The Nostalgia Behind Your Favorite Chinese Food | Vincent Yeow Lim | TED

Summary

Vincent Yeow Lim tells a moving story of family, food, and the hidden value of Chinese cooking. Raised in a lineage of restaurateurs, he learned discipline and technique from his father—mastering wok-fried rice, dual-wok coordination, and the elusive wok hei that carries nostalgia. Vincent contrasts public perception of Chinese food as cheap with the decades of skill, long hours, and cultural memory behind each dish. After his father’s death he left university, took over the restaurant in Sydney, and shared those recipes online—where his videos resonated globally, earning hundreds of millions of views and honoring his father’s legacy.

Takeaways

• 😀 Vincent Yeow Lim comes from a family of restaurant owners, with his grandfather and father both running Chinese restaurants.
• 😀 From a young age, Vincent developed a passion for cooking by helping his father in their family restaurant in Australia.
• 😀 Chinese cuisine is incredibly challenging to master, with high skill and dedication required, which is often underappreciated in its value.
• 😀 The first dish Vincent learned to cook was fried rice, which is deceptively simple yet difficult to perfect. It requires precise technique and experience.
• 😀 The value of Chinese food is about more than just taste; it’s about the craftsmanship, history, and the personal connections it fosters.
• 😀 The perception of Chinese food as cheap and indulgent doesn't match the real cost of ingredients, labor, and the skill required to cook it.
• 😀 Vincent learned the dual wok cooking technique from his father, which allows for greater efficiency in preparing multiple dishes at once in a Chinese restaurant.
• 😀 In Chinese cuisine, the use of wok hei (the 'breath of the dragon') imparts a smoky, aromatic flavor that’s difficult to replicate at home.
• 😀 Chinese food’s value is not only in its taste but in its cultural and nostalgic significance, connecting people to their memories and heritage.
• 😀 Chinese immigrants who open their own restaurants pour their lives into these businesses, using them as homes and centers of family life.
• 😀 After his father's passing, Vincent left his career in high-end restaurants and returned to his roots, taking over his father's restaurant to reconnect with his heritage and share his story on social media, which went viral.

Q & A

What motivated Vincent Yeow Lim to pursue a career in cooking?

Vincent was motivated to pursue cooking because he spent time with his father at the restaurant, which led to a deep passion for Chinese food. He helped his father at the restaurant every day, and gradually, he developed his love for cooking.

How did Vincent's early experiences shape his approach to cooking?

Vincent's early experiences involved learning directly from his father, who was a master of Chinese cooking. This helped Vincent develop a strong work ethic and a deep respect for the craft, especially the skills required for dishes like fried rice, which he perfected before being allowed to serve customers.

What makes fried rice such a difficult dish to perfect?

Fried rice may seem simple, but it requires precise control over factors like the temperature of the wok and the moisture content of the rice. If the rice is too wet, it loses the smoky, aromatic flavor, and if it's too dry, it becomes unpleasantly crunchy. The balance of these factors is what makes fried rice both easy and hard to master.

What is the significance of the dual wok technique in Chinese cooking?

The dual wok technique involves using two woks to cook different dishes simultaneously. This requires exceptional coordination, organization, and years of training. It's particularly challenging in a busy Chinese restaurant environment where many dishes are being prepared at once, but it ensures all dishes are served hot and at the same time.

How does Vincent's restaurant differ from Western restaurants in terms of menu size?

In a Western restaurant, the menu typically offers around 20 items. In contrast, Vincent's Chinese restaurant initially had over 300 menu items. This variety is typical of Chinese restaurants, where customers expect a wide range of choices.

What does Vincent believe is a sign of a good Chinese restaurant?

Vincent believes that a key indicator of a good Chinese restaurant is seeing kids doing their homework at the first table. This suggests that the restaurant is a family-friendly place with high-quality food that people trust and enjoy regularly.

How does nostalgia play a role in the experience of Chinese food?

Nostalgia is a key element in the enjoyment of Chinese food. The smells, flavors, and cooking methods evoke memories of home, childhood, and family. Vincent connects his cooking with the memories of his father and the aromas of food from his childhood in Malaysia, which makes the experience more meaningful and memorable.

What does 'wok hei' mean, and why is it important in Chinese cooking?

'Wok hei,' or 'breath of the dragon,' refers to the smoky, aromatic flavor created when oil and ingredients in the wok combust. It's a hallmark of Chinese wok cooking and one of the reasons why Chinese food, particularly rice and noodles, tastes better at a restaurant than when cooked at home.

Why is there a misconception that Chinese food is fast food?

Chinese food is often perceived as fast food because of its association with quick, inexpensive dishes. However, Vincent emphasizes that Chinese food requires years of training, mastery of ingredients, and the use of complex cooking techniques. It is far from fast food despite being quick to prepare.

How did Vincent's father influence his decision to take over the family restaurant?

After Vincent's father passed away in 2017, Vincent felt the need to reconnect with his roots and his father’s teachings. This prompted him to leave his job at an airline’s first-class lounge, drop out of university, and move to Sydney to take over the family restaurant, where he could preserve his father's legacy and cook the dishes he loved.