Wednesday, May 1, 2013

TATTOO BOOSTER: When we started interviewing people on ‘creativity...

TATTOO BOOSTER: When we started interviewing people on ‘creativity...: When we started interviewing people on ‘creativity and tattoos’ we assumed a correlation: dare to be different. However, for Stefan Ro...

When we started interviewing people on ‘creativity and tattoos’ we assumed a correlation: dare to be different.

However, for Stefan Robertsson, a very innovative and renowned Chef living in Stockholm Sweden, it’s more about lifestyle:
 There is no direct correlation between my job as a chef and my tattoos. The only similarity would be that I am somewhat of a food rebel while cooking, and kind of feel the same when it comes to getting tattoos. Today tattoos are very common, but in Sweden, more than 20 years ago, not so much. As you see I have a lot of body-art; and I’m not done! I’m not designing my tattoos. I do however inspire and give lots of input to the motifs I want on my body. And of course trust my (very experienced) tattoo artist to come with ideas and suggestions.

chef Stefan Robertsson

I had my first tattoo 1991. It was a Tarantella spider, placed on one of my upper arms. The most recent was just a few weeks ago, in April 2013 made with a new technique I never tried before.

Related to creativity? None of my tattoos are related to my working profession, even though I have thought about it many times. There aren't any specific motifs in the gastronomy that would be suitable or interesting.

P.A.& Co kitchen with Stefan Robertsson and team

Your tattoos are done by a variety of tattoo artists, most recently in Thailand in the Sak Yant style; these tattoos are blessed for good life, love, health, money, so I assume this is important to you. If so, do you bless your food while cooking and does this attract a special kind of customer?

Sak Yant

 I have worked with 8 different tattoo artists, like Doc Forest, also from Stockholm. Jimmy Wong introduced me to the ‘Sak Yant’ tattoos. Thai monks Paeo Sen and Paan from the Wat Ban Phra temple in SinBuri did amazing tattoos. My interest for Sak Yant (see below) aspire from my love and admiration of Thai tattoos and Buddha. To be honest, I never thought I would do as many tattoos as I have done.

Sak Yant, also known as Yantra tattoo are believed to be magic and bestow protection, good  luck or mystical powers. It is a form of tattooing practiced in Southeast Asian countries. Sak means "to tap [tattoo]", and Yant is Thai for the Sanskrit word yantra. Sak yant designs are normally tattooed by wicha (magic) practitioners and as in my case by Buddhist monks, traditionally done using a long bamboo stick sharpened into a point (‘mai sak’) or a long metal spike (‘khem sak’).

Many times I have an idea about what type of Sak Yant tattoo I want to do, like the tiger, crocodile, and 8 path road, but most times I leave it in the hands of the monks. My most recent choice was 3 pigs in Sak Yant style that symbolize fortune and happiness. I like what Monk Paeo said many times when he pointed to my Swedish tattoos
" This is for beautiful" and then pointed at the Sakyant and said " This is for power and good luck".
It seems as the Sak Yant technique appeal to Thai people that are Buddhists, and to foreigners who like tattoos and Buddha. There is a deep faith within the Thai people and the magic power that are charged in the tattoos. I have experienced it myself, the raw animal power that surface in people that have the Sakyant tattoos, and especially during mantra sessions with the monks.




Body-art is forever, a meal not so much -although the memory can last a lifetime; when are you satisfied with your creations? 

For me, gastronomy and tattoos are two completely separate things. I do not apply the same thinking or approach to tattoos as when I cook. However, there may be similarities I haven't thought of yet. I like simple tattoos and I like simple good quality cooking. That is the philosophy of my life: keep it simple.

My philosophy as a chef, is that the core ingredients is what matters, and I am simply the vehicle to bring out the flavors and qualities. I work to combine them with a variety of flavors to elevate them to new heights. I want to give the food as much love as I possibly can, and admire certain elements, like for example cloudberries, native to Scandinavia. Each time I see them it hits me what amazing things they are, all the goodness that comes from Mother Earth. And then I add a little cream, sugar and vanilla beans from Tahiti, to ‘caress’ the berries.
What an amazing thing, all those things that grows on our planet. They are all huge gifts to humanity.

I always listen to my guests at the restaurant. They come to us with high expectations to experience food with clarity and simplicity, not a lot of fussy stuff. As chef I want to serve the best food that I possibly can. Unfortunately, the Swedish regulations for locally grown produce and meats are very strict, which results in a very high price, and only enable high end luxury restaurants to work with these ingredients.

So it’s lifestyle, not creativity for Stefan. What do you think: maybe nowadays is having a tattoo lifestyle and selecting the design and where you put it related to creativity? And for those who have never heard of cloudberries, here’s a pic:


cloudberries