Commercial VS Artisan

Hello Peeps,




Finally Ice Cream Societe is up and running!! 


I know it has taken more than 6 months of planning -> organising -> setting up -> at the end of the day the shop looks extremely good and the flavors for ice cream & sorbets are perfect!!




Yet what mind boggles me so far is that how little food knowledge people have towards the food they put into their mouth.


So this brings me in putting some "frustration" of mine into here especially when people are comparing us as ARTISANS to COMMERCIAL GIANTS


What is artisan and what is commercial? 


Artisan:
- handmade everything by using raw ingredients
- they have their own techniques & method
- they KNOW the raw ingredients very well
- the raw ingredients are usually organic & in high quality
- the amount of products they can come up with is very limited due to the long time consumption of making everything on their own
- attention to details is very crucial to them because they are solely responsible for the outcome of the products
- they DO NOT USE CHEMICALS (the food tend to have a very short period of shelf life)
- Pricing should be higher than the commercial giants (HOWEVER THIS IS NEVER THE CASE!)




Commercial:
- they manufacture all their food in a factory using heavy machinery
- they use the lowest quality of ingredients to increase their net profits
- there is no attention to details
- they can produce a huge amount of products to cater to their suppliers need
- then it would sit in the suppliers display fridge or freezer for the entire year if the product is not produced in the country.
- to do so, they have to put heaps of chemicals into their food (eg. stabilizer, bleached flour, dough softener, bread improver, dough colorings, liquid chemical food essence,  powdered food flavourings, saturated fat, cornstarch, high amounts of sugar etc.) 
Don't believe me, go to your pantry and check on the some of the food that you've just purchased especially on bread, ice cream and cookies.
- Surprisingly, people are WILLING TO PAY NO MATTER HOW MUCH IS IT BECAUSE OF THE BRAND and not wanting to question and know what has been put into their food.






I studied at Le Cordon Bleu (world- reknown culinary art school in the world and worked in varies hospitality establishments) and Ben (who has been working in the Food & Beverage industry for years), we are just appalled and surprise by the way people react to something that is actually better for their health. Paying a little bit more for the well-being of one health seems to not matter anymore. As long as its a franchised brand name they've bought it from, then that's the best one can find in the world. All I can say is that is DAMN STUPID! Stop using advertisements and brands to choose what to eat because these commercial giants are interested in profit margins and not your health and well-being. You are provided with senses so use them!! Smell with your nose, listen with your ears (eg. how the bread crust sounds like when you press it), feast with your taste bud (texture- how it sits on your tongue, taste- identify what is in it, balanced and harmonious flavors). Eyes are always the one that deceive you from trying something new. 

If you need some help, watch RATATOUILLE ;)

Cheers, MelXx

What does INSPIRATION mean to you?

Inspiration plays such an important role in one's life.. If u're not inspired, u wouldn't be happy with the current situation u r in... I know it's easier said than done due to one's living environment circumstances.. However, take a step back from everything n think.. u only live once!!


  Live life n Live it BIG!!



According to the dictionary n I quote Inspiration means:
(a) A divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul
(b) The divine quality of the writings or words of a person so influenced

We r surrounded by so many people and things that can give u a positive and a negative influence.. Hence in saying that, by taking the positive influence, of course u'll turn out to be a better person, mentally, physically n spiritually..


As from my experience, my family and friends provided me the biggest inspiration I can ever have in my life.. Without them, I wouldn't be standing here n "preaching" about it :P

Taking the risk,  flying all the way from Australia to come back to SP, Malaysia, I was quite skeptical whether I would be able to adapt the culture and lifestyle once more. I still remember him telling me :" Babe, u've got me here with u.. What more can go wrong?? We have each other and that's all it matters.. Come what may and we can deal with all the obstacles.." From then on, he inspired me to continue the plan of opening up the Patisserie.. Even though there were ups and downs, he picks me up and lead me through the fog until the sun shines again.. A partner, companion, true friend or spouse should be able to inspire u with their words.. U don't need a page long of words.. A single sentence is so much more powerful n can change someone's mindset in a blink of an eye!! 



As for someone who inspired me through creativity is my best friend, Chen, who is currently living in Melbourne.. We have been friends since high school n were not separable until we each went our way in Australia.. Her photography skills speak for itself.. Her artwork reflects what she is seeing through those camera lenses.. They r mesmerizing, artful n yet they r telling me what emotion she was going through at the moment when she captured them.. 


Scenery of Melbourne (Sunset)- This makes me miss Australia so much!! The peace n quiet after the peak hour traffic when everyone has gone home..


Countryside Sunrise


Breeze blowing gently

City life

Peaceful Side of Japan


Serene & Peace

Abandoned Train Tracks

Her Recent Production (A woman's body- Contemporary Dancing Movement)
Look it as an art form, not something prerogative











Movements (Martial Arts- Wushu)













INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE















Well... U can find inspirations in any form and they're endless.. I cant keep writing what inspires me.. U might fall asleep at the end of it...



However, this is what I would love for u to do... 
(i) go to a quiet place- no interruptions from human n noise
(ii) deep thoughts- r u happy or not happy with the current situation u r in? y or y not? 
(iii) what or who would inspire u to continue and to change the current situation?
(iv) write it all down on a piece of paper
(v) stick it on a wall, table, ceiling, toilet bowl etc (a place that u'll be spending most of ur time at)
(vi) keep reminding urself everything is possible, only u r the obstacle of stopping u from doing things that u want to do!!!



Share ur story with me if u like :)






Cheers,


Melody Xx

Guessing Game

Hello my dearies!! 

Another entry another day...

I just can't imagine a writer's life.. They would have to crunch their brains to get the juicy bit, trickling bit by bit and sometimes I guess their fingers are not fast enough to keep up with their brains!! Toughie*

Anyway, this entry might actually excites people who loves our food. People who understands food for its quality (not the size n quantity) n have an open mind to try different things. 

NOTE: we don't want people who says they love food n acts like their a food critic but when we questioned them further, they went ga ga n just ran out the shop!! 

No no no no... Honey, if u ain't pro, don't act like u're one!!

So yes if u like to participate and help us to shape the flavor of our next shop, u r welcome to register by telling us u want to join on our fkp's fb wall. U have to include how many people u're bringing as well because we can only cater a number of people. 

Title of Gatherings: 

FREE FOOD TASTINGS & DISCUSSIONS

Date: 

 19th AUGUST 2011 (FRIDAY)

Time: 

8.30pm - 9.15pm

Maximum Participants:

20 people (RSVP to our FB wall)

CLUES of what u'll be tasting:

 
Beautiful Berries... Aren't they refreshing?

Who doesn't love a good old peanut butter?

ignore the coke can... we just want the v...

did i hear someone mentioning chocolate?? uh...???

                                concentrate on only pistache

I SCREAM, U SCREAM,   

WE ALL SCREAM FOR ........

ICE CREAM!!!!!!

Fantasizing Our Wedding Day

Yup, I know it has been ages since I've written anything on our FKP blog. N after a period of time, the first blog I'm going to write about is our Wedding~

Lol...


Guys *sighing* "seriously, do u have to share this with everyone?"

Girls " DUH!!! It's a good reference for us in the future"

Advice to the guys: u might want to leave ur gfs for a moment so she can devour her time entirely reading this :)


At the moment, I am not only concentrating on both our current shop and our upcoming shop, I still need to organise our wedding reception and ceremony.

As u all know, Ben comes from Australia and I was born here in Malaysia. So we have to combine both culture together and make it a balance and pleasing wedding for both parties. 



So here's a jumble of everything that are going through my mind :) Got to put them in before I forget




Dessert Table for Guests ( I want it so badly but it's still up to Ben whether he wants to work hard for our wedding!! Finger's Crossed) *Oh, if u know someone who is interested with having a dessert table, we can provide them that service ;)  SEEK & U will FIND!!!


* The condition is that we will not accept any last minute orderings (2 months prior to the day u need it)

Reception Area (I want something a bit different from the norm. Since my house has a very big garden to fit everyone and absolutely anyone, we're trying to turn it into something like the followings. It's cosy, it's warm, it's friendly and definitely it represents us BIG TIME!! Normally, when u go to a wedding, u tend to not remember much of it. What we wanted to create is a memory of us to u because u're special to us!!!) We will be having a huge lift by JUST BECAUSE, an event planner co in PG. To Audrey, Ishuet, Shane: Better make sure it's good!! pressures on!! Jokes ;)



Photography (We are no models. Hence, we want the pictures to be as natural and real as possible. Obviously, having FUN whilst doing it is very important too. It creates an unforgettable memory when both parties grow old together, reminisce and laugh at them in the future) 



Wedding Gift (we're incorporating many things that we like and turn them into gifts. For example, we love mini coopers. My dad n his friends are collectors of them as well. So we might be using them as our wedding cars. Hence, u got the keys, mini cooper tags etc. Apart from that, we like our guests to have fun with us. So a moustache and a big lips in pictures might look good too ;) )

   

We would love to hear u!! The more, the better, the merrier :) Tell us if u're going through the same process or even is planning ahead... we might be quite helpful to each other ;) I mean u never know who has what connections for vendor, stationary, florists etc

Cheers,

Melody XOXO