I usually do not have the patience for Netflix shows, except for those about food, for instances, Street Food, Chef’s Table, and Ugly Delicious. I watch these shows not because of the food, but the stories about the chefs.

A great chef began his journey as an enthusiast who puts everything he learned into their dishes. But sooner or later, he found out he was merely living up to predecessors’ standards, and there would be no joy nor freedom. Cooking then grew tiresome, dismal. The Sisyphean tasks wore him out. He wanted to keep going but had to give up. He tried to forget everything they learn about cooking and to stay away from kitchens. But once he stopped creating dishes, the urge to create subconsciously breathe new life into the tired self. Then one day, under the break of dawn, his foggy minds cleared, and the creative energy surged. Eureka! He emerged, renewed. Each of his original recipes is more refined than the past one. The more masterpieces he creates, the more confident he becomes.

A chef becomes a master as he breaks through the traditional boundaries. He explores and establishes his unique approach to culinary arts. Foods bearing his signature are no longer identified as any particular style of cuisine. Everything the chef learned from other masters in the past became abstract impressions. His execution appears to be so effortless as if cooking is his second nature. There is no more sign of influence from the predecessors. The food he makes is not only more than delicious but also surprisingly, magically, delightful.

The new generation of master chefs takes culinary art to a different dimension. Traditional cuisine evolved through the ages and eventually became a rich corpus of techniques and know-how. In the old days, only rich people could afford to eat well, and they were mostly conservative who wanted to remain in the comfort zone. They did not bother if the culinary culture would keep creating and reinventing itself.

As society becomes more affluent, you do not have to be very wealthy to enjoy fine dining. Foodies nowadays are young, well-educated and cultured, and always looking for pleasant surprises. While their parents’ generation might dine out once every few weeks, young foodies eat in different restaurants almost every night. Every meal is a curious experience, and only creative chefs can satisfy their desire for novelty.

Chefs and painters are alike; they are always practicing and innovating. Chefs never cease in the search for interesting ingredients, original flavors profile, and compositions. Chefs must therefore be great artisans who mastered and refined the techniques. French cuisine, arguably, is the most sophisticated style. It is no wonder why so many young aspiring chefs spent their formative time in France. Unfortunately, many of them fail at first after they return to their own countries. France has a distinctive culinary culture. French cuisine is elaborate, yet its framework is unbearably restrictive. Once you learned French cooking, you are spellbound by its approach. You can never get away from it. However, if the food you make is not something you fancy about, it does not matter if you make the best out of your cooking skill. Food without personality is uninspiring. Uninspiring food, uninspiring paintings or pictures, are all the same; they lack the soul that makes them exceptional. It is not only the techniques that make a dish great; the more important is the urge to create the most outstanding masterpieces.

Master chefs will go to any lengths, from using the best technique for the most seasonal ingredients to growing the vegetable, raring the finest swine for the best cut, etc. Each step is a novelty on its own. Their food is more than just extraordinary; they are statements on what the chefs believe is best. The act of creativity is to rebel against established forms.

Restaurants are chefs’ laboratory and the homes of endless culinary innovation. Every time a chef surprises his patrons by challenging their conventional taste and culture, he is taking a risk deviating from the tradition. But only through taking risks there can be pleasant surprises for every one of us. People who love food are never afraid of taking the risk; we are always excited to be the first to witness the becoming of the new cuisine. We do not want to miss the only chance for the food to make its first impression. We want to have a taste of the food before it becomes commonplace. These encounters may be fleeting, but the experience transcendent.

“A dish can never be better than its produce. That is the difference between good and fantastic. You would be surprised at how many chefs cannot see that difference,” said Magnus Nilsson. I am flabbergasted when I heard this statement on what distinguishes a true master of the art from just a skillful artisan. If one does not know how to appreciate fantasy, there is no way he can be genuinely creative. It is futile to be creative for the sake of being creative. Each creative pursuit has a life on its own; it starts with a vague idea, a feeling, and then it is materialized and improved through iterations.

Life is also a series of never-ending experimentation through which we reveal our most authentic selves. We undertake meaningful challenges so we can understand ourselves better. We relentlessly create so we can find the peace inside.

“But why do we go through all these troubles if we are looking for something inside ourselves?” No, there is no shortcut to our soul, and we must go through all the troubles of creation to reach the deepest of our hearts. It is the experimentations we find out who we are. Every moment counts. We must pay attention to each delicate detail so that the efforts will not be wasted. It is the difference between being good and being fantastic.

The principles of mastering culinary arts and running successful businesses are the same: you must understand, appreciate, and refine the art. Techniques are undoubtedly essential. But if you do not possess the refinement, you are just a craftsman instead of a master. Your character frames how you see the world. How you see the world defines your values. Your values are the basis of your appreciation and refinement.

Some people want to look glamourous. They spend money on dresses. Money can always make someone looks like an overdecorated Christmas tree, but that does not necessarily mean stylish. When I was young, I acquainted with a fashion agent, Bobby To, and his female friend Vivian Poon. The duo could always put on something casually but fabulously. I never knew anyone who can look so charming yet so naturally like this duo.

Perhaps there is something in us that we are born with and cannot be learned later in life. It may be an innate ability to tell if something is fantastic from being merely good. “What if I can tell the difference but cannot create something fantastic?” No, it doesn’t work that way. If you are not create something fantastic, it means you cannot tell the difference. Some people pretend they know how to be great, but they are not. They may know how to do maths or make the most out of what they have, but these people are never fantastic.

A fantastic mentor inspires, while a good teacher only tells you the right things. A good boss knows how to do makes the figure meets, but he cannot put together an amazing team to create fantastic products. No matter if it is your boss or your mentor, your life will be much better off if he is a fantastic one. They are more confident in what they do, much easier to get along with, and you can learn much more from them. It is, of course, not only about how great the teachers are. How devoted the students also make a difference. You must commit yourself unreservedly to the creative process, or you will end up wasting your time and effort. Once you have dedicated yourself to the creation, the creation will be part of you. Yes, to create is to give yourself away. Each creative pursuit is a revelation of truth and the sharing of your true self with others.

If you want to be an artist, a cook, you must first ask yourself, “Do I have the appreciation and refinement it takes to create something fantastic?” You cannot even run a wanton noodles shop properly if you do not appreciate the differences between just being good and being exceptionally great. Some cooks might have worked in the kitchen for years, but they cannot tell what makes a wanton noodles bowl great. Some cooks learned a few tricks over the years, and they see themselves as grandmasters of culinary art. But how can someone with such dull senses on food claim themselves the chef grandmasters, the god of culinary art? Who they pretend to be is not who they truly are. They are merely repeating what others have been doing over the years. Their food may be good enough, but they are never inspiring artistic creation. Grandmaster must be fantastic artists. It is a shame for cooks who do not know art is to claim themselves master chefs. Perhaps they may find it perfectly fine to be boastful, but I feel sorry for them.

(Jimmy Lai is the founder of Next Digital, which publishes the Apple Daily and Next Magazine in Hong Kong and Taiwan.)

Editor’s note: the article was penned before the author’s detainment.

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