Twinkle By Wenlan

This month’s Twinkle Spotlight is on one of my favorite artists, also considered one of the finest artists of our time, Tehching Hsieh.

I had heard of Tehching Hsieh when I was a sixth grader in Taiwan. His unique art takes shape in year long performances, synchronizing life with art: in Cage Piece, Hsieh explores a year of solitary confinement while locked in a cage; Outdoor Piece portrays life without shelter; and Jump Piece resulted in two broken ankles. Despite the fact that I viewed his art footage years later, the passion and mystery with which he creates reaches and inspires me on infinite levels.

I am very honored to have him answer a few questions to share with you all.

Wenlan: What was on your mind when you decided to jump boat and stay in New York?

Tehching: I was 23 years old, and at that time it was not easy for Taiwanese to get visas to come to America. It was very clear that I had to take action, to enter the USA illegally, to New York - the art center of the world - to progress my art. I was trained as a sailor for 3 months, worked on an oil tanker for 2 months, jumped ship in Philadelphia on July 13, 1974, and lived in New York as an illegal immigrant until I was granted amnesty in 1988.

W: What would you do if you were not an artist and why?

T: I decided to be an artist at about 17-18 years old and started my self-revolution then; the ordeal I experienced in my life didn’t change my path. I couldn’t think what I could do except for art. Now I don’t do art any more; I’m doing life and passing time; it is the same with or without the form of art. What I have is freethinking.

W: Which artist do you admire the most?

T: Sisyphus.

W: What do you think about the recent trend of the collaborative between artist and designer?

T: Interdisciplinary collaboration is interesting, but I cannot talk about something I don’t know much about.

W: What has recently inspired you?

T: I think my time after 2000 as extra time in my life; in this way I can think freely. I like to do things that are motivated by my pondering life and can respond to the questions I ask myself.

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Click here to read TehChing Hsieh’s bio

I have been a fan of Galen Zamarra, the chef/owner of Mas (farmhouse). This understated Greenwich Village restaurant is one of the New York’s treasures. It’s my pleasure to have him as my first guest of Twinkle Spotlight to share his idea of cooking and ingredients with us all. - Wenlan
Wenlan: What do you enjoy the most about cooking?

Galen: I get very excited about food, in its raw, natural state. I like everything about the textures, colors and smells of food. So as a chef I want to somehow take those inherent natural qualities of food, and (hopefully) improve upon them, either by some technique or flavor combination for example. So my cooking is always simple, so I don’t lose those natural qualities. It is both the challenge in doing that, and the imagining of the taste of the food in my mind while it is being prepared that I love best. Also, I love to give people the simple pleasure of a meal prepared well. Eating isn’t only something we like to do. We HAVE to do it. So often it is overlooked, or done in haste and not enjoyed. Some people don’t know how to cook, which to me is like not knowing how to swim. So having the ability to give someone that simple pleasure is a lot of the reason I became a chef.

W: MAS changes menu daily as you believe the freshest ingredient is the key to good food. What do you suggest the best ingredient for August?

G: August in New York is when the local farmers are hitting their stride. My two favorite foods this time of year are Corn and Tomatoes.  Corn loses sugar from the moment it is picked. So buying it straight from the farmer is the best way to insure the most flavor. Tomatoes are best when grown in the field, as opposed to a greenhouse. So August is when those tomatoes start to appear. Both seasons are so short, and I spend the rest of the year missing them.

W: Do you get inspired by traveling and try to cook with local ingredient? If so, what’s your most recent creation with a local ingredient?

G: When I am traveling, food is always the number one thing on my mind. I love the opportunity to try new restaurants and cuisines. Also, even though we live in New York and there is every cuisine and ingredient available, it isn’t the same as when you are in that country. Like Italy for example, Italian restaurants just aren’t the same in New York as they are in Italy. I think the culture of food has such an impact on the actual experience of eating it, and that is something you just can’t bring.
We went to Maine last summer, and I got to participate in a big Lobster Bake. It was a lot of fun and very community oriented. The kids gathered mussels from the rocks. The ladies got ready the potatoes and corn and gathered the seaweed. The guys made the fire, got the lobsters from the water and built the entire thing. It took all afternoon. It was a lesson in culture and cooking. Lately I have been thinking about how to recreate that experience in the restaurant, and cooking with seaweed etc.

W: I assume you love wine, but what’s your favorite beer?

G: I happen to love beer, and beer with food. I am very excited to be a part of Craft Beer Week in September, and will have some beer events at the restaurant for it. At Mas we don’t push our beer program much, as we would rather people have wine, but that is just the concept of the restaurant. I grew up in Northern California, which is as much Beer Country as it is Wine Country. I spent a lot of time in brew pubs and drinking craft beers. Anchor Steam has a special place in my heart because I grew up drinking it. For myself, I love Porters, especially with oysters. I also love Six Point Brewery in Brooklyn.

W: You wanted to be a chef when you were very young. Is there any other professions you can see yourself at were you not a chef? And why?

G: If I was at all good at it, I wish I could be a Yankee. But I was destined to be a baseball fan, not a player. As a kid, I was also in love with the ocean, and considered Marine Science. I spent most of my youth at or in the ocean. I am fascinated with it and aquatic life. If I could study Killer Whales it would be a dream come true. But ultimately cooking is where I headed.

W: Will you publish a cookbook? If so, what approach the book will have for home cooking?

G: I will publish a cookbook, but I just haven’t had the time. I have a few ideas for them. Since I have had kids recently I realized how important proper food for children is. So I would like to write a cookbook about that. My other “more serious” book I won’t go into detail with but it involves seasonal cooking of local ingredients, just like what we serve at Mas. Hopefully it will inspire people to buy local and eat seasonally. I am less interested in teaching people how to cook, as I am to teaching them how to buy and eat sustainably. When you go to the grocery store, even Whole Foods, there is one aisle of fresh foods, and twenty aisles of produced/packaged foods. We need to be brought back to nature, not just for the environment, but for our own health. We are just finding out how horrible all the food is for us. People need to cook at home again, and cook real food, not processed food.
Mas(farmhouse)
Downing Street New York, NY 10014
tel:212.255.1790
Galen’s Bio
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The day has finally come. It’s the last show in Bryant Park and we’re backstage preparing to ensure everything is ready by 6:00pm. As models slowly trickle in, one by one over a span of hours, we check them in and move them through hair, makeup, and nails as quickly as possible. Suddenly it’s 5:50pm and we still have five girls that need their makeup done. They’re calling first looks and all the other models are already changing. Will we finish in time? Will we make it? As these questions run through my head, the girls are already done and putting on their first ensemble. Someone calls out to clear the area of all non models and stylists. That’s my cue…time to fight for a good spot to stand so I can see the show. The lights go out. Then, the spotlight hits the stage and the music starts. As I start to feel the music, the first model hits the runway. The show flashes before my eyes as all the models walk out onto the runway to do their final walk. Everyone starts clapping uncontrollably, and I know the show was a success. It feels great to be a part of all the excitement

Model getting final touch up!

This is my second experience attending a fashion show during my internship at Twinkle by Wenlan. It has been a fantastic experience for me and has allowed me to understand more aspects of the industry. I am especially glad to have been able to join in both fashion shows during New York Fashion Week. These allowed me to participate in different events that featured both the Spring and Fall collections. This year’s work differs from my previous experience in that I am currently working to invite the Chinese-language press to our show. It is the first time Twinkle by Wenlan has reached out to the media from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. Because of Wenlan’s Taiwanese background, many Chinese media are especially interested in her personal experience, the story of how she struggled to make it in New York, in addition to Twinkle’s line of apparel. Working with Chinese media has been enjoyable, and the media outlets have been friendly and responded favorably. Hopefully, this media campaign will result in more people in Asia knowing about Twinkle by Wenlan and fall in love with the designer and her products – as I have.

Wenlan interviewed by International Press

Fall 2010 was my first experience on the ‘other’ side of the runway during Fashion Week. Before the show, I wasn’t too sure what to expect and came in a bit apprehensive. Backstage at Twinkle’s Fall 2010 Fashion Show was probably one of the craziest places I’ve ever been. It’s organized chaos; models are popping in and out, press are backstage snapping pictures and trying to get interviews and there is a constant stream of people in and out offering their best wishes and getting the backstage scoop on the show. Wenlan’s dog, Milan, was also backstage checking out the action!

My first task was checking in on the models backstage and making sure that we knew where they were at all times. Watching models backstage is similar to babysitting- they’re always running out to smoke a cigarette, rotating around the make up and hair stations; you have to keep an eagle eye on 26 girls! I was a little panicked at first because some of the models were running late from an earlier show. Eventually, they all wafted in from their various earlier jobs and got settled into hair and make up and my heart rate slowed down!

Then it was time for the show to start. I was backstage with Wenlan and the Assistant Director helping make sure that the girls were in the right order. The run-of-show is very specific and is deliberated over for a long time before, so it’s important that it’s right! If not, the program is wrong and the looks don’t tell the right story. Since girls are changing into one or two more looks, it’s a constant, heart pounding process of making sure they’re in the right order. I barely got to watch the show as I was so busy making sure that the girls were lined up correctly and we had everyone!

Finally, after the last girl walked out onto the runway for the finale, I could catch my breath and my hands stopped shaking. And I loved every second of it!

By: Stephanie

30 mins before the show starts!

The fashion industry is known for its obsession with thinness and its accompanying estranged relationship with eating.  However, we at Twinkle have a different fixation concerning food, specifically sweets.  Granted, we try to eat healthily (doesn’t everyone?).  BUT. Who can resist those tempting oatmeal chocolate chip cookies sitting in the middle of the office?  Or that cupcake topped off with illegally delicious strawberry frosting?  Or that chocolate covered donut filled with some sort of mysterious custard cream?  Certainly not us!  And really, it would be quite rude to ignore sweets completely and just let them sit there.  Our parents raised us with better manners than that.

A box of Crumbs cupcake which we finished in a second the other day!
picture courtesy of crumbs bakeshop. http://www.crumbs.com/

We all know the flowers and trees are at least thinking of blooming… or we hope they are! But while there may still be snow on the ground and a nip in the air, we can escape into something deliciously tropical with this easy as cake Pineapple Crisp!

Ingredients:

1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple
1 (20 oz) can pineapple tidbits
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Heat your oven to 350*.
2. Drain both cans of pineapple and spread them evenly on the bottom of a 9×9 pan.
3. Combine sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and egg until smooth. Use your hand to evenly sprinkle the mixture over the pineapple.
4. Pour the melted butter or margarine on top and sprinkle with cinnamon.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Serve it hot or cold.
6. Enjoy!

Who’s the lucky one?

There’s nothing wrong with a conventional Valentine’s Day gift. No, really! Different from birthdays and anniversaries, which are personal milestones, Valentine’s Day is a national celebration of your love. But how do you personalize the serenade of your heart strings and not just make Valentine’s another date night?? Pull out a pen and paper – old fashioned: yes; romantic: definitely! –, reach into the crevices of your heart for some poetic inspiration and let the love flow! Here is a list of poetry styles that may help you get the creative process in motion:

Acrostic – reminiscent of grade school art projects, who says you out-grow acrostic poems? Write your sweetheart’s name vertically and begin each horizontal line with each consecutive letter from his name.

Haiku – minimal in form and words, but deep in meaning, haikus are constructed of three lines: the first line contains five syllables, the second contains seven syllables and the third ends with also five syllables.

Lantern – based on the shape of a traditional Chinese lantern, you can choose whichever shape has meaning for you. Write a poem with the words laid out in a way that creates a specific shape.

Shakespearian Sonnet – don’t let the name intimidate you! A Shakespearian sonnet contains three verses and one couplet; the rhyme scheme is abab/ cdcd/ efef/ gg. No need to be lofty – love is a simple message!

Free Verse – choose your own rhythm, don’t get caught up on rhymes and let your pen be a messenger of all that’s in your heart!

Madeleine.

There is no better way to express your feelings to someone than a homemade dish. Don’t know how to cook? It’s ok! Try this easy Guacamole recipe for a delicious and colorful Valentine!

Ingredients
•    3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
•    1 lime, juiced
•    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
•    1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
•    1/2 teaspoon cayenne
•    1/2 medium onion, diced
•    2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
•    1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
•    1 clove garlic, minced
Directions
In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Lastly, put the tomato dices on top of the mix and make it a hear shape then serve.
Original Recipe by Alton Brown @www.foodnetwork.com