wǒ shì

我是alex

My name is Alex

wǒ zuò chú shī zuò le nián

我做厨师做了22年

I've been a chef for 22 years

wǒ shì yuán zhù mín

我是原住民

We are one of the original groups of Taiwan

hǎo chá cūn shì wǒ bà de gù xiāng

好茶村是我爸的故乡

Haocha village is the place where my father grew up

zài tái wān de nán bù píng dōng

在台湾的南部屏东

Located in Pingtung county, the southermost of Taiwan

cóng tái běi kāi chē lái wǔ gè xiǎo shí

从台北开车来五个小时

It's five-hour drive from Taipei

yī jiā rén yī qǐ zuò de

一家人一起做的

Our family run this restaurant together

wǒ shì zhǔ chú ma wǒ biǎo dì tā gēn wǒ zuò hěn jiǔ tā shì fù chú

我是主厨嘛，我表弟他跟我做很久他是副厨

I'm the chef and my cousin who has been working with my for years is the assistant chef

wǒ lǎo pó lǎo pó de mèi mèi wǒ de zhí zi

我老婆、老婆的妹妹，我的侄子

My wife, her sister, and my nephew

huā dà bù fēn shì wǒ lǎo pó jué dìng qù chā de

花大部分是我老婆决定去插的

My wife is in charge of flower arrangement

bǎi hé huā dài biǎo chún jié zūn guì róng yù

百合花代表纯洁、尊贵、荣誉

Lily stands for purity, honor and dignity

shì lǔ kǎi zú hěn xiàng zhēng de yī gè huā

是鲁凯族很像征的一个花

It's also symbolic of the Rukai people

wǒ men zuì duō cái yǒu gè wèi zhì

我们最多才有28个位置

We have 28 seats

wǒ men kāi liǎng lún

我们开两轮

Serve two rounds a day

yǒu rén shuō tā dìng le yī nián yǒu rén shuō yào dìng liǎng nián

有人说他订了一年，有人说要订两年

Some reservation waited one or two years

wǒ men cài dān qí shí měi tiān dà gài dōu huì biàn

我们菜单其实每天大概都会变

Our menu changes on a daily basis

jīn tiān yǒu lái shén me jiù zuò shén me

今天有来什么就做什么

What's on the menu is decided by what ingredients we have got that day

liào lǐ mó shì de fēng wèi yī dìng shì nǐ méi yǒu chī guò de

料理模式的风味一定是你没有吃过的

The flavor is original

xiàn zài shì jiàn sǔn de jì jié

现在是箭笋的季节

This is the season of arrow bamboo shoots

huì yòng shí tóu bǎi pán yīn wèi shí tóu shì tǔ dì ma

会用石头（摆盘）因为石头是土地嘛

They are presented on pebbles, pebble represents the earth

gǎn jué dào zhè shì tǔ dì chū lái de dōng xī

感觉到这是土地出来的东西

As they grow out of the earth

kāi wèi cài kě yǐ wán de hěn huó pō

开胃菜可以玩的很活泼

Appetizers can get very interesting

niú pái shì tái wān niú ma zhǐ yòng tàn kǎo

牛排是台湾牛嘛，只用炭烤

Steak is produce of Taiwan beef, grilled on charcoal

lǐ miàn shì bǐ jiào shēng de

里面是比较生的

Kinda raw on the inside

bǐ jiào cuì

比较脆

Crisp

rán hòu shì ruǎn rán hòu tián

然后是软，然后甜

Then soft, and sweet

yòng nà gè jiè mò wèi dào de yī xiē yè zi

用那个芥末味道的一些叶子

Matched with wasabi-flavor leaves

ràng tā qù zuò yī gè wèi dào de zhuǎn huà

让它去做一个味道的转化

To transform the flavor

lóng xiā shì zài gāo wēn shàng miàn kǎo

龙虾是在高温上面烤

Lobsters are grilled in high temperature

wǒ huì shàng miàn tú yī xiē xiāng liào yóu

我会上面涂一些香料油

I brush them with spiced oil

ràng tā bù huì nà me gàn zào rán hòu zài xià qù kǎo

让它不会那么干燥，然后再下去烤

Keep them moisturized, then grill

zài jiā yī xiē xiāng liào jiàng liào

再加一些香料、酱料

Add more spices, sauces

zài tú shàng qù ná qù kǎo

再涂上去拿去烤

Then grill again

wǒ men yào yī zhí zhuā rán hòu bǔ yóu

我们要一直抓，然后补油

We continue brushing it with oil throughout the cooking

zhì shǎo wǒ jué dé zhè shì dú yī wú èr de

至少我觉得这是独一无二的

This at least is a unique method

qí shí zhè shì shǔ yú wǒ men jiā xiāng de gù shì

其实这是属于我们家乡的故事

It's the story of the mountains

ér bù shì yì dà lì fēng wèi

而不是意大利风味

Not Italian

wǒ yán fā cài dà duō shù zǎo shàng xiǎng yī xiǎng

我研发菜大多数早上想一想

When developing dishes, I run it in my heads in the morning

wǎn shàng jiù chū lái le

晚上就出来了

And the night it'd be ready on the table

zhū ròu wǒ men jiù yòng hēi zhū

猪肉我们就用黑猪

Pork comes from black pigs

nà hēi zhū jiān chí yào yǎng dào shí wǔ gè yuè

那黑猪坚持要养到十五个月

Aged about 15 months

ràng tā de zhī fáng kě yǐ duī jī qǐ lái

让它的脂肪可以堆积起来

Allowing them enough time to fatten up

yī bān de zhū dà bù fēn dōu shì jiǔ dào shí gè yuè kě néng jiù kě yǐ zǎi shā le

一般的猪大部分都是九到十个月可能就可以宰杀了

Most pigs are slaughtered at the standard 9-10 months

wǒ dà gài měi gè lǐ bài dōu huì qù yī cì

我大概每个礼拜都会去一次

Every week

mǎn fēng dìng zhì yú chǎng

满峰定置渔场

I go to the Manfeng Fishery

tā men zài hǎi shàng miàn gài le yī gè yú wǎng

他们在海上面盖了一个渔网

They built a fish net in the sea

nà yú huì gù dìng huí liú huì jìn lái

那鱼会固定回流会进来

Fish run back into the net on a regular basis

yī dìng shì xīn xiān de

一定是新鲜的

They are fresh

tā yī fàng wǒ jiù qù tiāo wǒ xǐ huān de yú

他一放我就去挑我喜欢的鱼

I go there and pick my ingredients as soon as they come out

nǐ yě méi bàn fǎ xiǎng xiàng shuō jīn tiān huì lái shén me yú

你也没办法想像说今天会来什么鱼

You don't know what they will have on a certain day

nǐ bì xū yào qīn lì qīn wèi qù qiǎng nà gè yú

你必须要亲力亲为去抢那个鱼

You must go down there and personally pick your fish

lǔ kǎi zú rén dà gài yǒu yī wàn èr yī wàn sān

鲁凯族人大概有一万二一万三

The Rukai numbered between 12 to 13 thousand

suàn shǎo de yī gè mín zú

算少的一个民族

A relatively small ethnic group

zài wǒ de cān tīng wǒ bù xiǎng biǎo dá hěn duō de shuō wǒ shì yuán zhù mín

在我的餐厅我不想表达很多的说我是原住民

I don't feel the strong need to tune my restaurant to a particular indigenous channel

yīn wèi wǒ běn lái jiù shì yuán zhù mín

因为我本来就是原住民

Because I am indigenous enough

wǒ shì xué tǔ mù gōng chéng xì de

我是学土木工程系的

I majored in civil engineering

kuài yào bì yè de shí hòu jiù qù bàn gōng bàn dú

快要毕业的时候就去半工半读

And before graduating I started work-study

xīn jiā pō de

新加坡的restaurant andrÉ

Woking at Restaurant ANDRÉ in Singapore

shì jiè dà lǐ miàn de qí zhōng yī yuán

世界50大里面的其中一员

One of the top 50

yīn wèi dāng shí wǒ qù de shí hòu yǐ jīng suì le

因为当时我去的时候已经34岁了

I was 34 years then

suàn zuì lǎo de jiàn xí shēng

算最老的见习生

Probably the oldest apprentice

wǒ qù xué xí shì yào huí lái zuò wǒ de shì qíng

我去学习是要回来做我的事情

I go there to learn what I need to come back

wǒ men hěn duō dōu shì dōu shì kè

我们很多都是都市客

Most of us live in cities

tā men jiù huì hǎo qí nǐ wèi shén me kāi zài shān shàng

他们就会好奇，你为什么开在山上

They find it curious that my restaurant sits in deep mountains

wǒ jué dé zhè shì wǒ suǒ yào gěi de fāng xiàng

我觉得这是我所要给的方向

But that is what I meant for it

jiù shì hǎo hǎo rèn shí yī gè wén huà

就是好好认识一个文化

To really understand a culture

hǎo hǎo dài zài yī gè dì fāng

好好待在一个地方

To stay at somewhere