Chop Fry Watch Learn: Fu Pei-mei and the Making of Modern Chinese Food by Michelle T. King is a biography of the Chinese tv cooking show legend. Reading the historical and personal perspective of the making of the legend, it inspires me on being homemaker in a different era and on a different continent.
The making of home cook overnight
King recorded that Fu Pei Mei’s home cooking journey began when she was in one of the waves of Mainlander immigrating to Taiwan following the communist victory on the Mainland. In Mainland China, well-off families can have maids as an accessible option for help with cooking.
However, according to King, Fu Pei Mei found that there were “no good maids” after they immigrated to Taiwan. Immigrated wives, as working women, found themselves getting into the kitchen and get theirs hands on woks and charcoal to fix dinner for their families.
To satisfy the fine taste of her husband, King detailed in the book that Fu Pei Mei went a great length to learn from the best despite much challenges. She worked hard and even had the courage courage to learn from professional male chefs using her own dowry.
From home cook to TV legend and cookbook author
The acquisition of home-cooking skill became an unexpected career launching pad for Fu Pei Mei as illustrated by King. To satisfy the growing demand for home cooking instructions, Fu started teaching cooking lessons from her backyard. Then she was invited to record TV cooking shows when television started to become popular. Fu was on the air for 40 years.
We can also see similar examples today where home cooking inspires new career for women after marriage and family. Take food bloggers as an example, a lot of them are busy moms sharing their tips and tricks to feed their family.
According to King, Fu Pei Mei’s career left a treasured legacy for the Chinese diaspora through her bilingual cookbooks. From inspiring one of the best Chinese restaurants in Philadelphia to guiding Chinese students studying abroad to cook for their non-Chinese host families, Fu introduced Chinese home cooking to the western world.
Key takeaways from Fu Pei Mei’s journey
Reading Fu Pei Mei’s long journey of becoming a tv cooking show legend was inspiring for me. While she had to work with heavy wok, stove, cleaver and lugging ingredients to the studios, I am thankful for modern convenience, precut prozen ingredients and grocery delivery services. It reminds me to be content and work diligently for my family. Cooking not only for survival and satisfies hunger, but also brings family members together and creates memories.