In the past couple of years, new restaurants with women at the helm have been on the rise. Triplets, Fat Fish and, most recently, Garden of Dream, come to mind right away. All three are women-owned and have women as chefs. And yet, we have a hard time remembering the last time we ate at a hotel restaurant in Bangkok (and really, any restaurant, with a few exceptions) where women held significant power. While in the home, cooking remains largely a woman’s domain, in professional kitchens, the opposite tends to be true. Here, we speak to women chefs and restaurateurs we admire, to find out what it took to get here, and the triumphs and trials along the way.

The First Obstacle

Watching Chef Supatra “Suu” Kanitchapong work in her compact and efficient kitchen at Gastro 1/6, poaching eggs and setting Spanish tortillas in the oven, you’d never guess that she was ever anything but a chef. But her previous life was quite different. “I worked at my family’s shipping business for six years. I hated it. It just wasn’t me.” Her long-time colleague, co-owner of Bo.Lan, Duangporn “Bo” Songvisava, too, wanted to be in the kitchen from the very start. But, she says, “Thai society says you need a degree, so I studied arts at Silapakorn, even though I didn’t see the point.”

Spice Market’s Chef Supanat “Ann” Khanarak’s parents couldn’t believe that she wanted to be a chef. “I should not be cooking,” she remembers. “My family wanted me to be a lawyer or an architect.”

Then again, whereas some conservative ideas delayed our chefs from reaching for their dreams, other patriarchal legacies actually helped. Chef Ranitar “Gee” Charitkul, who was at the helm of two restaurants in New Zealand before returning to Thailand and becoming owner and chef at the new Garden of Dream, picked up her skills precisely because she was a woman. She says, “I never had formal training, but I grew up in a Chinese family, and my grandfather didn’t like women much. So I spent a lot of time out of the way, in the kitchen.”

From School to Kitchen

Despite family opposition, which affects aspiring male chefs as well, and despite the general impression that the kitchen is a woman’s domain, in the professional realm, the scales become drastically imbalanced. In Bangkok’s major hotels, the Executive Chefs, those in charge of food and beverage for all the restaurants dining outlets, are invariably male. In some rare circumstances, the Executive Sous Chef, in charge of an individual dining outlet, is a woman, as in the case of Kempinksi’s Sra Bua and Four Seasons’ Spice Market and Madison. We asked our interviewees who don’t work at hotels why that was the case.

“When I first got back, I applied to a lot of hotel jobs,” says Gee, whose winery restaurant Belmont Square in Blenheim, NZ, was lauded by local magazines. “But I never got any replies. Maybe it’s because they require a certificate.”

Shirley Tangkarawakun and Saranya “Pook” Makinson of Fat Fish, though, voluntarily pulled themselves out of the hotel restaurant scene. Pook says, “We did a few weeks’ training at Dusit Thani. We thought about applying, but we knew it was going to be really hard. The kitchen is hard, and it’s long hours of standing. You have to be young.”

Curious to know when the disparity starts, we asked them about their experience at the traditional culinary program at Le Cordon Bleu Bangkok, where they started out with several women in their class. “In the end, it was just the two of us,” Pook says. “The whole class was 45 people, and it looked like there were only ten boys left, but by the final term, it was [the ten boys] and the two of us. It’s mainly the stress and pressure than mainly a lot of women cannot handle. And if they can, there are also family issues. They would rather have a home than work late nights, late hours.”

Leadership in the Kitchen

Women getting their foot in the door of a professional kitchen is one thing. Working their way up to the top is a long, difficult journey. Anyone who has read Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential has the impression that the professional kitchen is an ultra-macho place, where the cooks are tattooed convicts swearing and beating each other up in between making your sandwich. Suu even worked in a kitchen where two men once had a knife fight because one of them was late. Bo says, “Working your way up, you have to look tough and be loud. If you don’t do that, then people won’t respect you because it’s such a male-dominated industry.”

Pook remembers how one of her female kitchen staff found it very tough when the restaurant first opened. “She cried every day. Everytime she made a mistake, the guy in charge screamed at her.” Social dynamics aside, sometimes, there are also physical limitations. Bo says, “The obstacle I had to get over was carrying a big pot of charcoal or pouring a big drum of oil into the deep fryer,” she says. “People are like, ‘Well you get paid the same amount as me, why do I have to do your work?’”

On the other hand even though Chef Anne’s Sra Bua kitchen has only four women out of a staff of eleven, everyone is treated the same. She says, “In my kitchen, I rotate the people every three months. I want the people to learn everything, not like guys can only work in the hot line and girls only desserts.”

Being Successful

Clearly, it takes a lot of resilience for a woman to become successful in the business. Whether the particular kitchen is brash and freewheeling, or calm and cooperative, consistency and confidence are qualities all our interviewees agree on. “If anyone would like to become a chef, you have to be proud and trust yourself,” says Chef Ann. “If you trust yourself then you can do it.”
For full interviews, visit http://tinyurl.com/5wkp4rw

Essentials

Duangporn “Bo” Songvisava. Bo.lan, 42 Soi Phichaironnarong, Sukhumvit Soi 26, 02-260-2962
Pavita “Anne” Saechao. Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin, Siam Kempinki, 991/9 Rama I Rd., 02-126-9000
Supatra “Suu” Kanitchapong. Gastro 1/6, RMA Institute, Soi Namthip 2, Sukhumvit Soi 22, 080-603-6421
Anchalee Pornrungsit. Madison, 155 Four Seasons Hotel, Ratchadamri Rd., 02-126-8866
Supanat “Ann” Khanarak. Spice Market, 155 Four Seasons Hotel, Ratchadamri Rd., 02-126-8866
Saranya “Pook” Makinson and Shirley Tangkaravakun. Fat Fish, Sukhumvit Soi 31, 02-261-2056
Ranitar “Gee” Charitkul. Garden of Dream, 4/F, Opposite, Sukhumvit Soi 51, 02-662-5057

How did your fascination with mime start?
I took a mime class after I graduated. It seemed fun so I invited Ta, another member of the group, to join. During the class we met Glur [Babymime’s third member]. I had studied other types of performing arts and even music but there was always this gap between us and the audience. With mime, we have to suggest the message to them and they have to use their imagination to get it. I think this interaction makes mime charming to me.

What inspires your shows?
For our yearly Babymime show, we create a new story every time. Our first show was a parody of the 007 franchise, so every year we come up with a movie and pick a theme we would like to focus on. But for the Pantomime show, we’re on stage with international acts and everything is on a bigger scale. We don’t want our show to pale in comparison with the other professionals. After a lot of discussion we decided to do a show we’d done before.

Who is your favorite mime group worldwide?
We have different favorites, actually. Mine are Gamarjobat, Glur likes Shinishu Shiyoshi and Ta likes Kanikama who will also join us in this upcoming show.

All of them are from Japan. What about other groups like Germany’s Metroccolis?
Well, this is unintentional. For Metroccolis, we’ve seen them perform in street shows and they did very well, but this will be the first time that we will see them on stage so we’re kind of curious to know how they are going to design their show.

How do you feel playing with your favorite groups?
It’s our first time on stage with an international artist. I’m excited and a bit nervous. It’s an opportunity to share experiences and show what we’ve got. It’s an amazing opportunity.

What is the difference between Thai audience and other Asian countries?
It’s like when Thai people watch foreign comedy, they don’t get it because of cultural differences. When we play in Thailand we know how to make them laugh but foreigners might not react the same way. What is good is that performing abroad is a chance to improve ourselves. We look at foreign audiences’ reactions to make our show universal.

Four Seasons Hotel

Anchalee Ponrungsit, Madison chef & Supanut Khanarak (Ann), Spice Market chef

Can you tell me about your background and how you got here?
Anchalee: I was a trainee at Regent, Bangkok [currently Four Seasons]. I started in the bakery for two and a half years; then I decided to work outside and come back again in 2000. I worked in Biscotti five years ago and my position moved up and I was promoted to junior sous chef at Madison. After one year I got promoted to Chef de Cuisine.
Ann: I graduated from Hospitality, specialty in Western food. But I didn’t like it. I then moved to Sydney to study more. Then one day I just found myself to love Thai food so then I started cooking and training in Sydney. I lived there for eight years, studying and cooking and working, and then I moved back to Bangkok. First I went to the Metropolitan Hotel and then moved to be a Head Chef in Four Seasons, Thai cuisine.

Why do you think there more women chefs now than before?
Anchalee: I think in Thailand, it’s the culture. In the last ten or hundred years, not many women were working. But now there are more opportunities for women. But some women don’t like to cook much because they have to work like office hours. All the chefs have to work hard and our restaurant opens for 12 to 14 hours. It’s hard being a woman chef because you’re standing there for hours and hours.
Ann: 14-15 hours. It depends on the guest and it depends on the job. We have to be flexible.

Are you the only women in your kitchens?
Ann: Spice Market is all women. No men in the kitchen. In total there are 10.
Anchalee: Same, it’s 10 but we have two women. It’s mostly male because in Madison, there are a lot of things to do that’s more difficult. Some guys have more power to do steaks and grill. You have a fire, it’s a hot kitchen.

Was it challenging at the start, to be in a kitchen full of men?
Anchalee: It was challenging at first. I just thought – how can I control them? Because first when I came here, there were no women, just men. It’s not too easy when I’m female and everyone else is male. How can I get them to trust me?

Is it easier for you, Chef Ann, being in a kitchen full of women?
Ann: Not really. I didn’t think I could become a chef in Four Seasons because I didn’t think I was good enough at the time. And then I tried to improve myself, my management skills, and my skills in the kitchen. It took two years until they accepted me. It was a bit hard and a little emotional and they were aggressive when working. But after we talked more openly and knew how we wanted to work with each other, we work like sisters. [We’re] not bossy and we have fun all the time. Now it’s become smooth; it’s very good teamwork.
Anchalee: Spice Market has only lady chefs and sometimes I hear a lot of gossip. They talk too much. But Madison is lucky because a lot of the men forget it.

What did your family think about you becoming a chef?
Ann: I think they never knew how I like to cook because they wanted me to do something else. I should be not cooking.

What did they want you to do?
Ann: Maybe a lawyer or architect. Sorry!

Were they shocked when they found out that you’re cooking?
Ann: I think when I became a head chef and they saw me on TV, they said they’re very proud of me.
Anchalee: For me it’s not so difficult because my family is from the countryside. When I was a child, I dreamed of being a nurse, but I was also always cooking with my grandmother. Now when they [see me on] TV like Chef Ann said, they’re proud.

How did you become interested in Western food, rather than Thai food?
Anchalee: Thai food, yes I can cook. But I wanted to know how to do like European food. It’s challenging to do European food or steakhouse because it’s not easy to do. Now I can do it and it made me so happy.

How do you think your diners feel when they know you’re a woman? Do you think that they are surprised?
Ann: I think it’s very good feedback when they saw that there’s a woman chef in the restaurant.
Anchalee: They don’t know that we have a woman chef in the restaurant. When they come to talk to us, they’re surprised [when they find out] it’s a female chef. And the guest is very excited because in the steakhouse, it’s normally a male chef.

Do you think having a head chef as a woman is better in any way?
Anchalee: It’s mixed. Some stations need females and some jobs need males because some are hard jobs which can’t be given to women. We look at the job first, because if you work in like a banquet, for example, the banquet is hard work. We cannot give work like this to the lady because there’s big pots, big pans.

Do you have any cooking idols?
Ann: My inspiration is David Thompson. He’s why I do Thai cooking. How can he cook Thai food so beautifully?
Anchalee: Chef Alberto Gianati is my cooking idol. He’s a very strong chef and I learned a lot from him, like how to manage the team. He’s a very good chef.

Any female cooking idols?
Anchalee: Christine Manfield is a very good chef. She’s from Australia.

What do you think of the stereotype that women do pastry and men do cooking? Is that true in your experience?
Ann: For me, in Thai food, women do the Thai desserts. There aren’t many men who do Thai desserts.
Anchalee: In the steakhouse, it’s very hard work. There’s a lot of the fire in the grill station; maybe some ladies don’t like it because when you cook, your face is not like a freshy. And there’s the smell of the oils, smell of the smoke.

Do you have anything to add?
Ann: If anyone would like to become a chef, you have to be proud and trust yourself. If you trust yourself then you can do it.

Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin, Siam Kempinski Hotel

Pavita Saechao (Anne), Chef de Cuisine

Can you please tell me about your background and how you got here? Did you go to culinary school? Or if not, how did you get your training?
I finished Food and Nutrition at university. Then I came to work in the hotel. First I worked in the bakery and after two years I moved to the Thai kitchen, like traditional Thai kitchen. And then I moved to Four Season to do Thai traditional cooking. One day, Chef Ian brought me to New York to open a restaurant and then he taught me how to cook Thai modern. After six years, I came back to Thailand to cook in Sra Bua.

Do you have any cooking idols?
My mom.

Are you the only woman in the kitchen?
No, I have four [women]. We have 11 people [in total].

What does it feel like to be a woman in the kitchen?
We’re treated equally. I treat everyone the same.

What did your family think about you becoming a chef?
They thought it was unbelievable. Because I never cook at home. But they know I like to eat and I like to learn with my mum; my mum taught me to make chili paste. That’s why I like to cook Thai food.

How do you think your diners feel when they know you’re a woman?
Some are surprised, but some of them know already. Some of them have read about me, and then some are like ‘Oh, I didn’t know there’s a girl working here.’ But they’re not really surprised because most of our diners aren’t Thai. Foreigners know about women chefs because there’s a lot in the US and Europe.

In Thailand, why do you think that there were less women chefs before and more now?
I think it’s because the world has opened. Women can decide on anything like men and women can also work hard like men. First they did not speak English, so they weren’t able to spread knowledge about Thai cuisine. Thai cuisine first came from the palace and women worked in the palace. The culture then was that women are shy, and they didn’t understand English well like we do now. They didn’t have much education then and right now it’s changed.

What do you think of the stereotype that women do pastry and men do cooking? Has that been true in your experience?
In my kitchen, I just rotate the people every three months. I don’t get them to stay in one station. So the guys can make desserts and the girls can cook in the hot line. I want the people to learn everything, not like guys can only work in the hot line and girls only desserts.

Does gender play a role in how you do your job?
In my kitchen, no. [Being a woman] doesn’t affect me. We just work together and cook professionally, and we understand and support each other. I think women can do everything. Girls and guys are [now] the same. Our work is the same but some situations are different, like lifting heavy things. If you open your mind and you’re professional enough and do not have a problem and you share ideas, we can work together.

Do you have anything to add?
I never think that men or women are different. People ask me what I think about me being a woman chef. For me, I never think about that. Maybe I just saw a lot of women chefs in the US. And when I worked there, I was the leader and the others were guys, and I can just give them orders. I don’t see us as men or women. I see myself as a working person, I see myself as part of the team. I just feel like I’m a working person who can work with anyone, male or female. In the end, it’s teamwork. In my kitchen, there’s no saying who you are. You are one in the Sra Bua team. I’ve never thought that women are the best or men are the best. Although women may pay slightly more attention to detail and men may be stronger; if we bring these two qualities together then our work will be perfect.

Fat Fish Seafood Bistro

Saranya Makinson (Pook) and Shirley Tangkaravakun, chef owners.

Can you tell me about your backgrounds and how you got here?
Shirley: We went to culinary school together.
Pook: At Le Cordon Bleu, that’s how we met. And we weren’t actually planning to have a restaurant but we came across this site just two years later and we thought it would be a good thing to do, particularly [because] we both like to do things together already.

How was your experience at culinary school?
Pook: It was a lot of fun. It was very, very stressful but I knew it was coming. It was really tough but it was challenging. Every day was a test and yeah it was tough but it was definitely an extremely good experience.

Were there a lot of female students?
Shirley: There were both men and women.
Pook: To start off with, a lot. And in the end there were just two of us left in the class.

How does it feel to be the only two women left?
Pook: We’re sort of used to it by then.
Shirley: If you didn’t ask this question, we wouldn’t notice before that there were only two of us left in the class.
Pook: Yeah, that’s right. Because we were just so focused about what we were doing, we’ve come this far. Shame that [the other women] weren’t there. But it’s not the sort of place where you help each other or be girly about it anyway.

Were the teachers male or female?
Shirley: All of them male.

Did they treat you any differently from the other male students?
Pook: No, I don’t think so.

Do you have any cooking idols or chefs you look up to?
Pook: Tom Kitchin, he’s a Scottish guy. I love the look of his food and his attitude.
Shirley: For me, Nobu’s chef. He’s Japanese and he became successful in America.

Any female chef idols?
Pook: She writes cookbooks but she’s not a cook. You know Delia Smith? Her cookbook is great and everything, if you read her cookbook it will guarantee you success. She’s almost a chef, really.

What were you doing before you came to have your own restaurant?
Pook: I was in consulting. Basically working in the corporate world.
Shirley: I had my own business. Export, import. Trading Company.

Did you know you wanted to be a chef then?
Pook: I always cook for people, and somebody always said to me, “Pook, I’m sure one day you will have a restaurant.” I thought, “Yeah, maybe.”

When did you start?
Shirley: Just three years after Cordon Bleu. We went to school in 2008.
Pook: We were already 35-36.

Is there a reason we see fewer women executive sous chefs at hotels? It seems like a lot of women chefs have their own restaurants.
Pook: I think it’s the stress and the pressure that mainly a lot of women can’t handle. And even if they’re really good and can handle that, there are still family issues. Every woman wants to have a family, so at some point they’re going to have to choose. And most of them, instinctively, would rather have a home than spend late hours and late nights. As for the ones who have their own restaurants, it’s a women’s thing to want to cook and see people eat and be happy.
Shirley: But I think things are starting to change. I see from the magazines that there are more and more young women becoming chefs. That’s a good thing.

Why do you think there are more women chefs now than before?
Pook: I think because their career has become more well-known as a more respectable career. And maybe they see other successful women chefs that they could be.

Are you the only women in the kitchen?
Shirley: [We have] two girls in the kitchen.
Pook: Actually when we started the restaurant, we had all boys apart from that one girl. They were very tough, she cried every day. [Our situation was] a bit better because we own the place.
Shirley: But now she’s the best in the kitchen.
Pook: Yeah. She just got bullied. She just makes a little mistake and the guy in charge at the time just screamed at her. Sometimes I would hear it and it’s so unnecessary. He was always quite mean to her because from his experience, [he thinks] you should be tough, working in a kitchen. So he tried to introduce that culture to her. I don’t know how she managed, and in the end, I think they’re best friends.

What did your family think about you becoming a chef?
Shirley: They’re proud of us?
Pook: They must be, yes. Because they’re always amazed when we produce some food, particularly to them it’s foreign.
Shirley: I don’t think they believe that we’d make it this far.

How do your diners feel when they know you’re women? Are they surprised?
Pook: Yeah, sometimes they ask “You’re the chef? You own the place?”
Shirley: Only some. They’re surprised that we’re still young and have our own restaurant. And we have to tell them that we’re not that young.

Do you think there are ways in which women can handle things better in the kitchen, compared to men?
Pook: Yeah, I think maybe in terms of keeping stuff together? I’m not sure. But I really don’t think being nasty to people in the kitchen is necessary, and I think women can do that better. Because you understand and you’re more sensitive, so you might be able to sort of make people work well together than just scold at them and be mean to them all the time which a lot of chefs still do. [In terms of cleanliness], males are good. It’s not like we are cleaner than they are. They are clean as anything.

Can you think of a time when your being a woman became an issue?
Pook: A lot of the time I cannot say what I think because maybe it might insult somebody, and if it’s a man, it’ll just make it worse. In an environment that’s full of men, even if I know that what they were talking about is wrong, I’m not going to jump in and say ‘Look, this is wrong and I know it’s right.’ But if I’m the guy, I think I could say that. Sometimes I feel bad if I have to say some bad things to the boys. I still find that I have to be quite careful of what I say. [If I’m not careful] they might feel insulted because I’m a woman. I have no proof but I think it’s by nature. And something that doesn’t help being women working in a stressful environment is that we do have our ups and downs, our hormones, our emotions - and you can’t have that in the kitchen. So I think that’s another hard part, to start and climb and be consistently good.
Shirley: For me, I talk straightforwardly. If they did something wrong, I tell them right away and speak with reason, not emotion. And they’re quite understanding.

There seems to be a stereotype that women do pastry and men do cooking. Has that been true in your experience?
Pook: Yeah, in Cordon Bleu it was a bit like that. Only women that do the cooking, the cuisine section, are sort of more tough -
Shirley: More tough, like us.
Pook: And the other ones, the really cute, sweet, girly and soft-spoken ones, they all do [pastry]. And I think pastry is like art, it’s like doing some knitting or something. I don’t even know if I can do it.
Shirley: Even [for the female staff] here, when she got better at her job, I asked her to stand in front of the stove, and she tried to avoid it because it’s too hot. So she prefers to do salads or things like that.
Pook: A lot of girls say it’s too hot in front of the stove - don’t want to do it, it’s too hot, it’s too quick, it’s too much adrenaline. And guys like that.

Do you have anything to add?
Pook: I don’t think women should be discouraged by being surrounded by men. Some men might have a bit of issues with ego but that’s their problem. If you want to do anything for yourself, just go for it.

How popular is home brewing in Singapore?
Well, there’s definitely a growing interest in home brewing, with more inquiries. At the moment it’s mostly expat males around 30 to 50 years old, but locals are catching up as they’re being exposed to this hobby more and more, from the workshops that I conduct in various CCs around Singapore. There is also a select handful of female home brewers.

How do we get started?
You will need a complete beer brewing kit ($170 upwards from HomeBrew, $175 upwards from Ibrew). Plus, other than the ingredient kit, all the equipment is reusable. Using the beer ingredient kit, it is as simple as mixing water into the extract. There are 3 main steps: Mixing, fermenting and bottling. Fortunately, the yeast will do most of the hard work by converting sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Typically it takes two weeks for a batch of beer to be ready. However, with some aging time, the beer will greatly improve in taste.

Any tips for first time home brewers? 
Do make sure that you clean and sanitize all the equipment that will be in contact with the beer. As long as everything is well prepared the beer should turn out fine. In case it doesn’t, the best way to troubleshoot where and when things went wrong is to trace back the steps taken during brewing.

What goes on at the HomeBrew Club meetings?
The meetings happen on the second Wed of each month, and usually last for about an hour and a half. It’s a very casual thing and about 30 of us show up. Everyone is welcome to bring their own homebrews, and we’ll sample each others stuff and share ideas, observations and tips. Membership costs $30 for the whole calendar year.

Essentials

HomeBrew #01-24 Blk. 36, Telok Blangah Rise, 9777-5457. www.homebrew.com.sg

Ibrew #01-205 Blk. 354, Clementi Ave. 2, 9009-0705. www.ibrew.com.sg

When I was 12, I remember thinking I’d grow up to be a corporate hotshot.

I’ve done a whole range of things. I worked for TV stations in Hong Kong, at Channel V, at MTV, at Mediacorp, and as a presenter for Star Sports. I worked as a consultant for a radio station in Malaysia. And I’ve run a chocolate boutique.

I don’t have any sports channels. I killed them all. I’m hardly ever home.
There’s no such thing as a stupid person or a useless person, you’ve just got to find the right job scope for them.

My promotions executive told me I remind her of a picture she’d seen of a little kitten looking at a mirror and seeing a huge lion.

If you’re not expressing your talents or don’t have the opportunity to stretch them, then you’re not going to be a happy person.

I don’t like reading columns about people’s personal lives. I write stuff which anybody could pick up and go “I know somebody like that.”

I want people to feel that they’re not alone.

I can’t sit down and write everything in one go. I have to write in several stages.

I always thought that I should leave Singapore. But it’s changed so much and is so liveable now.

I love New York, but living there was tough. Why fight so hard just to get a cup of coffee?

I don’t want to struggle. I don’t want my day to day life to be a challenge. I want it to be nice and simple so I can expend my energies doing creative things. Singapore is a breeze.

Exposure to expats has changed us. Now when we meet friends, we kiss each other on the cheek. Ten years ago we’d never have done that.

To impress a girl with chocolate, you’ve got to know what she likes. Just ask her casually if she’s a dark or milk, and then remember. They don’t have to be the world’s most expensive, but buy good quality chocolate. And then tell her “I got these because they’re your favorite.”

My name means “She who works with her hands in the soil”. When I first learnt that, I was appalled. Now I like feeling like Mother Earth.

All I want now, is a huge garden where I can plant my own vegetables. I just want to plant things. Right now I have a patio to channel my green energy.

There’s no greater joy than snipping and eating tomatoes that have grown in your own garden.

I don’t want to be a lonely old lady pottering with my herbs and my cats.

Follow your own heart. Not a guy or a girl.

A lot of what I’ve done has been because of serendipity; blessings and opportunities. Being in the right place at the right time.

Throughout my life, I’ve gone with the flow. I’m surprised I’ve got to where I am. I think I could have been more successful if I’d planned it. But I don’t like to regret things.

I try to do as many things as I can. I never say no to anything.

My forefathers are… painters like Caravaggio and Picasso.

The illustrious Magnum founder Henri Cartier Bresson… was like an uncle to me. In my world, uncles are treated with a special affectionate status. They aren’t as stern as fathers.

A photographer… isn’t aware of himself and is totally immersed as he captures images.

I work in black and white… because I see the world in those terms and it helps me to transcend reality.

Working in Sarajevo was emotional because... A child who was bombarded by Serbs still had his eyes open like he was lost in a dream.

Tyrants and the infamous… you understand them but must never justify their actions.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini... looks like a snarling tiger in one of the pictures that I shot when he returned to Iran after his exile. That says a lot about him.

My next project… covers Hinduism in India.

My preparation involves… reading the works of Indian novelists like Aravind Adiga and Salman Rushdie because no one tells the stories of their countries better than them and it’s very interesting to be in the country and reading the book where it is set.

Humans are… a crazy bunch or the world would get boring.

Events happening in the world… will keep me in business for a while.

Abbas, 45 years in Photography runs through Sep 18 at The National Museum of Singapore, 93 Stamford Rd., 6332-3659. Free-$5.

Would you say you enjoy your job?
I like meeting people from different walks of life—this way, I can see all types of funerals. It gets tiring sometimes because I have to put on layers and layers of clothing on my deceased clients but I always tell myself it’s a good workout. My biceps have become bigger!

How did your family react when you chose to pursue this career?
Because my wife is in the medical industry, she understands. My children are very proud of me. They’d tell their friends that their father’s a skilled and professional embalmer. Some people may think that I’m weird but that’s their problem. Once, my relatives found out about my job because an interview with me was aired on television. They probed and I just said, “So what?”

How would you describe your relationship with your deceased clients?
I treat them with respect and dignity. I would say to them, “I will make you beautiful! You’ll look 10 years younger!” I treat them like VIPs; it doesn’t matter if they’re rich or poor. I’m not afraid; I feel like a friend.

What has been your most memorable encounter?
Once, an old man’s family members noticed that his eyes were open and were so shocked. It was only a chemical reaction—his muscles became hard—so I used glue to shut his eyes. Immediately, he looked like he was sleeping again.

What does a typical working day involve?
There are usually three to four remains to embalm a day, but when I get five or six, I get very exhausted. I drink plenty of milk to remain energized because I don’t know how many to expect per day. I’ve been asked to come back on some days because there’s just too much new business.

Would you embalm your own loved ones?
I will gladly take that on without pay. It’s like accompanying them through the last of their time.

Is there anything you don’t enjoy about your job?
It’s got to be the post-mortem autopsy. Even though I wear protective equipment and a face mask, the stench still gets to me. Every 30 minutes, I go out to take a breather for five minutes and look at the birds before heading back to finish the job. Sometimes I have to cut up the corpses too.

If you could switch careers, what would you do?
I’ve already been a physiotherapist, an emergency technician, and an embalmer. I would want to be a funeral service provider next. Because I can embalm, I can check if the people I hire make the cut.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt?
Now I know where all the internal organs really are! And they’re exactly where the books tell you.

To have Eusebio help you when the time comes, call Singapore Funeral Services, #01-1347 Blk. 3 Toa Payoh Industrial Park, 6841-4666.

Where do you come from?
I am originally from Petchaboon and dropped out of school after grade 9. I am a very ambitious woman. I tried hard to make money to look after my family, so I had to pick up a lot of jobs. The last job that I did was as a coffee machine salesperson.

Why did you decide to open your own business?
I realized that it was a good business. I wanted to do it for myself so I started collecting money to open a coffee stall. I started to talk with municipal authorities at Pathumwan district about opening a coffee stall here. I mostly sold kafae boran (Thai-style coffee with sweet condensed milk). Then about a year later, I saved enough money to buy my first coffee machine. It was B42,000. Then I bought another one at B57,000 and another still at B67,000. Now I am using a B165,000 one, and the coffee grinder is B42,000.

Why did you want to have such state-of-the-art equipment?
Because I love fresh coffee. It was my life’s dream to have big machines in a big coffee shop, but because I wasn’t rich enough, I started off with just selling kafae boran. This is what I’ve always wanted: the machines are mine, but I’m still missing the place to open a café. I have been looking, though, but I don’t yet have enough money.

What did you do with the older machines? Are they broken?
I dumped the first one and donated another to a monk that I respect. He gave me the name for my new stall and acted as my fortuneteller. He advised me to sell coffee when I was very depressed about my career. It’s his power that made me this much money now.

How about your family?
I take care of my family now. My mom is sick. She has diabetes, and many other health problems. It’s quite a severe case now. I have to send her money. I have a husband and two kids, a 10-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter. My son is studying in Roi-Et and he’s staying with my husband’s parents, and my daughter is with my mom.

How is your daily life?
I wake up at around 7am and get here around 7:30. I start selling right away. Sometimes there are customers already here waiting. The majority of my customers are teenagers or office workers. They order coffee, green tea, milk tea, and blended fruit juices. I manage everything alone until I close at about 7pm. I go to Mahanak market to buy fruits, while the coffee gets sent to my shop by the coffee company. I also leave my coffee machine at the police station every night without having to pay money. They’re so kind. I make approximately B1,000 a day.

What’s your secret?
I make money and I save it. It’s probably just my luck that I got so successful selling here. I don’t gamble, and I don’t get into debt.

We’ve seen classics and molecular as big cocktail trends. What’s next?
I’ve been a great fan of both classic and molecular cocktails for several years; they continue to inspire me. The classic cocktail trend forced me to be aware of the why, when and how—it was very educational for me. As for the molecular cocktail trend, the imagination and skill involved brought attention and appreciation to the beverage industry. Now we are appreciated as much as chefs. What’s next? Personalized cocktails tailor-made on the spot to suit customer’s tastes and named after them.

You work at a restaurant. What do you think of drinking cocktails with food?
Food and drink are soul mates. As with wine, cocktails and food should enhance each other. The flavor should not be too similar, nor should one overpower the other. With cocktails, there are no limitations in the right hands, and in some ways, obtaining the perfect wine pairing can be more difficult and costly than with cocktails. 

How did your fascination with cocktails start?
It started when I tried to make a mojito for my girlfriend, but it was terrible! So I tried to find a place to take a cocktail course, and I came in to contact with FLOW, co-founders of Hyde & Seek

What’s your favorite drink?
It depends on where and when. Normally I love to have a Negroni or Americano, but I also love a sip of good vodka or whisky on the rocks. I like to drink on the rocks because it expresses the flavor of the spirit really well. I love trying new cocktails too, and my co-workers here are always creating new and interesting drinks, and that’s awesome.

What’s your favorite ingredient?
Really, it’s every single thing in the bar—fruit, juice, spirits, soft drink, spices, everything.

How do you find inspiration when creating a new cocktail?
There are many factors. I have to think about the fruits, glassware, spirit, methodology or even the theme of the drink. But ultimately, there is nothing more inspiring than just starting to make something and tweaking it as you go along.

Apart from making good drinks, what makes a great bartender?
The service mind—being friendly but also being respectful to guests and co-workers. Without them, we are nothing. Also the knowledge, willingness to learn and keep on improving, finding ways to make our drinks better and better!

How are you getting ready for the Diageo World Class 2011 in New Delhi?
Everyday, I read books and webpages about cocktails and try making new cocktails. There are going to be a lot of expert bartenders from all over the world in this competition. But really, first I need to fill in that complicated visa form.

We’re in a cab on the way to meet Chuvit Kamolvisit and his entourage somewhere in Din Daeng. They’re launching a new website (www.chuvitonline.com) to help get the former massage parlor kingpin’s anti-corruption message across to voters. We’re simply relieved to be able to follow him. A slip down a hill in Nakhon Si Thammarat a few days before left him hospitalized with a bad back and put a brake on his energetic campaigning. 

On the drive across town we tell our cab driver who we’re going to see and ask him what he thinks about the larger-than-life character. “Chuvit stands for repentance,” muses Palangkul Rahotarn. “Considering his past, he’s now become a better person.” Would he vote for him though? “Possibly. I like him. He’s straightforward.”
Repentance and straightforwardness are traits Chuvit has played off ever since he blew the whistle on corrupt police back in 2003 and entered the media spotlight. He’s still a big draw, as we realize when we spot the ranks of cameras outside the Internet cafe where the press con is taking place. We call Thepthat Boonpattananon, or Aum, one of Chuvit’s loyal army of assistants, to find out where to go. The candidate is doing a quick walk about up the street and is surrounded by a good-natured mob of supporters, journalists and students keen to get their photo taken with him.

Chuvit seems in buoyant spirits with little sign of the injury, taking time to stop and chat to store owners before dashing to pose for photos, always happy to pull the trademark grimace that has made his posters so popular. Eventually he’s steered over to the cafe and the waiting reporters. A quick demonstration of how the site works and a few sound bites and the press con is over. While most of the reporters head to lunch, Chuvit does an interview with a TV reporter from China News wanting his thoughts on the election. He’s also been contacted by NHK and has an interview with Agence France Press on the next day at 2pm. Aum, who is responsible for getting the press to follow him shows us a thick notebook that’s filled with scribbled meetings, numbers and contacts. He admits his candidate’s reputation helps. “It’s easy to get people to follow him because of who he is.”

While Chuvit continues his interview we are busy trying to persuade Khun Ke, another assistant, to give us a few minutes of his time. She’s pretty reluctant: “With his injuries and all, maybe we can schedule another time?” After promises that we won’t keep him long and that we’re happy to do it over lunch, she finally relents, ushering us to the nearest khao man gai restaurant.

After helping clear a table we finally find ourselves sitting down for some uninterrupted time with the man himself. He’s remarkably relaxed in these relatively lowly settings and, perhaps more surprisingly, equally at ease switching between Thai and English, a legacy of his time studying in the US. For the most part, the conversation is focused on the election. Why is he running for office again after two failed attempts at becoming Bangkok Governor and a brief stint as an MP (he was thrown out of parliament over a technicality relating to his membership in the Chart Thai Party)?

“Because I watch TV and read the newspapers and I laugh. I think I’m living in a comedy. Thai politicians act like Thai people are very stupid. They don’t do things for the Thai people. They just monopolize everything and take all the money for themselves.” His aims, he says, are rather different. He wants to make a difference, or, as he puts it, he wants “to be a pain in the ass,” for the existing order. Of course his distrust of existing politicians is a line we’ve heard before, but as the head of a party with just 11 nominated candidates, does he really think he can bring about any major changes? “I don’t want to be on the executive. I want to be the opposition. I want to be the public eye in parliament, and use the media to tell people what’s really going on.”

As for his rather unusual campaign posters, he says, “I deliberately take this negative approach, this angry face in my posters. I am not an actor, an artist or even a politician. I want to show society that I am different.”

He also thinks it’s an essential tactic for a party like his, one operating on a very small budget. “I can’t reach millions of people by campaigning on the streets for 45 days but I can tell millions of people about society’s problems with a website, and through my posters,” he continues.

When asked about his opinion on the outcome of the elections he demonstrates his trademark honesty: “Thais aren’t very educated about politics, so it’s easy to attract them to vote for you. Every politician, every party is promising populist policies, but the government will end up bankrupt soon. I think Pheu Thai will get in because they have the political machine, they have the majority. But they’ll have to compromise because of Thai society. There are so many groups that have power outside of government.”

“If you don’t compromise in politics, then you get a war. Last year no one would compromise. But now, I think there will be a compromise.”

It’s clear from the anxious expressions on the assistants’ faces that we’re talking for too long and they clearly want to get him back to the office. But as he finishes his soup we do have chance to ask him why he bothers. If he believes the politicians are all looking after each other, why spend days pounding the streets and spending millions of baht just for an outside chance of getting into government?

“Sometimes I don’t know,” is his frank response. “This is the fourth time I’ve run a campaign and if I don’t get in, well I’ve wasted another B100 million.”
“Maybe I should just buy a yacht, a Rolls Royce or go and blow the money on a trip to Europe. After all, I can’t change the whole world. I’m no superman,” he admits. It’s then, just as the assistants swoop in to clear away the bowls that we perhaps get a glimpse of the real reason he’s running.

“I just want people to remember me,” he says before standing and heading off for some final photos with a crowd of young students who’ve been waiting patiently.
A silver van with a big number five on the side pulls up and Chuvit and Ke jump in. We decide to take a look at the campaign HQ, set in a beautiful old Thai house at the back of Chuvit Gardens. The small group of friends and family that make up his team are sitting out on the veranda having a smoke and chatting, while Khun Ke and Aum hit the phones and Chuvit takes it easy inside. A white board in the corner shows the plan of action for every one of the campaign’s 45 days while photo boards show where Chuvit’s already been. According to the schedule, he supposed to hit a market later, but his bad back is clearly catching up with him, and the outing is cancelled, ending our day on the campaign trail.

It’s all been a little manic, and far too brief, but at least we got to spend some time with him. He’s clearly very clever and very different from the slightly jokey persona he presents to the world and, we have to admit, we can’t help liking him. He’ll need over 250,000 votes to get a place in parliament but, whether he achieves it or not, we do think he’ll succeed in his real aim: people certainly won’t forget Chuvit Kamolvisit. Nick Measures with Natthanun Prasongchaikul