February 18th, 2006, 08:16
IHT Thaiday
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v27/wowpow/549000002560401.jpg
He was overweight. Then he was a model-turned-TV chef. Daniel Green talks about obesity, his residency at a Bangkok hotel, and starting a healthy fast-food chain in Asia.
Food photography has often been likened to pornography. Soft lighting, bizarre camera angles, flesh-filled frames, all with the goal of titillating the senses. If the reader gazes longingly at the page for more than a few seconds, the photographer can claim success. So perhaps itтАЩs not surprising that when television got into the act, a need arose for better-looking chefs to show viewers the ins-and-outs of the kitchen and maintain appearances. Live-action canтАЩt be photo-shopped after all.
Enter Daniel Green, not a screen name. The former model from England, who is here in Bangkok to prepare lunches and offer a cooking class at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit this week, is one of the new breed of television chefs: savvy, well-spoken, good in the kitchen and presumably good in other rooms in the house. But heтАЩs not just another well-groomed talking egg-beater. His story is more interesting. He lost 65 pounds, without TV tricks, before he became a model, chef, author and television chef, and heтАЩs using his experiences with weight loss to help others, focusing his culinary skills on healthy, low-fat food. HeтАЩs also got a special relationship with Thailand.
тАЬWhen I decided to lose weight and wanted to get into cooking, I really didnтАЩt know how to make food interesting. I went to Thailand in 1991 and the flavors were so aromatic and amazing. I couldnтАЩt believe the flavors you could get from simple dishes. And diets never really focus on that,тАЭ he says. So he compiled a stock of personal recipes and published them in a book called GreenтАЩs Cuisine тАУ low fat food with a taste of Thailand. Instead of offering uninteresting dishes like steamed fish, chicken and vegetables, he showed how you could use Thai ingredients to create low-fat dishes with excellent flavors. тАЬWhy not wok-fry the vegetables and add some sesame seeds, or add some interesting flavors and textures? There was a massive lack of interest or spark on that side of things,тАЭ he says.
Building on the success of his first book, Green went on to publish GreenтАЩs Greens, which focused on vegetarian cuisine. тАЬIn Europe and America, they always emphasized the token dish made for vegetarians and these dishes lacked thought. Just because youтАЩre vegetarian doesnтАЩt mean you want to eat cheese and nuts. Every healthy vegetarian book I saw was loaded with pasta and potatoes and rice. They lacked what people could be eating: modern food. I wanted to hit that market, find delicate dishes. For instance, you know the Thai dish mieng kam. I took the shrimp out. But there are beautiful, powerful flavors, incredible herbs there. ThatтАЩs in the book.тАЭ
Green will stick to what he knows with his special midday menus at the Sheraton that he says will cater to business lunchers looking for a meal that wonтАЩt slow them down. тАЬThey want to be careful about what they eat and not feel really full,тАЭ he says. тАЬBut they donтАЩt want spa food and they donтАЩt want to have to compromise on flavor. If youтАЩve ever been to a Japanese restaurant, you keep eating until youтАЩre full, but you never walk out of there and feel like youтАЩve eaten too much. ThatтАЩs what I am going for.тАЭ The set menus will include dishes like tuna tartare, seared scallops and parsnip puree.
GreenтАЩs taken note of the growing problem with obesity in Asia and he wants to help by applying his entrepreurial spirt to the problem. His long-term dream is to open a healthy fast-food chain in Asian cities. He thinks the growing obesity problem has more to with environment than eating habits. But he thinks Thailand is better off than other countries because of its emphasis on street food. тАЬIn KL and Hong Kong the kids leave school and are driven to an air-conditioned shopping mall where they just eat. Kids are there for the environment rather than what they are actually eating, so if the right choices are there for them then they can change.тАЭ He doesnтАЩt have a name yet for his new business. тАЬI need someone with more imagination than me.тАЭ
WhatтАЩs his advice for people, especially youngsters, looking to lose weight. тАЬDonтАЩt cut the kids limbs off. DonтАЩt say you canтАЩt go to McDonalds. Never set goals that you canтАЩt keep. So if you are a drinker and like wine and you are put on a plan where youтАЩre not allowed it, youтАЩll do it for three weeks or three months but youтАЩll come off it. So donтАЩt change your eating habits too much. Just adapt them to be the best they can be. The weight will come off slower but you will be able to keep that off forever.тАЭ
Daniel Green will be cooking lunch (set menus with two to three dishes) at RossiniтАЩs at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit through February 21. On Saturday morning at 10am, he will offer a cooking class. For reservations call 02-649-8364.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v27/wowpow/549000002560401.jpg
He was overweight. Then he was a model-turned-TV chef. Daniel Green talks about obesity, his residency at a Bangkok hotel, and starting a healthy fast-food chain in Asia.
Food photography has often been likened to pornography. Soft lighting, bizarre camera angles, flesh-filled frames, all with the goal of titillating the senses. If the reader gazes longingly at the page for more than a few seconds, the photographer can claim success. So perhaps itтАЩs not surprising that when television got into the act, a need arose for better-looking chefs to show viewers the ins-and-outs of the kitchen and maintain appearances. Live-action canтАЩt be photo-shopped after all.
Enter Daniel Green, not a screen name. The former model from England, who is here in Bangkok to prepare lunches and offer a cooking class at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit this week, is one of the new breed of television chefs: savvy, well-spoken, good in the kitchen and presumably good in other rooms in the house. But heтАЩs not just another well-groomed talking egg-beater. His story is more interesting. He lost 65 pounds, without TV tricks, before he became a model, chef, author and television chef, and heтАЩs using his experiences with weight loss to help others, focusing his culinary skills on healthy, low-fat food. HeтАЩs also got a special relationship with Thailand.
тАЬWhen I decided to lose weight and wanted to get into cooking, I really didnтАЩt know how to make food interesting. I went to Thailand in 1991 and the flavors were so aromatic and amazing. I couldnтАЩt believe the flavors you could get from simple dishes. And diets never really focus on that,тАЭ he says. So he compiled a stock of personal recipes and published them in a book called GreenтАЩs Cuisine тАУ low fat food with a taste of Thailand. Instead of offering uninteresting dishes like steamed fish, chicken and vegetables, he showed how you could use Thai ingredients to create low-fat dishes with excellent flavors. тАЬWhy not wok-fry the vegetables and add some sesame seeds, or add some interesting flavors and textures? There was a massive lack of interest or spark on that side of things,тАЭ he says.
Building on the success of his first book, Green went on to publish GreenтАЩs Greens, which focused on vegetarian cuisine. тАЬIn Europe and America, they always emphasized the token dish made for vegetarians and these dishes lacked thought. Just because youтАЩre vegetarian doesnтАЩt mean you want to eat cheese and nuts. Every healthy vegetarian book I saw was loaded with pasta and potatoes and rice. They lacked what people could be eating: modern food. I wanted to hit that market, find delicate dishes. For instance, you know the Thai dish mieng kam. I took the shrimp out. But there are beautiful, powerful flavors, incredible herbs there. ThatтАЩs in the book.тАЭ
Green will stick to what he knows with his special midday menus at the Sheraton that he says will cater to business lunchers looking for a meal that wonтАЩt slow them down. тАЬThey want to be careful about what they eat and not feel really full,тАЭ he says. тАЬBut they donтАЩt want spa food and they donтАЩt want to have to compromise on flavor. If youтАЩve ever been to a Japanese restaurant, you keep eating until youтАЩre full, but you never walk out of there and feel like youтАЩve eaten too much. ThatтАЩs what I am going for.тАЭ The set menus will include dishes like tuna tartare, seared scallops and parsnip puree.
GreenтАЩs taken note of the growing problem with obesity in Asia and he wants to help by applying his entrepreurial spirt to the problem. His long-term dream is to open a healthy fast-food chain in Asian cities. He thinks the growing obesity problem has more to with environment than eating habits. But he thinks Thailand is better off than other countries because of its emphasis on street food. тАЬIn KL and Hong Kong the kids leave school and are driven to an air-conditioned shopping mall where they just eat. Kids are there for the environment rather than what they are actually eating, so if the right choices are there for them then they can change.тАЭ He doesnтАЩt have a name yet for his new business. тАЬI need someone with more imagination than me.тАЭ
WhatтАЩs his advice for people, especially youngsters, looking to lose weight. тАЬDonтАЩt cut the kids limbs off. DonтАЩt say you canтАЩt go to McDonalds. Never set goals that you canтАЩt keep. So if you are a drinker and like wine and you are put on a plan where youтАЩre not allowed it, youтАЩll do it for three weeks or three months but youтАЩll come off it. So donтАЩt change your eating habits too much. Just adapt them to be the best they can be. The weight will come off slower but you will be able to keep that off forever.тАЭ
Daniel Green will be cooking lunch (set menus with two to three dishes) at RossiniтАЩs at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit through February 21. On Saturday morning at 10am, he will offer a cooking class. For reservations call 02-649-8364.