The Fusion Chef

I call him the "Fusion Chef"... errr... actually he's known to be the Chief Nurse... so might as well call him the "Fusion Chef Nurse". Just the title gives one an idea that he's a man of all sorts. No confusion but he's passionate with his profession yet he loves to cook and he's got a weird taste bud that loves to mix food together and discover what tastes good and not, giving grimace a run for his money.

So why am i blogging about this? We share the same passion for food. And i love to see him eat since it wouldn't be good for me to eat as much as he does...

What's interesting about this dish though, as our main lead for today... is you would never guess what comes with that pork. This piece of protein was seasoned in soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, ketchup, pepper, “magic sarap”(pinoy spice) and ham seasoning. I have never mixed fish sauce and soy sauce in my life. But the Chef Nurse did, which makes this a fusion dish. Mixing spices and seasonings is very critical in the kitchen. You have to know what you’re mixing together to make sure your dish won’t end up in the bin. As far as I can remember, 9 out 10 of the fusions the chef nurse did made sense… made good sense. So I am convinced he’s worthy to be given the title. I never have expected that mixing adobo (a famous Filipino dish) and spicy anssung noodles (Korean dish) would taste like a corn dish and turn out to be good. You’d know a dish would taste good if you hear him say “there’s a woah! Factor”

Seriously… fusion may be critical and the end product would really be a risk. But you would never know how it would taste if you won’t take a bold step to take it. In life… here goes the serious part… fusion is not bad at all. Reflecting on this fusion dish, the fusion chef and my life… this has something to do with contradictions. I love contradictions! It is the mixture of good and bad and the coming together of extreme joy and heart-quenching pain. In our life… things are not all that smooth. Even God didn’t promise a life that is smooth-sailing. Our journey is simply learning to cope and finding how to battle through it all. One would never learn that without the right perspective and connection with the Father.

Our God is not only present in the good and happy times… one simply have to learn to discover the beauty of God’s comfort even in pain. This I have to be reminded of everyday. Even in the dark moments of our soul, we can find good things in it. We can feel His healing embrace and His touch that gives us hope. I’m a sucker for pain, crying and dealing with the hard times in my life. I get the most out of them. Not just being emotional or being over-analytical… simply reflecting and seeing that everything that happens in my life, may it be a product of my own bad decisions or something out of my control, it will contribute in how my character is being shaped. All that happens in my life – pain or joy, failures or victories, are weaved into how the Lord wanted me to fulfill my purpose. The key here is daily re-aligning our heart to Him. That we may gently get in through the fusion of it all.

Fusion happens. It is a part of our life. And getting to know the Fusion Chef Nurse made me realize a lot of things. Even getting this close to the fusion chef is amazing. We may live in different planes but somehow there's a common denominator that fuses us. I didn't even realize he's different from the way I thought he'd be hadn't I taken a leap to know him better. He surprises me each day. He may not know it but his fusion-ness is a reminder for me to enjoy life with the Lord no matter what comes… that there is always hope… that there is every reason to say “hooray for today!” Our journey involves taking risks and then being surprised that the end would give us reasons to jump and be happy. Failures may come but there is always another chance. A chef masters his own signature dish if when his first try gives a bad result… there is another chance to eliminate the seasoning or spice he shouldn’t add. The chef simply learns and cooks all over again.

The fusion chef nurse told me that he was surprised the pork turned out good and the skin tasted well as if you’re not eating any of its fat portion. I am simply thankful that we have a good God. That He continually gives us surprises no matter how bleak our days may seem or how risky our steps may be. God is a God of surprises. The key here is connecting our lives to Him. We have to do that everyday… or else, we will be caught up in the fusion of everything that happens in our journey and we end up in confusion. Armed with God’s hand… I would rather be in the fusion of it all. Happy eating!