Jamie Bilbow, nicknamed ‘大米’ (literally ‘big rice’), is a British chef and TV producer who has starred in multiple food travel shows. But here’s the twist - he does the shows in Chinese!
My favourite of these shows is Granny Knows Best 《奶奶最懂得》, where Jamie travels through China, discovering hidden gems of delicacy from the best teachers: grannies. Another one is Delicacy Hunter: On the Silk Road《面面大观》, where Jamie discovers food along the Silk Road, from Xi'an to Rome.
As a foodie and language enthusiast, discovering Jamie’s story was delightful. Other than that, however, there’s something else that makes it even more inspiring.
Jamie is an ESF alumnus who graduated from Sha Tin Junior School and Sha Tin College. So, he had the same starting point as all of us here in KGV. It’s inspiring to know that we share our roots with someone successful. Who knows what our fellow classmates can achieve one day?
After studying in the School of Oriental and African Studies in the University of London, he headed off to Beijing, where he started his journey of food as a street vendor. He rode around Beijing on a tricycle, calling out in Chinese and selling hummus and pita to the locals, which was surprisingly popular.
Later on, he started Western cooking lessons, and then starred in his first TV show: The Wandering Chef《天涯厨王》in 2014, which garnered around 27 million viewers.
To me, one of the most interesting things about Jamie is how he managed to combine his interests in food, language and acting to create the successful career he now has. Often, when we’re asked what we want to be when we grow up, the typical answers are usually the traditional jobs: doctor, writer, artist, athlete etc. Rarely will anyone answer with a mix – but what’s wrong with that?
Why just be an artist if you also have an interest in writing? Why not do both? And in Jamie’s case, why just be a chef when he could be a TV producer for food shows, in Chinese, and make a career out of all his interests? This is one of my biggest takeaways from him, and it has really helped me in envisioning a path for my future.
2 years ago, Jamie did an online talk with some ESF students and one of the topics he spoke about was the power of food and language. No matter what culture, what country, or even what time you come from, food will always be present, a fundamental part of life. In that way, food is the first language for all of us, the one thing that transverses through all our lives and connects us all.
A layer deeper than that though, is that food is the bridge between cultures, helping foster understanding between different places. The food that Jamie makes reflects this, as he specialises in East-West fusion food.
Language is another element that makes Jamie’s shows special, since he speaks Chinese very fluently as a Brit. In his talk, Jamie also explained how language is like food, and is, in the same way, a bridge across cultures.
“My main motivation for creating TV is the unique opportunity to bridge different cultures.” - Jamie Bilbow
If you are interested in his food, or want to watch something fun to practice your Chinese, make sure to check out Jamie’s shows here:
Sources:
English Schools Foundation, Mr Jamie Bilbow - ESF Sha Tin Junior School and Sha Tin College Graduate, published: 16 Jun, 2017, https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-alumni-videos/article/2098323/mr-jamie-bilbow-esf-sha-tin
China Story, A British chef in China and his kitchen classroom, (n.d.), https://www.chinastory.cn/ywdbk/english/v1/detail/20190627/1012700000042741561603080313420777_1.html
Lu-Hai Liang, The Other Jamie On A Food Mission: Meet The Chef Teaching People In The East To Love Western Food, published: 03 October 2013 , https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/the-other-jamie-on-a-food-mission-meet-the-chef-teaching-people-in-the-east-to-love-western-food-8857143.html
Jamie Bilbow (Linkedin), https://hk.linkedin.com/in/jamie-bilbow
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