Artistic appreciation of another artist.

This is a blog about art, so this entry should fit quite well with the rest of the fare. My wife and I went to a restaurant recently that is quite spoken of online in food reviews and blogs from just about every imaginable angle. The restaurant is "Checkers" in Damansara Heights. After coming home from there, I just wanted to read some of what is online about the place as I found the experience absolutely extraordinary.

I noticed right away that many of the bloggers had labeled Mr Tan, the owner, as being "quite eccentric". I believe it was Robert Frost who said that "Eccentricity is simply passion that runs so deep and true that it is simply unfathomable to anyone other than he whose every action is testament to it". Within moments of our arrival, having briefly been introduced to Mr Tan, I realized the truth in Frost's words.

When I go to a restaurant, I do not go to have my ego stroked or my backside kissed. I go to enjoy the wonders that good food can bestow upon my palate. Seeing the passion in Mr Tan had my taste buds threatening to mutiny and drag me into the kitchen, tongue first! When the food arrived, we were not disappointed, though I must say there was some severe physical pain involved in the experience. The idea of leaving there once we were finished wrenched at every corner of my body and being.

In other posts here, I have noted what I consider to be the definition of art. Art is those things which temporarily take you out of your own realm of perceptions, and allow you to experience something through the sensory faculties and perceptions of the artist who created it. Art imparts upon the observer the passion, the desire, the emotion of the artist who created it. Given that definition, I cannot help but define the food we had as art, and the man responsible for that food as an artist worthy of the company of Picasso, Rembrandt, Beethoven, and Michelangelo.

We asked what he recommended rather than ordering from the menu, though I have no doubt that whatever we had ordered would have sated our palates, bodies and minds to the same euphoric degree. Mr Tan recommended a pizza for starters, a salad and Jamaican jerk chicken. In the interest of allowing the readers of this post time to sleep before having to head out for their days tomorrow, suffice it to say that the pizza was absolutely and without a doubt the best I have ever had. It could not have been more perfect. The crust just the right thickness to compliment the sauce and toppings, the sauce hand-spiced with oregano and other savory flavors that blossomed upon the tongue as they engaged tastes from the cheeses and other toppings in an intricately choreographed dance on the palate... Oh, how I could go on!

Next up was the salad, a blend of greens and carrot strips, jicama and other tantalizing goodies that grouped themselves together on the plate like the work of a fine architect. Every curve, every line, every color and texture the epitome of absolute vegetable bliss. The balsamic dressing just barely there, bringing out the flavors and textures of the vegetables rather than trying to hide them. In a single-worded description: Stunning! Of course, I now realize that the salad being served between the pizza and the chicken was actually a tactical manoeuver. It cleared the palate as well as a good wine, whilst leaving it's own wonderful mark upon my memory.

The jerked chicken. I say it, and just as I typed it here, I need to add a final punctuation if for no other reason than to allow me a monent to catch my breath. The Jerked Chicken. Fantastically moist in a way that complimented the -VERY Jamaican- spice rub, just a bit salty, very savory, and absolutely perfect with the smoky essence added from grilling rather than baking. Perfection, I think, in jerked chicken, is chicken rubbed just so with Jamaican Rub spices so that the skin assails the palate momentarily, and the only-lightly seasoned meat slowly blends in, calming the storm on the taste buds from a tropical gale to a light mist dangling in the air on a warm day. Only after one has swallowed the mouthful of goodness does he realize how casually the transition from storm to calm occurred; that realization simply adding to the magic of the experience.

If you prefer ego-stroking, flirting wait staff, pictures of old rock and roll icons on the walls and dividers between the booths topped with tropical plants, and food made to directions from a book, then by all means, enjoy yourself at any of the many many chain restaurants around KL. If you're less concerned about the "ambiance" and more into eating a custom culinary creation of symphonic resonance, Checkers is where you want to be tonight!

Seating is a bit limited and reservations are a great idea even on the slowest of weeknights, but think of it like this; for once you'll be calling to make reservations because the food is worth the effort rather than because the restaurant feels entitled to it due to the "status" of being seen there. Enjoy, and keep art flowing free, wherever you are!

You can reach Checkers at 03 2095 3304
Their address is:
19 Lorong Setiabistari 2
50490 Kuala Lumpur

and so everyone can find them, click here -------->    http://maps.google.com.my/maps/place?rls=com.microsoft:en-us&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=checkers+restaurant+in+kuala+lumpur&fb=1&gl=my&hq=checkers+restaurant&hnear=Kuala+Lumpur,+Federal+Territory+of+Kuala+Lumpur&cid=10448993651687675769

　

"Why?" vs "Why not!"

EK:

Boy, it has been about three weeks or so since we've updated the blog.  There have been bunches of projects and events and people keeping us busy, occupied and out of trouble, for which I cannot complain. So while the backlog of stories to share with readers here slowly pile up, we continue
designing, drawing, tattooing and after work, do anything but get back onto the computer to do more work. There will be more pictures to share with the accompanying story, and while my camera hand is noticeably shy (and lazy and forgetful), they will get told!

Some people think long and hard to get their one and only.  (as an aside, very seldom does it end up being the only one... anyone who's had a tattoo knows exactly how addictive they are). Others get it just because. Both reasons are perfectly valid, completely acceptable and totally something I do

respect.

Trust me when I say that I will not keep my mouth shut when I get a request that has got potential to change someone's life for the worse (like the dreaded mistake of tattooing someone's name on your body who could be your ex one day). People might not like to hear the little "don't do this" speech, but hey, it's

better to be silently thanked in the future than cursed soundly and repeatedly in the near future.

But back to topic: speaking of reasons to get a tattoo... well, there are really so many, right?  Sometimes, to represent a phase. Or a passing phase. Sometimes to represent a loved one, or even the person wearing it itself. Sometimes to show belief, or respect, or tribute.  And sometimes, just because it's a nice looking piece and the client would like to wear it.

Two examples of these were done recently, both on the same area of the clients' bodies.  I got a call from Clement, who works downtown, who wanted a lotus flower on the back of her shoulder. A keen Buddhist, the lotus was an apt summing up of her religious beliefs. She had wanted to know the price off the phone, and ended up coming for a consultation.

Clement's lotus, freshly done

A careful lady, Clement asked many questions -- the pain factor, the healing process, the preparation and the entire experience. I appreciate that, for one, because it showed that she wanted to understand what she wanted from the get-go and would leave no stone unturned.  One question that did strike me was that she wondered if she was past the age to get ink. No, I told her, nobody is too old, only too young (if you're below 18). The oldest woman I've tattooed, in fact, was in her early 70s in Augusta. It was her second one, and she thought it was a total hoot to get ink again -- and we had a blast doing it.

More significantly, she said she was doing this as a gesture for herself instead of always doing something for the people in her life -- an affirmation and appreciation for who she is, I suppose. She didn't want it too big, she just wanted something small, nothing flashy, but simple and classic to
remind her of her beliefs. We decided on what to do, and at the end of the week, she came together with two eagerly-curious daughters and one niece in tow (for moral support, I think).

There was a little bit of nervousness over the first few seconds prior to the insertion of the tattoo needles, but she was awfully surprised and how little it hurt when it finally did go in. From someone who was scared of the pain, it was a far cry to have this lady calm and totally relaxed in the chair while the outline went in. When we did the shading and the soft shades of pink in the flower, not only did she comment on how much less she felt the needles but that it didn't even hurt. Really a nice compliment!

By the time we were done, she was running on a good load of endorphins and smiling. As for me, I had fun myself as I'm also a fellow Buddhist and a firm believer in karma, who tries to navigate through the semantically murky religious texts. We exchanged information on rituals, approaches, where to worship and (unsurprisingly) where to eat nearby. She called me a week later after, to let me know that the healing was going well, and she looks at her lotus often, with a smile.

On the other spectrum of "why I need this tattoo", we had another group of clients come visit one weekend, and while they were shuffling through the flash and looking at designs, one of them, Ah Heng, picked up a sheet that had elf faces -- and one that I've been wanting
to do for a while.

"You like this one, huh?" I asked him, trying to fish for a reason.
"Yeah, I do," he said, proferring the rationale: "I like it."  And that was it.

Well, you couldn't fault that, or fault him.  It was an enigmatic face, slightly preternatural, not conventionally pretty but quite haunting. It was the look in the eyes, which you could read a thousand ways. Was she hurt, or sensitive, or seductive? Was she reflective or to create an illusion?

She had fair hair, a tiara and Randy suggested colouring the eyes to give it an accent of light and iridescence.
"Would you like a natural look or the faerie look?" I asked him.
"Half and half," he said.  (not a man of many words, Ah Heng)
"Um.  What colour in the eyes would you like?"
"I don't know."
(and after looking at our colours of ink).... "How about blue or green... clean tones, nothing muddy?"
"Blue."  (silently, I was plumping for green, but oh well)
"Light blue, teal blue, medium blue or....?"
"Medium."  okay.

And so it was on. Style-wise it was completely different than the lotus, with watery blood lines, and grey shades to give texture and depth. But unlike a lot of grey-heavy pieces, we opted to go a little more stark and light in the shading, to give the eyes a more effective 'lilt', if you know what I'm talking about.  The thing about pieces without a bold outline is that the result is never apparent, or even half-apparent.... you only get to see it emerge slowly under the tattoo machine when the differing shades come out.

Unlike Clement's tattoo experience, Ah Heng and I didn't really exchange a word  throughout the entire tattoo.  When it was done, he stood before the mirror.  He just stood there, staring at it for a long time and not saying a word.  At least, until I asked him if he wanted to get bandaged so he could put his shirt back on.

Ah Heng went home happy, yup. He called me a couple of days ago, saying he was coming by for another tattoo. Sometimes, though, I wonder, just like Clement, how many times he looks at his ink in the mirror. Just like how she does with her lotus.