Yan Can
Cook Goes Global
Page 3
more attention," Yan says. He realized that using humor was an effective way to communicate and is an international language of education.
Comedy and slapstick are now a regular part of Yan's shows and appearances no matter what country his is in.
When Yan slices an onion, he doesn't just slice an onion. To oohs and aahs, sometimes he'll close his eyes, and sometimes he'll look to the audience while cracking jokes. He'll do anything but look down at the hair-thin slices he's cutting. He'll often massage a chicken (to relax it) before boning it in 20 seconds.
But some have criticized the shtick for being a caricature of Asian stereotypes. Indeed, over the phone his accent does not seem as strong as his TV persona, but Yan says that it's not an act. It's just his enthusiasm coming out.
"This is how I teach," Yan says. "I don't do anything different if you come to my cooking school and see me in person . . . In real life this is how I do it."
Yan
broke into TV in 1978 after opening a restaurant back in Calgary. He also
taught cooking classes at the restaurant and he was invited to appear
on a talk show. After the one appearance he was offered a regular slot
on the show. He moved to PBS with his own show about a year later and
has been a hit ever since.
The consulting business, appearances, taping schedule for Yan Can Cook and his cooking school in Foster City keep Yan busy year-round and takes him away from his wife Sue and their twin, 7-year-old sons.
"We try to schedule family time, but it's hard with all the weekend commitments," Sue says. "We've been doing it for so many years, we've gotten used to it."
The globalization of Asian cuisine, along with Yan's travels throughout Asia, have made him an international star. This has not gone unnoticed by the corporate world. Ruby Tuesday is just one of Yan's corporate clients. For the past year, United Airlines has offered a menu devised by Yan on planes that connect Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco to five cities in Asia. He is also a consultant with food companies like Kikkoman, Libby, Nestle and Tyson. Other restaurants Yan consults for include the $5.5 million Empress Court at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Aspiring chefs can find his books and signature line of knives at stores or on the Internet.
But no matter how it's prepared or whom he is cooking for, the food is what drives Yan, even if it means taking an overnight flight to Fargo just to chop vegetables and stir-fry some chicken.
"I am very fortunate to be able to work with food and to make a reasonable living doing what I love to do," Yan says. "Also, I'm bringing culture from the East to the West and from the West to the East. I consider myself an ambassador."
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Coming soon
In
late May, journalism students from
UC Berkeley will travel to
Hong Kong. Watch for their reports.