The United States is an immigrant country. Here, there are various cooking techniques that reflect the different cultural traditions of immigrants from different countries. Because most Americans, from dignitaries to ordinary people, love Chinese food very much, the Chinese food industry has grown into a fairly developed industry in the United States in decades. According to statistics, there are nearly 36,111 Chinese restaurants in the United States, which exceeds the sum of major American fast food chains such as McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King. California, located on the west coast, is the state with the largest number of Chinese restaurants and the gathering place of Chinese cooking experts. Among these masters, Zhen Wenda (English name MartinYan), who enjoys the title of "North American God of Food", deserves to be an outstanding figure.
Zhen Wenda can be said to be the first person to introduce China's food culture to North American TV viewers and radio listeners through special programs. He himself is a master chef and the owner of a chain Chinese restaurant, and has published 27 books on food. MartinYan Xue, a Chinese cooking TV program hosted by him (in English, YanCanCook), has already broadcast 1,911 episodes around the world, with nearly 2 billion viewers. He is also a special guest of the famous radio program "Tales of Food" in San Francisco. Zhen Wenda commented on his achievements like this: "Many people are better at cooking than me, and their English is better than mine;" Every boy in China is more handsome than me. Tell humor, people all over the world may be better than me. But maybe no one can have my thick skin, my courage and self-confidence, and my hard work. "
In February, 1952, Zhen Wenda was born in a family engaged in catering business in Dongshan District, Guangzhou. His father's ancestral home was Taishan, Guangdong. Zhen Wenda spent most of his childhood in small restaurants. Influenced by his parents, he has more feelings and spirituality about cooking than his peers since he was a child. When I was in primary school, I just caught up with the food shortage after the Great Leap Forward. Among urban residents, all the main necessities of life must be supplied by ticket. But Zhen Wenda always seems to have some way to cook. For example, he knows how to crush bagasse into powder, mix it with flour or rice flour, and cook with Chlorella. He told his classmates that when they grow up, they must go to a university specializing in agricultural science, so that they can have more food, not only that they don't starve themselves, but also that people around them don't have to starve.
Zhen Wenda's mother has a saying that he will never forget, that is, "Eat near the kitchen". Mom said that the advantage of working in a restaurant is that you will definitely not go hungry, and you can do a lot of things without going hungry. Many people all over the world go to bed hungry every day. The word "eat near the kitchen" has defined a survival rule that has worked since ancient times, and it has also played a decisive role in Zhen Wenda's later career in cooking. At the age of 13, Zhen Wenda left home to work in a restaurant in Hongkong. At that time, his father had died, and his mother lived in Guangzhou with her brother. The owner of that restaurant in Hong Kong controlled his food and gave Zhen Wenda some pocket money. Zhen Wenda saved the money and went on to study in middle school.
When I was a middle school student in Hong Kong, the principal was a member of a Christian church and was friendly. Zhen Wenda often helps him do odd jobs in his spare time, such as cleaning and cooking. Over time, the two people get along better and better. In 1971, just as the leaders of China and the United States began to contact to thaw bilateral relations, the headmaster came forward to guarantee Zhen Wenda's arrival in the United States. Zhen Wenda recalled that when he arrived in the United States, he felt cold and hungry when he got off the plane, so the first thing he did after leaving the airport was to go to a Chinese restaurant to find a job. At first, I worked in the back kitchen of a Chinese restaurant. Later, I felt that working in the back kitchen didn't earn as much as working as a waiter in a restaurant, and I went to work as a waiter, so I slowly practiced my English.
After working in a Chinese restaurant in California for some time, Zhen Wenda decided to pursue further studies. Zhen Wenda chose food processing and nutrition as his major when he entered the University of California, Davis, because he had been hungry as a child and had made up his mind to read more books when he had the chance, so as to learn how to cook more food. The University of California charges 3-4 times more for foreign students than for local students. Zhen Wenda had to try to earn his tuition while attending school, so he came up with a way to teach Chinese cooking. According to the wage standard at that time, Zhen Wenda earned $1.85 an hour working in a restaurant, while the employment of teaching Chinese food earned $18 an hour, which increased the economic benefits by 21 times. Why not?
After making up his mind to teach Chinese cooking, Zhen Wenda found the person in charge of the school and applied. As Zhen Wenda was not a chef at that time and had never taught, his initial application was rebuffed. So, Zhen Wenda launched a "candy offensive" to the person in charge, waiting for him at the office door as soon as school was over every day, and spent three months in a soft and hard way, finally forcing the other party to agree to try it once and put a small course advertisement in the local newspaper. If someone comes to class, give Zhen Wenda the chance; if no one comes, forget about it. As a result, more than 41 people signed up for the advertisement, and Zhen Wenda started his cooking teaching career.
Influenced by the growing environment, accumulated Chinese cooking skills for many years, and gradually proficient English communication skills, Zhen Wenda, who is on the stage for the first time, is full of confidence, and the more she attends classes, the better. Many professors and professors' wives from the University of California also attended the lecture. Zhen Wenda said humorously to them, I study with you in the university in the morning, and you study with me in the evening; I listen to your in the morning, and you should listen to me in the evening. I wish you not only good luck, good health, but also success in your career. God bless America. After that, Zhen Wenda studied hard and taught cooking lessons, and finally got a master's degree in food processing from the University of California, Davis in 1975. Zhen Wenda is also deeply touched by the learning spirit of Americans: there are many college students in the United States who come to study cooking after obtaining master's and doctor's degrees. We should also have this career ideal in China, and college students should also be able to work in the food industry.
After graduating from college, Zhen Wenda went to Canada to work for a long time, helping a friend from middle school to manage a Chinese restaurant. As a result, he had the opportunity to go to a local TV station and set up a TV special column called MartinYan Xue to teach Chinese cooking to a large audience in North America through TV. Zhen Wenda was nervous when he got an electric shock for the first time. He didn't know whether to look at the host or the red light of the camera, and he felt a little dizzy. Later, after watching Zhen Wenda's cooking demonstration, the manager of the TV station said to him, We want you to make a cooking program with 131 episodes, and I will give you 111 yuan for each episode. As soon as Zhen Wenda figured out that doing 131 episodes would earn an unprecedented 13,111 yuan, he agreed. The teaching experience gained in California came in handy at this time. Zhen Wenda set a creative slogan for his program: "If you are in MartinYan Xue, so can you", which was quickly recognized and welcomed by the audience and became a popular cooking fashion brand. In the third year of this TV program, the reward paid to Zhen Wenda by the TV station has increased to 411 yuan per episode, which makes Zhen Wenda, who enjoys cooking, happier.
Zhen Wenda said that some people think Chinese cooking is mysterious, and they will be intimidated. I want to show them that Chinese cooking can actually be easy and fast, everyone can learn it, and every city has materials you need. The director of "MartinYan Xue" is very appreciative of Zhen Wenda's talent and relaxed humor: "As a TV producer, I always hear people say that you need good ideas to produce good programs, such as gardening programs, decoration programs or French cooking programs. But my answer is that the host is the most important. With a good host, you can teach something you can never do. Martin is born with qualities that you can never teach. He is popular in North America and all over the world because he is born with the ability to entertain the public. He can make people laugh and make people interested in what he says. He is a very unique person. " Perhaps it is Zhen Wenda's love of cooking and good public communication skills that have created the miracle of "MartinYan Xue"-this TV column has been broadcast in 75 countries for 1911 episodes, which lasted for 21 years. It won famous awards such as Emmy Award and became a world-famous TV cooking program.
In order to study cooking, Zhen Wenda turned his courtyard into an orchard and vegetable garden that provided fresh cooking materials. Here, he planted loquat trees, apple trees, pear trees and oranges, as well as onions, celery, leeks, mint and radish. Zhen Wenda loves his home very much, and thinks that family life can give people a monastery-like peace. When he gets home, all the troubles and tensions outside disappear, and he can sit at home and enjoy the gurgling sound of running water and birds singing. Mrs. Zhen is a classmate he met when he was at the University of California, a Japanese-American lady, and they have twins. Zhen Wenda loves children very much. When he is free, he participates in the "Chefs Love Children's Club" organized by the American Chefs' Union to raise money for the relief of street children.
Zhen Wenda, who has made a name for himself in the United States, still seems to have the same entrepreneurial enthusiasm as young people. In 2113, Zhen Wenda began to operate two chain restaurants, namely "Jinneng" and "Asian Feeling", and planned to promote Asian cuisine all over the world. In 2114, he co-starred with Zhang Aijia in the film "Hainan Chicken Rice" and started his film career at the age of 52.
Zhen Wenda was invited by Harvard University to tell the students there about his struggle. Perhaps, people can find the secret of his success from his heartfelt words, and appreciate his optimistic attitude towards life: a person, especially our international students from China, is not so good at language and knowledge. But I think Asian students from the East must have a kind of self-confidence and self-affirmation. If you don't have self-confidence, you dare not do many things. Only when you have self-confidence can you have courage, and only when you have courage can you be creative. When choosing a job, you should follow your skills and your own inspiration. It's not that mom and dad or classmates say that you can go to any industry that earns more money. You have to follow your heart to do one thing. If you like music, read music, and if you like movies, make movies. There's a saying in China, every line is the best. I told myself all day that I am really happy to have such an opportunity, and the more I do it, the happier I am. Because I think I'm from China, and if people respect me, they respect China. I hope to win honor for China people and carry forward the food culture in China. If you don't appreciate me, it won't affect my work mood, and I can do it so happily. My philosophy is: If I can make one person smile and make one person happy every day, it will be a meaningful day for myself.
it is worth learning.