Can you share a little bit about
yourself?
I am Pragalathan Ganesan
from India state of Tamil Nadu, everyone calls me Prapa, and I am 34
year old. I got married 4 years ago and have
a daughter who is now 2.5 years old. Both my wife and daughter are back home in
India and I miss them very much.
What were you doing before joining Huber’s?
Before joining Huber’s, I was a South
Indian cuisine chef working for the Taj group of hotels and Operoi Trident
hotels.
Why did you decide to be a butcher?
I had an interest in butchering since my
college days. After I completed my degree in hotel management, I didn’t get
chance to work in the butchery so I became a chef for 10 years. When I saw this
opportunity to become a butcher, I was delighted and applied for the job right
away after discussing with my family as this meant I have to leave home to work
in Singapore.
What do you do when you are not working?
• Cooking
• Jogging
• Catching
up on social media
• Shopping
and entertainment
What is an interesting thing about your
job that a lot of people might not know?
You can actually use the knife and slice
meat in a skilful way to prepare shabu-shabu, this requires a lot of practice.
Once you perfect this technique, it makes slicing quick and result in nice
presentation.
What is the most memorable experience
you’ve had working in Huber’s factory as a butcher?
1.
What
I found most memorable was attending the Chinese New Year celebration organised
by the company as we did not have this in India. It was something new and I had
a great time getting to know my colleagues and bond with my Huber’s family.
2.
I
remembered the day I got promoted to senior supervisor position too. I felt
really excited and happy that my efforts are being recognised, this motivated
me to strive for better work.
3.
Lastly,
I recalled when I received my first bonus in this company – this was a first
for me as in the past I have never received any form of bonus at work and this
made me feel appreciated for my hard work.
What is one Huber’s product you would
recommend to family and friends?
Chicken cordon bleu with turkey ham
(because my family and friends can't eat pork and beef).
What do you miss most about your hometown?
I really miss my family and friends very much,
especially my 2.5
year old daughter. Also a
year ago, my father passed away. He was my pillar of support and no one can
replace his position. I really really miss
him too.
Whenever I miss my family, the best way to
see and communicate with my family now is via video calls only. It saddens me
as I can’t physically be there to watch my daughter grow and participate in her
daily activities and I wish to be able to travel home to visit my family soon.
What is a dish you like to prepare and is
proud of? Can you share your recipe with us?
I like to prepare “Thalappakatti Biriyani”,
a traditional South Indian Tamil Nadu dish. The biriyani is made with seeraga samba rice
with grains very tiny resembling cumin seeds (called seeragam /
jeera in
Tamil) where they get their name from. This rice has a very distinct taste,
fluffs up well when cooked and South Indian Biryanis are made with it. I don’t
have a recipe because I always cook by memory but here’s a recipe I
found that is very close to a good Thalappakatti Biriyani
– https://www.kannammacooks.com/tamilnadu-thalappakatti-biriyani/ .
