As part of the program in the “Taste of Australia” food festival at the Avenue of the Stars in Lippo Mall Kemang, South Jakarta on 14 April 2019, Australian chef Adam Liaw, winner of MasterChef Australia 2010, attended as a special guest Chef, taking part in a talk-show about Australian cuisine and culture and giving a cooking demo about how to create delicious, healthy meals for families.
Chef Adam Liaw’s visit to Jakarta is supported by Australia now ASEAN 2019, which builds on the deep and long-standing ties between Australia and all ASEAN countries. Adam’s visit is part of a wider program of events that engage youth, including the arts, film festivals, and a variety of youth forums.
From the interview, Adam mentioned “Basically I’m here to explain to people what life is like in Australia. Giving some talks about education, people and culture thru food because it’s part of my profession.” Being in the spotlight as social media influencers and food & travel TV series is part for the profession, it’s very useful to explain culture thru food. Food can be a media and forum of communications, this can lead to culinary diplomacy in order to strengthen the relationship between Australia and Indonesia.
When being asked to comment on Indonesian trends to healthy and halal food, he replies “Food culture in Australia is very vast and adapt very quickly. It’s very useful to see how people in Australia eat nowadays, it’s different with 5-10 years ago, especially with modern Australian cooking which embraces healthy concept from multi-culture influences. More Indonesian coming in for studying and working in Australia, then they were before.”
There were two dishes he presented on the event, Salmon and Beef, as the two most popular products from Australia. As the theme, easy meals for busy people, cooked the dishes in modern, simple and healthy style. “When you have good and fresh ingredients, you don’t need to cook and make it complicated.”
His message to people who’d like to visit Australia “Enjoy the experience – Australia is a wonderful place to live in! Get out there, experience, and explore what Australia has to offer!
For more info and details www.indonesia.embassy.gov.au or [email protected]
