Food, for me, is not political

You've extensively written about food. How did you get into this space?

- Susan Jung

Susan Jung—a food writer, famously known as the 'fried chicken lady'—speaks with Garima Sadhwani about her latest book Kung Pao & Beyond, and how she started writing about food. Edited excerpts:

I was very lucky. I was working as a pastry chef in Hong Kong, and was offered an office assistant job at the South China Morning Post—answering phones, sending faxes, etc. But I was told I'll have the chance to write and I took it, even though it was a very low salary.

I went from being a pastry chef and a boss to being told what to do. Nevertheless I worked hard, and they saw that. Six months later, they were looking for a new food editor and they asked me if I'd like to take up that position. And I did!

Your book, Kung Pao & Beyond, was quite well received after its release. What drove you to do such a deep-dive into fried chicken?