Macquarie Lodge Retirement Village - Allen Kung's Fried Rice
“A true friend is the most important ingredient in the recipe of life,” Macquarie Lodge Retirement Village (“Macquarie Lodge RV”) resident, Allen Kung says. Allen and his wife have been living at Macquarie Lodge RV since 2017 and he reflects that the move was a no-brainer. “As we get older, we want to have tranquillity and no pressure, no maintenance, or things like that. For me, I was sick of cutting the lawns or calling the plumbers or the electricians,” he says. Beyond this, Allen had great faith in Macquarie Lodge RV’s connection to the Army. “The Salvation Army, as far as I’m concerned, is a benevolent society; taking care of people, particularly elderly.” Allen cites this as a compelling reason for he and his wife’s to move to Macquarie Lodge RV.
Allen’s life has been an interesting journey, first beginning in China. “I lived in China in a very isolated village that had no modern facilities such as running water, flushing toilet and shower and gas, electricity – nothing. Primarily we worked on a farm, and everything was done manually,” says Allen. Moving to Australia in 1954, Allen quickly had to adjust to a new culture and language. “I was seventeen,” he explains. “It’s not easy to learn a second language. Even now, I still don’t think I’m a master of the English or Aussie language.” When considering the reason for the move, Allen notes: “I think the main purpose to come here is to look for a better life and Australia provided that.”
Much of Allen’s life and career, has been influenced by his love of cooking. When he was just a seventeen-year-old teenager in high school, Allen had his first experience with retail and hospitality – little did he know, this would be the tip of the iceberg in his culinary career. “I went to work with my father at the fruit shop,” he states. “Going to the market, strangely my father found that I was a very good communicator with people and that I had the flair of serving customers, so he found that I have that sociable quality and that’s why eventually I finished up in retail and fast-food.”
His first solo adventure in the culinary world was working and owning a fish and chip shop. Over the years, Allen and his wife expanded their businesses across Sydney, owning takeaway shops across Leichardt Market, East Lakes, Brighton Le Sands and in the Sutherland Shire – just to name a few. Allen still loves cooking in his retirement, noting he is always experimenting in the kitchen. “If I go to a restaurant, I’m not worried about what I eat but how they cook it. That’s how I learn everything. I come home and experiment,” he explains. But if there’s one dish he’s most well-known for at Macquarie Lodge RV, it’s his special fried rice recipe. When asked what his secret tip was, Allen kindly shared: “I think that the hero is fluffy rice!”
