(x)clusive!: Go Go with Mr. Paik in Singapore – Of Food, Fun and More Food

Guess who was in town last week to indulge themselves in food, fun and more food? If you are thinking along the lines of EAT. SLEEP. EAT, you are right! The cast of Go Go with Mr. Paik was in Singapore to film the last leg of the three-part food and travel programme. Despite their tight filming schedule, Chef Paik, SHINee’s Onew and DIA’s Chaeyeon took time to have a chat with the media during their last day in Singapore, sharing their thoughts on local food, weight management and more food talk.

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Eat to Live or Live to Eat?

For Onew, it is definitely ‘live to eat’ because of the joy eating brings. And they sure enjoyed themselves as they mentioned that they had the chance to try the famous Singapore chilli and pepper crab, which were the most memorable dishes for Chaeyeon and Onew respectively. Chaeyeon also mentioned that it was also her first time trying lamb steak (양갈비), and it was a dish she really liked as well.

Fans of Onew would definitely know that the idol has an obsession with chicken, and when asked on the chicken dishes he tried in Singapore, he mentioned that Chef Paik cooked chicken this time around – and he ate every single part of the chicken until he was too full to eat anymore. Chef Paik explained that they were originally supposed to cook Singapore’s local delicacy, the Hainanese chicken rice, but as the programme would be shown some time close to Christmas, they decided to go with oven-baked chicken instead.

If the three of them were stuck on a deserted island and had to pick a dish to eat for a week?

Onew went, “Chicken! Any chicken dishes!” Chef Paik said it was rice, and all three of them agreed that meat was a good choice.

Korean VS Singapore cuisine?

Onew personally thinks that there is not much of a difference between Korean and Singaporean cuisine, and feels that as long as there is not too much spices added into the dishes, Koreans can also eat Singaporean food very well. Chef Paik agrees, since rice and noodles are staples for both Koreans and Singaporeans. He added that as long as Koreans and Singaporeans try more of each other’s cuisine via culinary exchange, it can become infused and enjoyable for both.

The idols gained more than 2kg thanks to Chef Paik? (Plus Onew’s diet tips!)

In the first season of Go Go with Mr. Paik in Kudat, Chef Paik expressed his wish for his nephew and niece to gain 2kg during the trip. Was he successful? Not sure, said Chef Paik, as he had no chance to weigh them yet, but Onew mentioned candidly that it was possible to gain more than 2kg.

Considering the fact that both Onew and Chaeyeon are idols, weight management would definitely be of concern. On diet tips, Onew shared that as long as one does exercises that are suitable for himself/herself, pay attention to one’s diet and live a happy and healthy lifestyle, that should be good enough.

Who is a better cook, Onew or Chaeyeon?

When one thinks about Chef Paik, one association would be simplicity. Chef Paik explained that he did not purposely brand himself as one who cooks simple dishes: “There are a lot of people who are good in cooking. However, I hope to give confidence to those who are afraid to cook and those who have given up on cooking, and show them that cooking is not as difficult as they thought it would be.”

Between Onew and Chaeyeon, who has a higher potential to be a good cook? Chef Paik chose Onew without hesitation, explaining that in order to cook well, one needs to have a good sense of taste, and Onew possesses this quality. Of course, not forgetting that Onew is really good at expressing the taste of food well too, he added.

Despite his busy schedule, Onew shared that he cooks once every two weeks and that his best dish is seaweed soup (미역국). As for Chaeyeon, she confessed that she does not cook at home. For Chef Paik, he cooks at home everyday and seldom buys from restaurants. On his best dish, he joked that he is good in everything – but if he had to pick one, it would be steamed dishes, noodles or bibimguksu (비빔국수). Onew even quipped a confident “Banmian (板面)! Dry!”, showing his knowledge of the Singapore local hawker food.

So did Onew and Chaeyeon pick up any culinary skills from their uncle during their trips? For Onew, he learnt to cook according to his taste and to cook with confidence.

First Impressions

With both the ‘nephew’ and ‘niece’ coming from idol groups, Chaeyeon’s first impression of Onew was that of someone whom she saw on television, like seeing a celebrity. As Onew is Chaeyeon’s senior in the music industry, she felt it was difficult to approach him at first, but Onew took good care of her really well and slowly, she got comfortable and opened up to him as well. Chef Paik added that Onew is very humorous and even though it was awkward initially between the cast, he created a really good atmosphere with his funny jokes.

“If you can understand Korean, he (Onew) is really funny.”
– Chef Paik

Should Onew and Chaeyeon have the opportunity to bring a member of their respective groups along, Onew said that he would choose Taemin as he eats well. Chaeyeon chose Yebin, as they are close friends.

Go Go With Mr. Paik in Singapore is the finale of the three-part programme, Go Go With Mr. Paik, jointly produced by tvN Korea and tvN Asia. Well-known as a food heaven, offering diverse and distinct cuisine to suit different palate, our little isle was thus chosen as one of the filming locations for the programme. Viewers will be able to discover the richness of Singapore’s gastronomic culture, which was influenced by its strong multi-cultural heritage, as well as innovative concepts which reflect contemporary Singapore via this programme as well.

The 2016 Finale of Chef Paik Jong-won’s overseas project – Go Go With Mr. Paik in Singapore is supported by the Singapore Tourism Board and will premiere in Asia-Pacific on 19 December 2016 (Monday) at 1030PM (SGT). Singapore viewers can catch the programme via Starhub TV CH824 or Singtel TV CH518.

This article is brought to you by tvN. tvN, where fun takes off!

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