An award-winning chef with an international reputation opened a French restaurant in Singapore in 2010. It was a huge success, earning two Michelin stars and getting named on a list of the world's fifty best restaurants. After eight fruitful years, to widespread astonishment, he closed it down, handed back the Michelin stars, and moved elsewhere. It was a bold and risky decision, so why did he do it? To find the answer, we needed to look at the life and career of Andre Chiang, who was born in Taiwan in 1976.
一位具有國際聲望的得獎主廚 2010 年在新加坡開了一間法國餐廳。這間餐廳非常成功，贏得了米其林兩星也名列全球 50 家最佳餐廳之中。經過成果豐碩的八年，令眾人驚訝的是，他把餐廳關了，將米其林星還回去，並搬到了別處。這是個大膽又冒險的決定，所以他為什麼這樣做呢？為了找到答案，我們必須一探江振誠的人生和事業，他出生於 1976 年的台灣。
At Restaurant ANDRÉ, as the Singapore place was called, Chiang's mission had been to interpret French cuisine in a new and deeply personal way. To do so, he called on his years of experience of cooking in Paris, where he had arrived at the age of 21, unable to speak the language but with a powerful dream in his heart. By the time Andre went to France, he had already had several years of experience at his mother's restaurant in Japan. Andre was determined to expand his horizons and learn what made French cuisine so special. In the process, he spent seventeen years in the country, honing his skills and knowledge at some of the nation's top restaurants.
在 Restaurant ANDRE，也就是這間新加坡餐廳的名字，江振誠的使命在於用嶄新和獨特的個人方式來詮釋法國料理。為了達成這個使命，他運用了他在巴黎烹飪多年的經驗，當時他已經來到了 21 歲，無法說法文但心中懷有一個遠大的夢想。到江振誠去法國時，他已經在他母親在日本的餐廳有了幾年的經驗。江振誠決心要擴展他的視野並學習是什麼讓法國料理如此獨特。過程中，他在法國待了 17 年，在好幾家國內的頂級餐廳磨練他的技巧和知識。
After leaving France, Chiang worked in several other countries before finding himself drawn back to Asia. Setting up Restaurant ANDRÉ gave him an opportunity to take his talents in a new direction. He developed an approach to cooking that he calls his "octaphilosophy." The term refers to eight elements that come together to form the basis of every new dish Chiang creates. He calls them "pure, salt, artisan, south, texture, unique, memory and terroir," and each has its own special meaning. Pure, for example, means presenting the dish without seasoning, allowing all the items on the plate to naturally complement each other.
離開法國之後，江振誠在發現自己被吸引回亞洲前又在其他幾個國家工作過。開設 Restaurant ANDRE 給了他一個機會讓他朝新的方向展現自己的才能。他發展出一套烹飪方法，叫做「八角哲學」。這個詞指的是八種元素，它們合起來構成了江振誠所創造每道新菜的基礎。他稱它們為「純粹、鹽、工藝、南法、質、獨特、憶與風土」，每一個元素都有它特別的意義。純粹，舉例來說，是指不加調味料就呈現菜餚，讓盤子上所有的東西都能自然地互補。
While the closure of Restaurant ANDRÉ took many in the restaurant trade by surprise, Chiang knew exactly what he was doing. Having reached the peak of achievement with the place, he felt it was time to move on. "Every creation has its moment of perfection," he said. "Provided that you're completely satisfied with it, then you're not going to touch it anymore." In other words, Restaurant ANDRÉ was as good as it could possibly become, and now he needed a new challenge. It was one that brought him back to the land of his birth.
雖然 Restaurant ANDRE 的關閉讓許多餐廳業者感到驚訝，但江振誠完全知道自己在做什麼。在這間餐廳抵達了人生成就的巔峰，他認為該是前進的時候了。「每一個創作都有完美的一刻，」他說。「如果你非常滿意這個作品，那你將再也不能夠突破了。」換言之，Restaurant ANDRE 已經達到完美境界了，現在他需要新的挑戰。就是這個挑戰把他帶回了他的出生地。
In fact, Chiang had already opened a restaurant in Taipei in 2014. Called RAW, it has given him yet another opportunity with which he can challenge himself while also exploring his own cultural identity as well as reinterpreting the flavors of Taiwanese cuisine. In line with his philosophy of always striving for perfection, RAW is dedicated to providing the best that Taiwan can offer. On its ever-changing menu, you will only find dishes made with the freshest, locally sourced produce used.
事實上，2014 年江振誠已經在台北開了一家餐廳。稱作 RAW，這家餐廳給了他另一個機會，讓他能夠藉此挑戰自我，同時也能探索自己的文化認同以及重新詮釋台灣菜餚的風味。與他總是追求完美的哲學一致，RAW 這家餐廳致力於提供台灣最棒的味道。在它不斷推陳出新的菜單上，你只會發現用當地最新鮮的食材做出的菜餚。
Most importantly, whatever Andre Chiang decides to do next, he says that the way he thinks, works, and creates will not change. He firmly believes that every restaurant and every chef should have their own identity, and will succeed as long as they never stand still or rest on what they have already achieved. Summing up his opinions about cooking, Chiang once recalled a moment of clarity that came during his time in France. "I realized that restaurants aren't factories," he said. "They're places of self-expression, places where you take inspiration and turn it into food." These are clearly the words of a man who does what he loves and loves what he does.
最重要的是，不管江振誠下一步決定要做什麼，他說他思考的、工作的和創造的方式將不會改變。他深信每間餐廳和每個主廚都應該要有自己的特色，只要他們永遠不停下腳步、不安於現狀，就一定會成功。總結自己對於烹飪的想法，江振誠回想起自己在法國的時候，曾經有一瞬間恍然大悟。「我了解餐廳並不是工廠，」他說。「餐廳是能夠讓你表達自我的地方，是你取得靈感，並將靈感化作食物的地方。」這些顯然就是一個做著喜愛事物，且愛著所做事物的人會說的話。
- chef [ʃɛf] n.
大廚，主廚
My cousin Fred works as a chef at a top international restaurant in the city. - reputation [͵rɛpjəˋteʃən] n.
名聲，聲望
Oliver has a reputation for being mischievous, so be careful around him. - fruitful [ˋfrutfəl] adj.
有成效的
It has been a fruitful year for our company, and sales have risen by 35 percent. - widespread [ˋwaɪd͵sprɛd] adj.
遍及的，廣泛的
The typhoon caused widespread damage in the south-eastern region of Taiwan. - risky [ˋrɪskɪ] adj.
有風險的
Mr. Daniel didn't invest any money in the plan because he thought it was too risky. - risk [rɪsk] n.
風險
Hiking alone in these mountains is taking an unnecessary risk in my opinion. - career [kəˋrɪr] n.
職業生涯
Howard is retiring after a forty-year career in the entertainment industry. - mission [ˋmɪʃən] n.
任務，使命
The TV chef says his mission is to introduce the people of his country to new and exciting kinds of food. - interpret [ɪnˋtɝprɪt] v.
理解，詮釋
This artist is special because she interprets her subjects in such interesting ways. - interpretation [ɪn͵tɝprɪˋteʃən] n.
理解，詮釋
I think John's interpretation of the situation is wrong, and he has completely misunderstood it. - cuisine [kwɪˋzin] n.
料理，烹飪
We tasted some wonderful French cuisine during our trip to Paris. - expand [ɪkˋspænd] v.
拓展，擴大
Mike hired some extra staff while he was trying to expand his business. - expansion [ɪkˋspænʃən] n.
拓展，擴大
The expansion of the empire ended when its main army was defeated in a great battle. - horizon [həˋraɪzn] n.
視野；地平線
Traveling is a great way to broaden your horizons, but you need to plan your trips carefully.
I looked out to sea through the telescope and saw a ship on the distant horizon. - horizontal [͵hɑrəˋzɑnt!] adj.
水平的
The horizontal line on the chart shows the months of the last sales year. - element [ˋɛləmənt] n.
要素，部分
Every element of Alice's report was interesting and important. - pure [pjʊr] adj.
純的，不攙雜的
The water in this mountain stream is pure, cold, and refreshing. - purify [ˋpjʊrə͵faɪ] v.
淨化，使純淨
The liquid passes through this tank, where it is purified and toxic chemicals are removed. - purity [ˋpjʊrətɪ] n.
純淨，純粹
In Germany, beer is made under very strict purity laws. - texture [ˋtɛkstʃɚ] n.
質地，口感
The cake has a wonderful texture and seems to melt in the mouth. - seasoning [ˋsiznɪŋ] n.
調味料
In Portugal, asking for seasoning such as salt and pepper may be considered an insult to the chef's cooking skills. - complement [ˋkɑmpləmənt] v.
補足，使完善
This necklace will complement your dress very well, and you'll look terrific. - complement [ˋkɑmpləmənt] n.
補充物
The flowers in the center of the table serve as a complement to the beautiful jewelry on display. - closure [ˋkloʒɚ] n.
停業，關閉
The store seemed quite popular, and people were astonished by its closure. - trade [tred] n.
行業
Mr. Santini made a lot of money from the olive oil trade in Italy. - trade [tred] v.
交換
None of us can believe that Brian traded his beautiful motorbike for that old car. - peak [pik] n.
巔峰，最高點
Julia reached the peak of her career when she was made CEO of the company. - identity [aɪˋdɛntətɪ] n.
特性，身分
Alex takes his work very seriously and considers it part of his identity. - flavor [ˋflevɚ] n.
味道，風味
Mrs. Lee was pleased when her guests remarked on the delicious flavor of her soup. - ever-changing [ˋɛvɚ tʃendʒɪŋ] adj.
日新月異的
We live in an ever-changing world, and there is always something new to learn. - firmly [ˋfɝmlɪ] adv.
堅決地，堅定地
When he complained about the meal, Dad spoke firmly but politely to the restaurant manager. - firm [fɝm] adj.
堅決的，堅定的
I have a firm belief that I will become a doctor someday. - clarity [ˋklærətɪ] n.
清楚明白
We are always grateful to our teacher for the clarity and accuracy of her explanations. - clarify [ˋklærə͵faɪ] v.
Could you please clarify what you mean by that statement? - call on
憑藉，依靠
The weightlifter called on all his strength to break the world record. - set up
設立，建造
Some of my classmates have set up a new Facebook group. - take...by surprise
使驚訝，使措手不及
The kids hid behind the sofa so that they could take their father by surprise when he came home. - provided that
如果，倘若
I'll come with you on Saturday provided that my mom gives me some money. - in line with
按照
In line with the company's regulations, all employees can receive a permit for the parking lot outside. - sum up
總結
The teacher asked me to sum up the contents of the article she gave us to read.
