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First Look: Eric Khoo & HBO Order In Some Asian Cuisines-Inspired Food Lore

This time, it’s… wok.

Filmmaker Eric Khoo has two obsessions: horror and food. Last year, the Mee Pok Man director and HBO teamed up on Folklore, a six-part anthology based on popular superstitions and myths in Asia.

This year, Khoo and the cabler are joining forces on Food Lore, an eight-part hour-long series that, according to the press release, “explores human conditions with narratives inspired by Asian cuisines”.

“Because we’re doing an anthology series, I wanted to involve e a lot of auteur filmmakers who have a passion for food,” said Khoo in March when the show was first announced at the Hongkong Filmart. The series was shot in eight countries — The Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, and Malaysia.

“What I really felt was important for the series was the diversity of Asian food and different cultures,” said Khoo, who’s no stranger to telling food stories (Ramen Teh, Recipe). “From day one, I had to have all the episodes to have mother tongue — it had to be the language of their country. That’s when you really get the flavour of it.”

Besides being the showrunner, Khoo also directed one of the episodes, 'Tamarind', a love story between a French female chef (Valentine Payen) and a Malay hawker (Apprentice's Fir Rahman) who sells mee siam, which happens to be a favourite dish of Khoo's.

The other stories to look out for are Vietnam’s ‘He Serves Fish, She Eats Flower’ and the Philippines’ ‘ Island of Dreams’ — they will make their world debut at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festive on Oct 30 and 31, respectively.

Another episode, India’s ‘A Plate of Moon’, will premiere at the Singapore International Film Festival on Nov 24. This is the first time an HBO Asia Original will be presented in either festival.

Food Lore premieres Nov 3, HBO (Singtel TV Ch 420 & StarHub Ch 601), 10pm; and
HBO Go. Here’s a rundown of what to expect…
1 of 8 ‘Island of Dreams’ (the Philippines); directed by Erik Matti


Starring Angeli Bayani, John Marvin C Nieto

After a stint in Manila, a domestic helper returns to her hometown where she finds a way to reconnect with her estranged family at an annual fiesta.

Premieres: Nov 3

  • 2 of 8 ‘He Serves Fish, She Eats Flower’ (Vietnam); directed by Phan Dang Di


    Starring Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh, Lanh Thanh

    A Ho Chi Minh City-based chef charms a gorgeous stewardess with a special tofu dessert, but soon realises that they are incompatible.

    Premieres: Nov 10

  • 3 of 8 ‘Maria’s Secret Recipe’ (Indonesia); directed by Billy Christian


    Starring: Putri Ayudya, Alexandra Gottardo, Dian Sidik

    A mysterious woman arrives on the shores of a small village and sets up a food stall. The men are seduced by her cooking and beauty, much to their wives’ dismay.

    Premieres: Nov 17

  • 4 of 8 ‘A Plate of Moon’ (India); directed by Don Aravind


    Starring Magalakshmi D/O Sudarsanan, Jaivant Viknesh N, A Panneeirchelvam

    A domestic helper from India is hired to look after an elderly man in Singapore suffering from Alzheimer’s. They bond over love, memories, and, of course, food.

    Premieres: Nov 24

  • 5 of 8 ‘The Caterer’ (Thailand); directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang


    Starring Thanyarat Praditthaen, Thomas Burton van Blarcom, Marisa Kittelberger

    An American actor working on a horror film in Thailand is introduced to the local cuisines by the production caterer.

    Premieres: Dec 1

  • 6 of 8 ‘Tamarind’ (Singapore); directed by Eric Khoo


    Starring Fir Rahman, Valentine Payen, Dayang Nurbalqis

    A French chef based in Singapore teams up with a mee siam hawker to create a new fusion dish — and falls in love with him in the process.

    Premieres: Dec 10


  • 7 of 8 ‘Life in a Box’ (Japan); directed by Takumi Saitoh


    Starring Ken Yasuda, Asuka Kawatoko, Akihisa Mera

    Four strangers — an author, a widower and his teenage daughter, and a retired wrestler — cross paths during a quiet train ride away from Tokyo. Guess what they have in common?

    Premieres: Dec 15

  • 8 of 8 ‘Stray Dogs’ (Malaysia); directed by Ho Yuhang

    Starring Wilson Tin, Fabian Loo

    An ambitious young KL businessman hopes to start a restaurant franchise with a respected but grumpy chef who has top secret sambal recipe.

    Premieres: Dec 22

    Photos: HBO

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