The fertile imagination of percussion teacher and chef Eddie Ming can always be relied on to host an event with a difference, and "An Evening in Asia'' in his Rhythm Lab at the St. George's Community Centre complex on October 21 promises to be no exception.

The entertainment will include a tai chi demonstration by Darran Dowling to the accompaniment of cymbals and huge gongs from Wy Hang, China, played by Mr.

Ming, accompanied by Stanford Jackson on percussion.

Bermudian Nikia Webb will present a modern dance programme entitled `Black Talk'.

Five young Bermudian percussionists will also solo: Aquil Clark (age six), Bryson Doers (age seven), Blaine Simmons (age six), Dazhon Johnston (age ten) and Stefan Furbert (age 16).

"The programme is about excitement,'' Mr. Ming explains of the event.

As the guests watch, they will be served baked spring rolls and julienne of fresh carrots, prepared by Mr. Ming.

A practising vegetarian, following the entertainment his guests will enjoy a vegetarian Chinese buffet, which he promises will be unforgettably delicious.

"There is more to vegetarianism than eating salads,'' the master musician and chef assures. "The buffet will include `an introduction to tofu,' which is called the meat of Asia.

It is made from soy beans, which is the only bean containing all of the essential amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks for the body.

People who go vegetarian always worry about whether they will have enough protein, so the name tofu comes up.'' If, in its original form in the supermarkets -- where some say it looks like white rubber -- tofu looks less than appetising, such is its versatility that Mr. Ming says his guests will be in for a taste surprise.

"I can promise them that they will think they are eating chicken,'' he says.

Other dishes on the "Evening in Asia'' menu have such tantalising names as Thai heaven and cashew nut medallion. He will also be serving "for the first time in Bermuda'' hibiscus-apple iced tea and other unusual drinks.

Adding authenticity to the occasion will be the dec mor, which will include special Chinese banners with English translations, and other items especially purchased in Chinatown, New York. A large soup crock will finally be used after ten years of waiting for just such an occasion.

As if all of that was not enough, the chef will also sell such delights to take home as tofu and butternut squash burgers, apple-almond-walnut-sesame crumble, and such sugar and egg-free treats as zucchini, pumpkin and carrot muffins; pineapple coconut and carob cakes, and home-packed mixes of sunflower seeds and fruit.

While admission to Saturday's event is free and open to all, guests will be asked to make a donation towards the cost of the food and the next event: the annual "Drumyard'' at the same location on November 11.

While Mr. Ming has enjoyed a long and successful professional career as a drummer, and now devotes his time to teaching both at his Rhythm Lab and also at the Jackson School of Music (private lessons only), his interest in cooking goes back to his childhood.

In fact, one could even say it is in his genes because the Mings have long been associated with the culinary arts. The late Reginald and his sister Emma were famous for their fruit and pound cakes, and the well-known percussionist says he is also famous for his egg and sugar-free cakes.

Mr. Frederick Ming is a well-known chef-instructor at the Bermuda College, and his son Shawn is now following in his father's footsteps at the same institute of learning.

Eddie Ming says that his interest in vegetarianism precedes his fascination with drumming by many years, although training as a chef followed his start as a musician.

"When I started playing drums I was almost 22 years old,'' he relates. "My friend Jerry Lindsay used to bring his collection of jazz records to my house every Sunday.

Eddie Ming plans Asian treat with tasty beat "I was working as a bartender at the Hog Penny in the evenings and just started playing drums. Then I met Howie Rego and Andy Newmark, who are both professional drummers now, and the three of us used to practise in Howie's basement four hours a day, five days a week. We used a lot of books and material and did a lot of different things that most drummers don't even know about even today.'' Studies with Joe Wylie's big band drummer, Englishman Allan Glandy followed, and the two became close friends. Mr. Ming became so `locked into' the reading side of drumming that his teacher successfully got Mr. Wylie's approval for him to play the last two sets during performances at the Princess Hotel.

As happens in the music business, this led to Mr. Ming's first professional gig as a drummer at the Carlton Beach Hotel (now Sonesta).

"It was Ruby Newman's band, out of Boston, and I was the only Bermudian in it. The next professional stop was the Castle Harbour Hotel, where he worked with band leader Michael Gio for a few years before progressing to the Inverurie, where he replaced Tootsie Bean (who was off to fame in America), and stayed with Johnny McAteer's band for 14 years.'' It was Ms Lesley Hayward of Ariel Sands who set Mr. Ming on the path to professional cooking. According to him, she not only enjoyed his cooking while he was working nights at Ariel Sands, but eventually arranged for the hotel to sponsor and send him to the Bermuda College to train as a chef.

"When I went there I was no spring chicken, I was about 45 years old,'' Mr.

Ming admits, "but by that time I was already a pastry chef at Fourways Inn -- a position arrived at by aptitude, sheer hard work, a talent for learning, and a steady progression up the rungs of the pastry kitchen ladder through those attributes.

"I worked part-time at Fourways and studied part-time at the College, so something had to give, so I ended my commitment as a resident drummer in the McAteer band,'' he relates.

The chef states that, despite his age, the rationale behind attending Bermuda College was because he knew his main focus was to be cooking and preparing nutritious vegetarian and organic food which he planned to serve some day in his own Rhythm Lab.

"I knew I wanted to make my concerts more interesting than just drums and percussion, and to let people know more about what vegetarianism is about,'' he explains.

Thus it is that his Rhythm Lab set-up within the St. George's Community Centre complex includes not only a teaching area for all his percussion students, but practice rooms as well. In addition, there is a kitchen, entitled The Eddie Ming Bean Bag, and an herbal tea bar, entitled Mother's Herbal Tea Bar (the mother being a reference to Mother Nature).

Meanwhile, as a resident of St. George's, he continues his arrangement to cook for the Community Centre's Joy Club for senior citizens, and will also be teaching a vegetarian cooking course on November 17 at 6.30 p.m. 297-8422 or 297-2874.

Come and get it! Vegetarian chef/percussionist Eddie Ming is cooking up a storm for his October 21 "Evening in Asia,'' which is being sponsored by the St. George's Community Centre at its Old Military Road headquarters.