonese cuisine since childhood. Growing up in Penang, Goh remembers always hearing about cuisines, portions, ingredients and seasoning (调味品) at home, because his family ran a catering business. He moved to Singapore and became an apprentice (学徒) Cantonese chef in 1983, becoming an executive chef 10 years later. He also worked in five-star hotels in Indonesia for a couple of years, where Cantonese wedding banquets were an important element.
In 2011, Goh received a job offer from Beijing, which he promptly accepted. “I felt proud of returning to China, the land where my ancestors come from—especially since I believe that real Chinese cuisine should be served to Chinese people,” Goh says.
But Goh also thinks that some classic Cantonese dishes are outdated, prompting him to create new dishes that still manage to honor tradition while appealing to contemporary diners. To add one new dish to the menu, Gob would refine it over time repeatedly, gathering feedback from his customers to continue enhancing the dish to reach a level of perfection both in terms of taste and presentation.
A dish can be described as delicious only if it’s accepted and enjoyed by every guest—and not just by food experts,” he says. Goh also believes that chefs must develop their own cooking style, especially in Cantonese cuisine; otherwise the chefs who always follow tradition may find themselves left behind.
【小题1】What can we learn about Goh from the passage?| A．His ancestors were native Malaysians. |
| B．His family once ran a restaurant business. |
| C．He became an executive chef in Singapore ten years ago. |
| D．To create new dishes, he gave up some classic Cantonese dishes. |
| A．shift | B．improve | C．prove | D．refresh |
| A．Narrow-minded. | B．Traditional. |
| C．Humorous. | D．Creative. |
| A．set himself apart with a distinctive cooking style |
| B．focus on improving his presentation skills |
| C．stay up to date and get rid of tradition |
| D．be able to identify the finest cooking ingredients |
