A Home Anywhere

You mentioned you travel a lot. What was your most memorable trip?
It’ll definitely be Brazil, a couple of years ago. I did a two-month road trip all around the coast and stopped at different towns along the way. There’s really good food in the city of Salvador located in Bahia—there’s an interesting mix of African and Brazilian culture. You have a huge African community who settled in together with the local Brazilian constituencies so they make these dishes that are a hybrid of flavours that are both African and local. The one dish I can think of is called moqueca, a spicy fish stew. It’s seafood-based and it’s really nice.

I’m a nature person and I really like culture.
I went to Sri Lanka last month and went to the beaches. We visited a couple of villages but also did road trips around the coast.

What’s a quote or philosophy you live by?
Live, laugh, love.

Best decision I’ve ever made:
I think it’s moving here to Asia. I’ve already been here for 11 years. Before this, I was living in Shanghai for nine years. I spent a semester there learning Mandarin and fell in love with the city. After I graduated, I decided to go back, thinking I’d stay for one or two years but ended up staying much longer. I really liked the city, the people, and the energy there. It’s a country that’s undergone so much change and Shanghai is such an interesting example of a country that’s gone through development. It’s a city where you can experience something different. There’s good music, art, and style.

What’s the best Chinese dish you’ve had there?
Xiao long bao! (laughs)