Fans of Cantonese movies will be familiar with Stephen Chow’s body of work, with one of his most iconic films being 1996’s God of Cookery.
But what most might not know is the titular character was inspired by a real person.
Chef Dai Lung, 75, who is known to many as one of Hong Kong’s top four Cantonese cooks, even had a cameo in the film.
In fact, the ‘sorrowful rice’ that made Nancy Sit’s character cry in the film is not the stuff of fiction and is available at one of Chef Dai Lung’s restaurants in Hong Kong.
Even late Casino King Stanley Ho was said to have readily forked out HK$5,000 (S$850) for a portion of another of Dai Lung’s famous dish — the Emperor Fried Rice, which uses a mix of black and white rice and includes crab meat and fish roe.
The famed chef recently made the news for taking part in a cooking competition in Hunan, China.
In clips posted online, Chef Dai Lung was seen frying rice in front of a large crowd.
Interestingly, he wore a golden medal with the words “God of Cookery” emblazoned on it and which some suspect was given to him by Stephen Chow.
However, it seems many Chinese netizens weren’t impressed by what they saw and criticised the celebrated chef online.
“The fried rice doesn’t even look as good as mine,” wrote a user.
One even chastised him for being unsanitary and commented, “Wear a mask, God of Cookery!”
Some even questioned Chef Dai Lung’s purpose for appearing in Hunan.
“Why is the real God of Cookery suddenly performing?” wrote a netizen.
Taste is personal and we think a little respect for the accomplished chef goes a long way.