Chopsticks or Fork?
Every country town in Australia has a Chinese restaurant – comedian and food enthusiast Jennifer Wong is on a mission to meet the people behind the wok, to find out what makes their food both Australian and Chinese.
“In rural Australia, the Chinese restaurant has long held a special significance, whether as the first culinary experience to fragrantly suggest another culture to locals or a far-flung destination for proprietors, chefs and their families.
It’s a crossroads – with sweet and sour pork and Mongolian lamb. With a love of good food and bad puns, comedian Jennifer Wong enthusiastically visits a different regional Chinese restaurant in each of these six quarter-hour episodes, gently revealing tradition, quirks, and how cooking can help maintain a community.
Some of these restaurants are now third-generation ventures, making them sturdy links in the lengthy Chinese diaspora in colonial Australia, and Wong distinguishes variants such as Chinese-Malaysian menus alongside the point where local habits meet Chinese history, while referencing plenty of sizzling hero-dish shots.
The tone is definitely sweet, not sour, with a glowing Wong being presented with deep-fried ice-cream and declaring, “I’m like an eight-year-old again!”
She’s not the only one.”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 7 June 2021
It’s a crossroads – with sweet and sour pork and Mongolian lamb. With a love of good food and bad puns, comedian Jennifer Wong enthusiastically visits a different regional Chinese restaurant in each of these six quarter-hour episodes, gently revealing tradition, quirks, and how cooking can help maintain a community.
Some of these restaurants are now third-generation ventures, making them sturdy links in the lengthy Chinese diaspora in colonial Australia, and Wong distinguishes variants such as Chinese-Malaysian menus alongside the point where local habits meet Chinese history, while referencing plenty of sizzling hero-dish shots.
The tone is definitely sweet, not sour, with a glowing Wong being presented with deep-fried ice-cream and declaring, “I’m like an eight-year-old again!”
She’s not the only one.”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 7 June 2021
Chopsticks or Fork? is directed by Lin Jie Kong.
Read more about Chopsticks or Fork? in The South China Morning Post.
Read more about Chopsticks or Fork? in The South China Morning Post.
How to watch Chopsticks or Fork?
In Australia?
Watch the show on ABC iview, also available with Chinese subtitles
Overseas?
Watch the show on the ABC Australia iview app, which can be downloaded on Google Play or on the App store. Overseas viewers can also watch the show on the ABC Australia TV channel.
The Special Comedy Comedy Special at OzAsia Festival in Adelaide!
Her Majesty’s Theatre – Saturday 30 October, 7.30pm
Featuring:
- Dilruk Jayasinha
- Jennifer Wong as MC
- Jason Chong
- Nicholas Huntley
- The Coconuts
- The Golden Phung
- Kehau Jackson
- and new live music outfit Trio Sepia
Looking for an MC or speaker? Get in touch now.
"It was a pleasure to work with Jennifer, and her playful professionalism gave our team the energy and motivation we needed to design and successfully execute our vision. She also managed our VIP speakers, which included an ex-Prime Minister and senior diplomats, with respect and poise. The event was a resounding success.
