Culinary expert gives food for thought

By Bruce Emond

JAKARTA (JP): It's hard not to take note of the way restaurateur and culinary expert William Wongso puts away his food.

After all, he is someone who makes the delicate matter of matters of the stomach his business. While fellow diners may watch their culinary graces, it's also inevitable that they occasionally sneak a peak at the way one of the country's leading culinary lights does things at the table.

For the record, he does focus intensely, almost passionately, on the fare before him, but he is no glutton (he is still trim at 53). He polished off a mint-flavored North African soup and his signature tournedos Kafe William over lunch at his exclusive William Kafe Artistik in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, before calling it a day.

Dessert, a towering sandwich of creme brulee and crispy phillo pastry, was pushed aside after a few bites. A lover of good wine, he limited himself to half a glass of burgundy.

His passion for food is that of a convert to the discipline, so different from those who are forced by circumstance to make cuisine their life and consequently cannot see beyond rigid established definitions.

He initially ran a radio station in Surabaya, at the same time dabbling in advertising and printing, before opening Vineth bakery in 1985 (the flagship store is adjacent to William Kafe Artistik).

William continued on to establish and manage several other restaurants, including Hanamasa Yakiniku and Shabu-Shabu, Il Punto in the World Trade Center and the Sarinah Food Court. He is also a past chief of the Indonesian Culinary Association.

He talked last week about the influences in his life and his yearning to put Indonesian cuisine on the international culinary map.

Question: How would you describe yourself -- connoisseur, gourmand, culinary arts expert or simply a lover of good food?

Answer: I do enjoy and appreciate all aspects of food and wine-related creativity. Basically, what I am doing is more than a food and beverage professional ... my one intention is to be able to lift the standards of professionalism of Indonesian cooks to reach a higher degree of qualification than their educational constraints.

What influence did your family have in your love of good food?

I grew up in a family that appreciated food a lot and my father was a good cook, although my mother was not. We were never restricted to any particular food. So I always advise my friends to give their kids broad flavors, even babies, because it will make their lives easier later on.

Do you think it was to your advantage that you do not come from a strictly culinary-based background in providing you with a more diverse, wide-ranging approach to food?

Yes, definitely. Nobody can blame me if I get French and Italian food a bit twisted. On the other hand, I have no food barriers and I am keen to taste any food, from basic to haute cuisine, cooked by anybody.

Aside from sustenance what is the importance of food?

Food is basically a reflection of people; you don't need to have met the people, but you can know them already through their approach to food. Food is a reflection of mankind -- you understand people better through their food ...

For professionals without broad food exposure, it's very difficult to meet demands of people who have a great interest in food. It's just like any art: how can a painter create with a limited color base, without having an understanding of others? It's the same for food.

How did you gain your knowledge?

I started my bakery business and spent time in Europe, although not consecutively. The difference with other professionals, like cooks, who are sent abroad is that I had my own business and I could travel around those places. I could go to all the interesting places; it is an ongoing process.

I found that France is the root of culinary art; it's not only the root, but the French bring up the issue of gastronomy as a tradition. These days we have the approach of globalization, we're talking about the modern approach. Australia has its Australian Cuisine, there is California Cuisine. Personally, I'm not too interested in fusion; it creates a lot of confusion without the right approach.

But we have to be able to see these things and share them with others. This is what is lacking now. What Indonesia has with such geographic spread makes it very difficult among fellow Indonesians to understand each other's culinary traditions, except Padang. Jakarta should be the melting pot for the regions but when it comes to food sense it is more secular and stereotyped, with ethnic food presented based on market orientation ...

What are the obstacles to Indonesian food going international like Chinese and Thai?

A basic reason is that Indonesians cannot introduce Indonesian foods internationally until they appreciate food from other regions within Indonesia. Up to today we cannot officially declare what is our national food as representative of all Indonesia. Think about the fact there are 13,000 islands -- if you take one dish from each, that's already 13,000 dishes. There has been a lot of talk on this issue, but no action ...

Another thing is that when other people in the region migrate, they do it collectively. Go abroad, and you find Little Philippines, Little Vietnam in big cities, but you never find a Little Indonesia. If you spread out and do it individually, then supply becomes a problem. Thailand, Vietnam, they do the exports as a group, while we still do it individually, as families.

Is the complexity of preparing the food a problem?

Well, cooking Indonesian food is a hell of a job. You cannot cook Indonesian cuisine from the western perspective of just reading recipes from a cookbook. Like in Australia, there are many Indonesian cookbooks but the author has never been to Indonesia.

For instance, there will be a recipe for rendang (beef cooked in coconut milk and spices) and it will say it should be yellowish, not blackened. I like to say it should be "caramelized" and you should know if it's right or wrong just by looking at it ... Otherwise it's just a curry, not rendang.

What will it take to get the message across?

Tremendous effort and funds. Not only that, but we lack professionals. You need a group of people working together who understand food and how far food has been developed internationally ... We simply haven't done much. We have a lot of events but no follow up. And there are a lot of Indonesian food experts, but basically they are elderly and there is no new generation involved in it seriously ...

I recommend we use other's hands to help us, and the closest is Australia. It is one of the centers of contemporary culinary activities. We have to use their hands to promote us, to assist us ... Imagine, if we wait too long we'll have a lot of good sources, a lot of grandmothers who know food, who will have died already ...

We have to create an awareness and draw attention to such culinary complexity, one of the most complex in the world. At the moment, it exists but it doesn't exist. And we shouldn't blame ourselves that "westerners don't like spicy food" and from that abandon the initiative. I find more and more westerners are eating spicy.

You mentioned the lack of professionals.

It's easier to find an Indonesian cook who can cook western food professionally than one who can cook Indonesian. A chef, in my understanding, is like a symphony conductor -- he has to understand all aspects, not just the cooking ... If there are qualified Indonesian chefs, they're abroad and they're not coming back ... It's a case of how to find a Zubin Mehta in Indonesia.

What are your favorite foods?

Soto (Indonesian chicken soup), goat satay, nasi campur (rice with side dishes) and good Indian, which I miss here.

Do you ever feel like you are a voice in the wilderness?

I certainly do!