Have You Eaten Yet?: A Conversation with Cheuk Kwan and Martin Yan
on "The Chinese Diaspora and Its Food"
Sunday, April 2, 2023 from 2-4pm PT
Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. STE 290, Oakland, CA 94607
on "The Chinese Diaspora and Its Food"
Sunday, April 2, 2023 from 2-4pm PT
Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. STE 290, Oakland, CA 94607
Yan Can Cook’s Martin Yan hosts a conversation with Cheuk Kwan on Kwan’s new book, Have You Eaten Yet? Stories from Chinese Restaurants Around the World, an intrepid travelogue that charts a living atlas of the global Chinese migration, revealing the synergies of politics, culture and family. Together they will discuss the stories of the Chinese Diaspora and its food, how politics, culture, family and food merge together to create a most unique global phenomenon that shapes cultural identity.
Cheuk Kwan grew up in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. His Chinese Restaurants television series brings together his diasporic experience and love of food and travel. Have You Eaten Yet? draws out a global narrative of the Chinese diaspora by linking together personal stories from Chinese kitchens world-wide.
We will be raffling away three copies of Cheuk Kwan’s book Have You Eaten Yet? at the event!
Copies of Have You Eaten Yet?: Stories from Chinese Restaurants Around the World are available for in-store purchase at Eastwind Books of Berkeley and online at www.asiabookcenter.com
Cheuk Kwan grew up in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. His Chinese Restaurants television series brings together his diasporic experience and love of food and travel. Have You Eaten Yet? draws out a global narrative of the Chinese diaspora by linking together personal stories from Chinese kitchens world-wide.
We will be raffling away three copies of Cheuk Kwan’s book Have You Eaten Yet? at the event!
Copies of Have You Eaten Yet?: Stories from Chinese Restaurants Around the World are available for in-store purchase at Eastwind Books of Berkeley and online at www.asiabookcenter.com
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
From Cape Town, South Africa, to small-town Saskatchewan, family-run Chinese restaurants are global icons of immigration,community,and delicious food. The cultural outposts of far-flung settlers, bringers of dim sum, Peking duck and creative culinary hybrids, Chinese restaurants are a microcosm of greater social forces. They are an insight into time, history, and place. Author and film-maker Cheuk Kwan, a self-described “card-carrying member of the Chinese diaspora,” weaves a global narrative by linking the myriad personal stories of chefs, entrepreneurs, labourers, and dreamers who populate Chinese kitchens worldwide. Have you Eaten Yet? is an eye-opening and soul-nourishing journey through Chinese food around the world. Behind these kitchen doors lies an intriguing paradox which characterizes many of these communities: how Chinese immigrants have resisted—or have often been prevented from—complete assimilation into the social fabric of their new homes. In both instances, the engine of their economic survival—the Chinese restaurant and its food—has become seamlessly woven into towns and cities all around the world. An intrepid travelogue of grand vistas, adventure and serendipity, Have You Eaten Yet? charts a living atlas of global migration, ultimately revealing how an excellent meal always tells an even better story. |
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Cheuk Kwan was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. He has also lived in the US, Saudi Arabia and Canada, and speaks English, Japanese, French and several Chinese dialects. Kwan is the co-founder of The Asianadian, a magazine dedicated to promoting Asian Canadian arts, culture and politics, and a film production company,TissaFilms. His cinematic works—Song of the Exile, Latin Passions, and Beyond Frontiers—braid his personal experiences with his love of travel and appreciation for Chinese culture worldwide. He now resides in Toronto, ON.
ABOUT THE HOST:
Chef Martin Yan has remained an active international food ambassador throughout his career. He roams the world representing different commercial and social concerns to entertain and educate the public, sharing with them his unique humor and strong passion for Chinese cooking.
Born in Guangzhou, China, Yan always possessed a passion for cooking. His formal induction into the culinary world began at thirteen, with an apprenticeship at a renowned Hong Kong restaurant. Training at Hong Kong's Overseas Institute of Cookery followed. While pursuing an MS in Food Science (University of California/Davis, USA), he taught Chinese cooking for the university extension program. In 1978, he pioneered a Chinese cooking TV show: the now classic Yan Can Cook. Infused with his characteristic warmth, humor and vitality, the show quickly won a worldwide following. The format expanded to include distinct styles of Asian cooking, with Chef Yan traveling to culinary hot spots to introduce viewers to local food and customs. In 1985, he founded the Yan Can International Cooking School.
He has captured the attention, admiration and hearts of millions of cooking fans by spicing his cooking artistry and teaching with a personal ingredient: wit. Via television or in person, a cooking session with Chef Yan proves invigorating as well as educational. He is dedicated to dispelling the mysteries of Asian cooking, and furthering an understanding of the cultures that created these cuisines, with spirited fun and entertainment.
Cheuk Kwan was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. He has also lived in the US, Saudi Arabia and Canada, and speaks English, Japanese, French and several Chinese dialects. Kwan is the co-founder of The Asianadian, a magazine dedicated to promoting Asian Canadian arts, culture and politics, and a film production company,TissaFilms. His cinematic works—Song of the Exile, Latin Passions, and Beyond Frontiers—braid his personal experiences with his love of travel and appreciation for Chinese culture worldwide. He now resides in Toronto, ON.
ABOUT THE HOST:
Chef Martin Yan has remained an active international food ambassador throughout his career. He roams the world representing different commercial and social concerns to entertain and educate the public, sharing with them his unique humor and strong passion for Chinese cooking.
Born in Guangzhou, China, Yan always possessed a passion for cooking. His formal induction into the culinary world began at thirteen, with an apprenticeship at a renowned Hong Kong restaurant. Training at Hong Kong's Overseas Institute of Cookery followed. While pursuing an MS in Food Science (University of California/Davis, USA), he taught Chinese cooking for the university extension program. In 1978, he pioneered a Chinese cooking TV show: the now classic Yan Can Cook. Infused with his characteristic warmth, humor and vitality, the show quickly won a worldwide following. The format expanded to include distinct styles of Asian cooking, with Chef Yan traveling to culinary hot spots to introduce viewers to local food and customs. In 1985, he founded the Yan Can International Cooking School.
He has captured the attention, admiration and hearts of millions of cooking fans by spicing his cooking artistry and teaching with a personal ingredient: wit. Via television or in person, a cooking session with Chef Yan proves invigorating as well as educational. He is dedicated to dispelling the mysteries of Asian cooking, and furthering an understanding of the cultures that created these cuisines, with spirited fun and entertainment.
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Eastwind Books Multicultural Services (EBMS) is a 501(3)c non-profit dedicated to the promotion and accessibility of Asian American and Ethnic Multicultural Literature. EBMS is the community education arm of Eastwind Books of Berkeley which is comprised of a dedicated staff of booksellers, artists, poets, and community workers. Our events are for educational purposes and we appreciate your tax-deductible donations and continued support. Visit us at www.asiabookcenter.com.
This event is supported in part by a Civic Arts Grant from the City of Berkeley
Eastwind Books Multicultural Services (EBMS) is a 501(3)c non-profit dedicated to the promotion and accessibility of Asian American and Ethnic Multicultural Literature. EBMS is the community education arm of Eastwind Books of Berkeley which is comprised of a dedicated staff of booksellers, artists, poets, and community workers. Our events are for educational purposes and we appreciate your tax-deductible donations and continued support. Visit us at www.asiabookcenter.com.
This event is supported in part by a Civic Arts Grant from the City of Berkeley