Toast & Slasher Life In Hong Kong: In Conversation With Nomkakaii

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that Hong Kong’s food is a globally renowned feat of the city. So much so that its culinary treasures have been brought to life through art — enter food illustrator/content creator/graphic designer nomkakaii.

With a portfolio of over 500 drawings of toast showcased to her over 300,000 followers on Instagram, collaborations with top spots such as Vivienne Westwood’s Hong Kong Cafe and a Forbes 30 Under 30 listing under her belt, the 22-year-old’s achievements have captivated cafe-dwellers and artists alike.

Glossing over her unique talent and consistent motivation is often what separates the creatives from non-creatives, where outward perception comes second to the art. Kai explains, “Ultimately, what I do is I draw, and the action never changed. But it’s a perception other people have where they say, ‘you’re an artist because you draw.’ But I’m just drawing, I don’t think about what I am on the outside.” It’s an introspection that juxtaposes Kai’s fun Ghibli-esque takes on breakfast and snack foods, and her eyes-bigger-than-her-stomach outlook on life parallels that of the hungry foodies perusing her artwork.

Kai’s drawings mark specific moments in life — not only her own, but the cafes she visits. For a viewer, her art is an acknowledgement of enjoying time spent in a cafe, hallmarking the IG food pics and the little moments in life. “I like to say that anyone who makes and designs their own toast is an artist in their own way — it’s like your own painting and represents your identity,” says Kai.

Read on as the artist delves into her favourite Hong Kong spots, life as an artist and future goals (plus an impending rap career!) 

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How did it feel to see your work at the Ztory Home exhibition?

I think mostly I was really anxious. I grew up in Hong Kong, a city that can be unsupportive of the arts, so I always feel that pressure. And so the idea was to get big outside [Hong Kong] and then come back. So when I was putting up the exhibition in Hong Kong, I was like, “Is this enough?” Because everything I draw is digital, and I don’t know the scale of things. I printed out all of the toasts, and there was a moment where I kind of removed myself from creation and just saw it as it was, and I think that just made me feel more confident about persisting in something — I’m never going to be betrayed by hard work. That was my first feeling. 

Do you see a lot of improvement from when you first started?

For sure. When I first started, I hated Procreate (editor’s note: a drawing and animation app); that was really the push that got me through. It started from the first drawing, and then it was a seven-day challenge, and then I just kept going.

As I kept drawing, it just got better, and I grew as a person. I met cooking content creators, so I wanted to do something [thematic] like Singaporean food week or Hong Kong flavours. And then it was later on in L.A., I went to Sqirl, and I left a real-life drawing on a napkin to say thanks. And when I was leaving, the waitress was like, “Hey, we’ve seen your drawings, and we just think it’s really sweet what you do.” So it just grew from this thing that I started alone in my dorm room to this thing that became very much an extroverted activity, like a very outward way of interacting with people.

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“People were like, ‘Why are you even drawing toasts?’ I’m like, ‘Because there’s so much to draw!'”

Is there anything specifically that draws you to toast? 

I see toast as a canvas. In different places, people are going to put different toppings on top of it. And I like to say that anyone who makes and designs their own toast is an artist in their own way — it’s like your own painting and represents your identity. Also, during COVID, my mom had an obsession with bread. So when I was a little bit homesick, it made me think of home by drawing toast just because my mom likes it.

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So when you set yourself your own career goals, what does that look like day to day?

Actually, for career goals, I have a Hobonichi journal, which is a Japanese daily planner. On the last few pages, there’s a spread that asks “What are 100 of your goals this year?”And at the start of the year, I started filling in the goals, and I had like maybe 20, but as I went through my experiences, I kept adding to the list. When I put an idea down in the journal, maybe it might not be immediate, but it’s already there, formulating.

It’s brewing, right?

Yeah, and then when I find the best way to express it, I’ll do it. I think my superpower is that I can do things really quickly. Like, the exhibition happened really quickly, and I did my zine in a month. Once I feel that energy and a sudden calling to do it, then I’ll do it.

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“I don’t really have that work-life balance because for me, work is life and life is work, and I just love it.”

Do you have any specific connections to Hong Kong food? 

I think my connection with Chinese food comes more from spending a lot of time in restaurants. When I was younger, I would just go with my parents to their business meetings and sit on the sides, drawing and scribbling away. I don’t like loud places, but drawing keeps me kind of grounded, and blurs away a lot of the noises, so I think that’s where I have the relationship with food places — not necessarily with food directly, but more the memories made in restaurants. 

Do you have any favourite Hong Kong spots? 

I think Ztory Home has become the spot for me because it’s hard for me to find somewhere I can 100% feel like myself, but maybe because I know the people there, I’m biased. But I’ll say this cafe too. (editor’s note: we’re sitting at Tai On Cafe in Yau Ma Tei.) It’s next to the wholesale fruit market, and I love it. I like to just peruse through the fruit market sometimes, and I really like that part of Hong Kong.

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You often describe yourself as a slasher. Does it make you feel a sense of security to have a name for what you do?

I used to get confused about how to introduce myself at events, because if I just say one thing, it’s not very fitting, so I just default to food illustrator, because that’s the most memorable one for a lot of people. You don’t meet a lot of food illustrators in real life, so it always sparks a conversation. I think I tried really hard to find a perfect role for myself, and I realised that I was compromising and sacrificing a lot of things that I was doing, just to fit into a role, and I don’t think it’s a good way forward. So when I found the term slasher, it just relieved a lot of stress for me. 

So, when you think about your future, having all of those options, is that more of a source of anxiety or optimism?

I’m very happy. I’m actually relieved because I recently heard a podcast talking about career depth — it was like a Harvard review thing — and he was talking a little bit about how we attach identity to our careers, and that if we lose our careers, we lose our identity too. Right now, what I want to be is a food illustrator or artist, where that’s what’s most in demand. But if that suddenly fades away, it doesn’t mean that I’m not me, right? And so I think for me it was really relieving, in the sense that I know that I’m going to change and that’s okay. I can also see myself wanting to have different careers, which means that I want to develop myself. In interviews, people ask, “What do you want to do in the future?” And I say, “I want to be a rapper.” And they think I’m joking, but I’m really not. 

Why a rapper?

Partially because what I associate with rappers is this kind of really strong independence and confidence that they have for themselves, and maybe I need more of that certainty that I find in rappers, and that’s why I want to become one. So the way I see careers is that I see it as a current state of myself. 

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Can you share some goals for the future?

I think my obvious goal is that right now, I want to get to 500k followers on Instagram. I think an increased platform can help me leverage for other projects, and I want to see how far I can push with this social media influencer-like path. I’m a food artist, I’m not a beauty content creator, but I find myself in beauty content creator-like situations, and I want to know how I can best utilise this opportunity. Also, I think I want to put out a rap song or a rap feature sometime. 

You share a lot online: K-pop dance covers, personal thoughts and drawings, to name a few. Is that a cathartic process for you? 

When I started on social media, I didn’t have a lot of friends around me who did art or viewed art seriously. So I went on it anonymously, and I wanted to make art friends, and I’ve been able to find that support system for myself, and that’s what’s been keeping me going back. I also don’t like to have too many photos on my camera roll, so instead I post them so I can save storage. That’s my little hack. And the digital journals are also for me to look back at, so I can visually see what I’ve gone through. There are things that I share that might be vulnerable, but that’s just a part of me that I don’t want to lose. Sometimes, I feel the assumptions that people might have already of me, and I feel so boxed in. I want to be able to tell my own story and not have someone dictate what I’m going to be. 

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Do you consider yourself a foodie?

I’m a really plain eater. That’s my scoop for you. [laughs] I’ve been asked, “Do you make toast at home?” I don’t. That’s my passion for the outside. I think if I made it at home, then it defeats the purpose of my enjoying it outside. At home, I just eat very plainly. I like really clean-tasting foods like yoghurt, apples, and that’s why I love the fruit market.