Ousted MasterChef contestant Khanh Ong addresses judge Jock Zonfrillo’s controversial comment that Asian food ‘doesn’t lend itself to fine dining’
Judge Jock Zonfrillo controversially claimed that Asian food ‘doesn’t lend itself to fine dining’ during Sunday night’s episode of MasterChef: Back to Win.
And on Monday, ousted favourite Khanh Ong addressed the drama on The Project.
Asked if he agreed with what Jock said, Khanh, 27, was very diplomatic – but admitted he disagreed to an extent.
Speaking out: Judge Jock Zonfrillo controversially claimed that Asian food ‘doesn’t lend itself to fine dining’ during Sunday night’s episode of MasterChef: Back to Win. And on Monday, ousted favourite Khanh Ong (pictured) addressed the drama on The Project
‘I think what he’s saying, what we need to take from that, is the word ‘automatic’. And that’s right,’ Khanh said, explaining that he agrees Asian cuisine isn’t ‘automatically’ seen as fine dining.
He went on: ‘With Asian cooking, we do a lot of fine dining. It is a harder push. That’s where I found myself. I was pushing hard to make that dish. ‘
Khanh added with a laugh: ‘I had a bone in mine which wasn’t fine dining!’ before adding that he felt his elimination was a ‘fair cop!’.
Speaking up: Asked if he agreed with what Jock said, Khanh, 27, was very diplomatic – but admitted he disagreed to an extent. Pictured on The Project
Caveat: ‘I think what he’s saying, what we need to take from that, is the word ‘automatic’. And that’s right,’ Khanh said, explaining that Asian cuisine isn’t ‘automatically’ seen as fine dining
He went on: ‘With Asian cooking, we do a lot of fine dining. It is a harder push. I was pushing hard to make that dish. I had a bone in mine which wasn’t fine dining!’
Fan favourite Khanh was eliminated from the competition on Sunday.
The chef was sent home after failing to impress the judges with his quail dish, which had bones left in it.
When given the option to create a fine-dining dish that represented any country, Laura Sharrad and Emilia Jackson chose France, while Khanh went with Vietnam.
Divisive: Khanh decided to stay true to his Vietnamese roots for a fine-dining challenge Sunday
Comments: However Jock, 43, (pictured) said that Asian food ‘doesn’t lend itself to fine dining’
Khanh decided to stay true to his Vietnamese roots for the challenge, but Jock, 43, controversially said that Asian food ‘doesn’t lend itself to fine dining’.
Outraged viewers of Channel 10’s competitive cooking show flocked to Twitter to label the chef’s comments ‘ignorant and highly problematic’ while others called for the ‘Eurocentric definition of fine dining to be dismantled’.
‘I find it highly problematic that on tonight’s MasterChef, Jock thinks that Asian cuisine and ‘fine dining’ are mutually exclusive and the other judges appear to agree,’ one person Tweeted.
Sent packing: Khanh was eliminated from the cooking competition on Sunday. On The Project, he said he felt his elimination was a ‘fair cop!’