When Jo extended her invitation to G-Girls for brunch at her mansion Saturday morning, July 23rd, my mouth began watering. It was my second time to venture to her kitchen, and the first or the third time for other G-Girls to experience the savory and tasty adventure.
Jo's philosophy in life, "Life is a banquet! Bon appetit!", inspired me to take the initiative to create an extra-curricular activity among Toastmasters in Taiwan, to document "The Toastmasters Kitchens in District 67", as there are many talented chefs in D67, including my humble self. Wouldn't it be awesome to venture into Toastmasters kitchens to explore the Toastmasters talents beyond the Toastmasters clubs? Wouldn't it be great to share the menu and recipes of Taiwanese Toastmasters with toastmasters around the world?
Jo designed her brunch menu three days in advance. Just imagining the dishes on the table caused my salivary glands to dance wildly in mouth in the following days. I forced myself to fast from the moment I received the brunch menu.
1. Gado-gado 印尼沙拉
2. Green Papaya 涼拌青木瓜
3. Pumpkin Curry 南瓜咖哩湯
4. Yellow Ginger Rice 黃薑飯
5. Spicy Rice Noodle 辣米粉
6. Rendang Beef 巴東牛肉
7. Boneless Chicken 酸果雞
8. Iced Nangka 新鮮婆羅蜜
Irene was in charge of purchasing the gifts for Jo. She met a group of two young girls and one young man at the Wellcome Supermarket, and took their advice to buy two bottles of Jacob's Creek - Shiraz Cabernet & two bottles of Jacob's Creek - Chardonnay. She also ordered a bouguet of flowers late Friday evening day before the brunch.
Linda decided to join the brunch anyway, even she was scheduled to have a health check up the following Tuesday, July 26th. While we were eating voraciously, she nibbled the toast she brought along, simply because she didn't want to miss the joyful gathering chez Jo.
Of course, eating accompanied by reading would be the best without saying. I proposed three articles in Toastmaster Magazine July issue for G-Girls to read, 1. Courage in Japan by Beth Black, page 6; 2. Speechwriting Tips from the Pros by Dave Zielinski, page 8; 3. The Strength of a Storu by Dennis Brooke, Page 14. In the end, we didn't have time to read any articles except taking a few snapshots holding the Toastmasters with our satisfying smiles.
After the sumptuous authentic Indonesian meal, Jo joined G-Girls'clogging dance class for the first time at KuangKwan Community Center Saturday afternoon.
Jo later wrote to G-Girls, "Life is but a choice! Food is but a choice! I wish all my girls make their own choices, in life and in food! So we had fresh / raw / undercooked fruits / vegs and sauces for choice, yellow ginger rice, beef, and chicken are authentic Indonesian. Thanks for the roses which still fragrant the rooms, the wine and the cheese cake we have been enjoying so much!"
G-Girls Comments from Trini, Michelle, Kate, Irene, Linda (chronologically)!
"Make food simple and let things taste of what they are." Maurice Edmond Sailland
This quote depicts perfectly how I think about Jo's food. I'm not particular about food. I just enjoy trying different kinds of food. The food cooked by Jo is definitely unique and tasty with a big variety of spice and full of flavors. All the dishes are especially healthy either made fresh, braised or steamed. Except food, what lures me most is the chatting and laughter we shared together while enjoying the food. The Irish proverb says it best for me - Laughter is brightest where food is best. - Trini Ding
Frankly speaking, I am not good at cooking at all. I think it's a time consuming work and the cost to performance ratio is too low to me. After having a delighted brunch with Golden Ladies at Jo's sweet home last Sat., I found out the reason why so many people enjoy cooking. The secret integrate is "LOVE". I could feel LOVE from the delicious and exotic food prepared by Jo to us and to her family, which brought us a very joyful weekend. - Michelle Liu
From Gado-gado to iced nangka, Jo's menu is like a good speech that has strong opening, body and a perfect conclusion. It's not only a branch, it's a feast! I was not able to have spicy food, but the taste of Yellow Ginger Rice with Pumpkin Curry was so good that made me wanting it more and more…. Jo's cooking skills are admirable, her lovely smile made us feel warm and truly welcome. Except the delicious food, I enjoyed meeting her family, seeing her grandchildren running around. What a lively picture it was. - Kate Hsu
1. Gado-gado 印尼沙拉: Jo said that this is easy to make it, sliced cucumber, carrot, corn, potato, and sprout.
2. Green Papaya 涼拌青木瓜: Jo said that this is easy to make it, too. Shredded green papaya.
3. Pumpkin Curry soup 南瓜咖哩湯: I never tried before to make soup of pumpkin and curry. I learned and will make it at home.
4. Yellow Ginger Rice 黃薑飯: Jo used the yellow ginger she grew and the citronella to cook rice that provide the delicious color and smell. This will activate our brain from aging dementia.
5. Spicy Rice Noodle 辣米粉: If I am not dementia, I probably did not taste this, as we had too much food on the table already.
6. Rendang Beef 巴東牛肉: We were persuading Jo to make her Rendang Beef and sell by mail order, this is the best main course, no one should miss it.
7. Boneless Chicken 酸果雞: The chicken was sauced with lemon, sugar, soysauce and herb a day before, then roasted before we arrived.
8. Iced Nangka 新鮮婆羅蜜: The fresh dessert made of Nangka with coconut & cocoa juice was really fresh to me.
Plantain (芭蕉), fried shrimp cake (蝦餅) are typical fruit and snack. Frozen grape played a role as ice rock to cool our white wine. No one had such experience before. Nothing is difficult to Jo, the humble and lovely cook who used the plain material but produced variable and colorful tasty food to satisfy our visual, olfactory and gustatory organs. The secret is the heart, the love, and the magic sauce that Jo specially made in the harmony sweet home. Cooking Toastmasters are creative and terrific! Many thanks to Jo, for the Indonesian feast. Whenever there is an empty seat at the dinner table, I would love to be the first one to sit. - Irene Chen
7/23我們黃金女郎接受Jo的盛情邀約到她家享受她為我們所準備的印尼美食. 印尼沙拉, 涼拌青木瓜, 黃薑飯, 巴東牛肉, 酸果雞, 南瓜咖哩湯以及新鮮波羅蜜, 芭蕉, 冰凍葡萄加白酒, 還有蝦餅當點心.可是你知道美食當前但卻不能動筷的鬱卒嗎? 當天我拿了手怕猛擦臉, 姐妹們以為我在擦汗, 其實我是在擦口水啦!哦!對了! 你們再等答案, 是嗎? 因為要作健檢需控制吃食, 否則會影響檢測數據, 那2萬元就白花了. - Linda Tseng
Remarks: I prepared two Indonesian songs for our gathering as follows,
Burung Kakatua The cockatoo
Burung kakatua The cockatoo
hinggap di jendela, Sits on the window sill
nenek sudah tua, My grandmother is already old
giginya tinggal dua. And she only has two teeth!
Letcum, letcum, letcum hu la la la
Letcum, letcum, letcum hu la la la
Letcum, letcum, letcum hu la la la
Letcum, letcum, letcum hu la la la
burung kakatua,
giginya tinggal dua She only has two teeth left
nenek sudah tua Grandma is already old
hinggap di jendela She sits on the window sill
Seperti kakatua! Like the cockatoo!
Letcum, letcum, letcum hu la la la
Letcum, letcum, letcum hu la la la
Letcum, letcum, letcum hu la la la
Letcum, letcum, letcum hu la la la
burung kakatua,
Bengawan Solo Solo, the Mighty River
Bengawan Solo, riwayat mu ini The mighty river Solo, your legend this,
Sedari dulu, jadi perhatian dewi Sari From ages past, you captivated the goddess Sari,
Music kemarau, tak berapa airmu In seasons dry, your water is low,
Di musimhujan air meluap sampai jauh In rainy seasons, the water overflows into the horizon.
Chorus:
Mata airmu dari Solo The spring of Solo
Terkurung gunung seribu Locked in thousands of mountains.
Air mengalir sampai jauh Its water flows intot he distance,
Akhirnya kelaut At last to the sea.
Itu perahu, riwayatnya dulu That boat, legend of the past,
Kaum pedagang selalu of traders always going
Naik itu perahu by that boat.
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