Phyllis
Louise Harris
March
2016
She
was born in China during the era of women’s bound feet and male dominated
households, but went on to become one of the greatest influences in the
understanding and appreciation of Chinese cooking in the United States. She
also changed my life.
It
was 1974 and I had just moved to New York City where I now had the time and
resources to explore whatever peaked my interest. I had long been a fan of
Chinese food and looked for classes in cooking this classic cuisine. I found
one in the basement of a pasta store in my neighborhood and was soon learning
the wonders of stir-frying. The teacher, Millie Chan, was a delight and
extremely patient with some of the “students” who used the time to chat with
each other in their native language. Turns out they were gathering recipes to
give to their cooks at home to replicate. They had no intention of cooking it themselves.
But, Millie could see I was serious about learning and after the sessions ended
suggested I continue classes at the China Institute in America where her
teacher and mentor was teaching.
The
first day in class about 20 of us sat on folding chairs at long tables in the
Institute’s teaching kitchen and heard Florence Lin say, “When you finish this
class, you will be able to make Chinese dishes out of whatever is in your
refrigerator.” I thought about the odd variety of things in my refrigerator and
very much doubted her promise. Now, 42 years later I know she was right!
For
the next 14 years I made Chinese dumplings, noodles, sir-fries, deep-fries,
sauces, salads and whatever else she was teaching. Today, I still have my
recipes and class notes – about 300 of them. We cooked everything! Even things
I did not know were edible. Pigs’ ears, chicken feet, broccoli stems, pig
snouts - all were made very tasty and while I may not have liked some of them,
they were certainly edible. When my daughter and I travelled through China with
Florence, we had the privilege of taking classes with master chefs and to taste
hundreds of Chinese dishes that are not served in the U.S. My love of Chinese
food and Florence’s training led me to create a company dedicated to Asian
food, to becoming food editor of Asian
Pages for 20 years writing more than 500 columns, to writing a history of
Asian food in Minnesota published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press,
and to create an EMMY® award-winning television show that tpt produced and still broadcasts today. None of this would have
happened without Florence Lin.
Florence
is one of those exceptional teachers who really likes what she does and
understands the subject completely. Initially she learned to cook by following
her family’s chef around the kitchen and then learned more from her aunt and
grandmothers. She learned even more when she went with her father on his silk
merchant business trips throughout China, something unheard of in the 1930s
pre-war China when daughters were never involved in the family business. At
each stop she could sample local cuisine and expand her knowledge of Chinese
food. Combined with her own creative skills Florence Lin’s Chinese cooking is
like none other.
When
Florence came to America in 1949 to marry her fiancé K.Y. she did not speak
English. While she had a college education, without the language skills she
could not get work. While K.Y. pursued his career in finance and she raised
their two children, Florence concentrated on her mastery of English and went on
to become one of the most influential cookbook authors and food writers in the
U.S. Julia Child and James Beard were among her friends and students. Paul
Newman was a fan of her cooking. National food companies consulted her on
Chinese culinary issues. She taught cooking classes in New York, Washington,
D.C., Connecticut, New Jersey, Georgia, and throughout the country. She taught
at the China Institute for more than 25 years and in 2014 was given a lifetime
achievement award by the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
But
that is only part of Florence’s story. As a teenager she joined Chiang Kai-shek’s
Youth Army to fight the Japanese invasion of China where she taught new
recruits how to handle their rifles. Later in life she would also fight other
wars against cancer and her husband’s Parkinson’s disease. The first book she
wrote was turned down by 18 publishers, but she went on to publish five
cookbooks and was primary consultant and recipe creator for another. She also
wrote dozens of articles for the New York
Times and a variety of national publications. Current cookbook authors and
celebrity chefs refer to her work as an inspiration for their own efforts.
This
month Florence will be 96 years old. She is retired and lives in New York near
one of her daughters whose family is delighted to have grandmother nearby to
make their favorite dishes, or at least supervise their renditions. I am happy
to say she is still my friend and mentor who continues to work with me even
long distance on culinary issues. I wish everyone would have had the privilege
of attending her classes but everyone can still learn from this great teacher
through her cookbooks. While they are out of print, used copies are available
on various websites. Pick up one or all and read them from cover to cover. You
will begin to understand the flavors and complexity of Chinese cooking and the
basics of making it properly.
Start
with her first book Florence Lin’s
Regional Cooking of China, published in 1975 when it was named Best
Cookbook of 1975 and was a Book-of-the-Month selection. Florence Lin’s Chinese Vegetarian Cookbook followed in 1976 and
makes every vegetable a treat. That was followed in 1978 with Florence Lin’s Chinese One-Dish Meals, and
in 1979 with Florence Lin’s Cooking with
Fire Pots. In 1984, William Morrow Publishers convinced her to write Florence Lin’s Complete Book of Chinese
Noodles, Dumplings and Breads that was reprinted in several sold out
editions including paperback.
By
the way, while she was writing each book she tested the recipes in many of her
classes and I got to be part of that process as well. Also pick up a copy of Time Life Foods of the World: The Cooking of
China (1968) where you will find her first publishing effort and the first
book in the U.S. to truly explore in depth the cooking of China. She tells the
story of providing the editors with a recipe for Egg Foo Yung at their request.
They came back to her with the complaint there was no “gravy” on the Egg Foo Yung.
When she explained she created the dish as it is served in China they insisted
on adding gravy for the American audience and she did.
Happy
birthday Florence and thanks for so many delicious memories!
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Read more about Asian food
in Minnesota and try more than 160 recipes in Asian Flavors: Changing the
Tastes of Minnesota since 1875, in bookstores and on amazon.com.
Watch the EMMY® award winning “Asian
Flavors” television show based on the book on tpt MN. Check local TV listings
for broadcast times or view the show streaming online at:
http://www.mnvideovault.org/mvvPlayer/customPlaylist2.php?id=24552&select_index=0&popup=yes#0
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