“Books for Cooks: New TV show, book build on Yan’s passion” profiles Asian-American cook Martin Yan, a local San Francisco Bay Area resident.
“Now in his 30th year on television, Yan is still cooking – and spreading the message of honest food cooked fresh the Asian way. “I think it’s passion,” says Yan of a career that spans more than 2,000 episodes broadcast worldwide. “If you’re not passionate, if you don’t like what you do – you don’t even last for three years.” This year, that passion expresses itself in a new public television series, “Martin Yan’s China,” an exploration of the different schools of Chinese cooking that is part travelogue, part cooking instruction. The show, as well as the companion book Yan wrote, covers material that would have been impossible to introduce to Americans when Yan launched his television career. At the time, soy sauce was exotic and a wok was a funny-shaped frying pan you had to look hard to find.”
Yan is most known for his television series, “Yan Can Cook” – with the sort of cheesy tag line playing on his name – “If Yan can cook, so can you.” Personally, I think Ming Tsai represents a more modern approach and mainstream image to cooking shows (Tsai currently hosts PBS’s cooking show, Simply Ming and used to be on the Food Network’s East Meets West with Ming Tsai).
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17 Comments to “Books for Cooks: New TV show, book build on Yan’s passion”
jozjozjoz wrote:
Well, of course “Ming Tsai represents a more modern approach and mainstream image to cooking shows!”
There would never have been a Ming Tsai without the foundation laid by Martin Yan!
Martin Yan is old school! He was also a trailblazer! He’s also from a different generation and a completely different style of cooking and show hosting.
I love them both!!!
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 10:50 am | Permalink
Ernie wrote:
Except, you know, for Martin Yan’s fake ass accent. AND HE ACTIVELY DENIES IT!
“As regards to rumors that his accent is fake and for entertainment value only, Yan said that people don’t understand that sometimes even when you’ve spoken English for a long time, you just can’t shake your accent.
“I was born in China and only learned how to speak English when I was 16 years old,” says Yan. “For many people the accent will stay, even those that speak English perfectly, and uses proper grammar and words.””
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 10:54 am | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
Martin Yan’s accent is NOT FAKE, Ernie!
TAKE IT BACK!
However, I read on the intarweb somewhere that MARTIN YAN IS A HOMICIDAL CHEF! http://www.i-mockery.com/martinyan/default.htm
HE COOKED HIS CHILDREN ON TV! He put them in a wok and stir-fried them!
http://www.i-mockery.com/martinyan/wok2.htm
(It was on the internet. Must be true!!!!!)
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 11:01 am | Permalink
John wrote:
What gets me regarding Ming Tsai is that he went to Yale to study, of all things, Mechanical Engineering! (my undergrad major).
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 11:08 am | Permalink
Efren wrote:
Can I just say I have a big crush on Ming Tsai? Not mancrush…real crush *sigh*.
I remember seeing him shirtless while trying to do the hula (badly) on one of his shows, and fell immediately in lust…*sigh*
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 11:23 am | Permalink
Ernie wrote:
AND Ming Tsai won on Iron Chef USA. WON, BITCHES. Why isn’t he on the Food Network more? Also, does anyone remember Martin’s old school assistant Tammy? And she would wear one of those ridiculous oriental dresses?
EDIT: OK, it looks like Martin Yan won on Iron Chef USA too. Lesson learned: IF YOU ARE ASIAN, YOU CAN WIN ON IRON CHEF USA.
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 11:24 am | Permalink
Efren wrote:
Of course, there’s no Asians who have their show on Food Network (USA, anyway). WTF is up with that???
Iron Chef USA is lame anyway…they couldn’t even get a frickin’ real Japanese or JA guy to impersonate the host’s nephew???
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 11:29 am | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
Who doesn’t have a crush on Ming Tsai?
Did you know Ming is a really good squash player? He used to play on the Yale team and also played professionally on the European circuit.
Hawt.
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 11:31 am | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
Efi,
You are SO RIGHT about the host of Iron Chef America! Mark Dacascos is only a quarter Japanese and basically got cast because he can do a backflip on TV.
Lame!
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 11:34 am | Permalink
Efren wrote:
Well, I can think of a few people who don’t have a crush on Ming Tsai…
And did you know that there’s this really hot, openly queer Chinese guy who has his own cooking show on Food Network Asia? Here’s a synopsis. Now this is a crush that could (concievably, anyway) be returned. I’ve always been a sucker for hot Asian muscle guys with tats and piercings…AND who know how to cook *sigh*
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 11:38 am | Permalink
Efren wrote:
Joz: And did you know there’s going to be a Wii game for Iron Chef USA? If that’s not lame, I don’t know what is!
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 11:48 am | Permalink
Ernie wrote:
Wii Game for Iron Chef USA = Cooking Mama with CGI Bobby Flay
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 12:27 pm | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
CGI Bobby Flay?!?
The horror!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 1:03 pm | Permalink
Xxxtine wrote:
According to Jennifer 8. Lee – she writes in the Fortune Cookie Chronicles that Ming Tsai is, “a highly articulate, intelligent American jock.”
rowr
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 1:04 pm | Permalink
John wrote:
I wonder if anybody else besides those who blog for 8Asians.com will comment on this post…
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 1:11 pm | Permalink
Xxxtine wrote:
Everyone .. lunch break is now over.
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 1:18 pm | Permalink
Efren wrote:
Xxxtine: Precisely why I have such a huge crush on Ming Tsai (sigh).
Posted on 28-Mar-08 at 1:21 pm | Permalink
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