The Nostalgia Behind Your Favorite Chinese Food | Vincent Yeow Lim | TED

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

My grandfather was a restaurant owner.

我的祖父是餐廳老闆。

My father was a restaurant owner.

我的爸爸是餐廳老闆。

My name is Vincent Yeow Lim.

我是文森‧姚‧林。

I'm a chef, content creator and restaurant owner.

我是廚師、內容創作者， 以及餐廳老闆。

Owning and running a Chinese restaurant

擁有和經營中國餐廳 是我認為人能做的事情當中

is one of the hardest and most valuable things I think you can do.

最困難也最有價值的。

When we first arrived in Australia, my dad opened a Chinese restaurant.

我們剛到澳洲時，我爸爸 開了一家中國餐廳。

I would go there every single day to help him out.

我每天都去那裡幫他。

That was my way to spend time with him.

那是我和他相處的方式。

And slowly I developed my love for cooking.

我慢慢地發展出了對烹飪的熱愛。

At the age of 15,

十五歲時，我就能 用炒鍋烹飪和服務客人。

I was able to use a wok to cook and to serve customers.

Now I’m running a 100-seater Chinese restaurant.

現在，我經營的中國餐廳 有一百個座位。

The hard work that I saw my dad put into Chinese food

我看到我爸爸投入到中國菜的努力，

makes me feel really proud.

讓我感到相當驕傲。

Proud that I was lucky enough to learn from a master.

很驕傲我三生有幸能向大師學藝。

When I tell people that I'm a chef cooking Chinese food,

當我告訴別人， 我是做中國菜的廚師，

I want people to value it the same way that I do.

我希望別人也能像我一樣 重視它的價值。

So what is the value of Chinese food?

那麼，中國菜的價值是什麼？

Is it the taste?

是味道嗎？

Is it the hard work and the training?

是辛勞和訓練嗎？

Or is it the dish's history and the nostalgia it makes us feel?

還是菜餚的歷史 和讓我們感受到的鄉愁？

To me, it is all of those things.

對我來說，以上皆是。

But being in the restaurant industry,

但，身在餐廳業，我可以 告訴各位食物最明顯的價值。

I can tell you the most obvious value of food.

And that is the price at which we choose to set it at.

那就是我們決定為它設定的價格。

The perception of Chinese food is that it is indulgent,

一般對中國菜的看法 就是好吃到讓人沉溺，

yet cheap.

但很便宜。

But the value of Chinese food is so much more than that.

但中國菜的價值遠不只如此。

There is no formal culinary school to train to be a Chinese chef.

沒有正式的烹飪學校 來訓練中國菜廚師。

And after the pandemic,

疫情後，澳洲出現 中國菜廚師的短缺。

there was a shortage of Chinese chefs in Australia.

Now the cost of ingredients,

原料的成本、

labor

人力，

and demand for Chinese food is high.

以及對中國菜的需求都很高。

The amount of skill required to cook the first dish that I ever learned

我學會烹飪出第一道菜餚 所需要的大量技能

doesn't match up to the price.

和價格完全不能比。

The first dish that I ever learned to cook was the fried rice.

我學會做的第一道菜餚，是炒飯。

Fried rice is the easiest dish to cook, but also the hardest dish to get right.

炒飯是最容易做的菜餚，

卻也是最難做對的菜餚。

I actually wasn't allowed to serve customers

事實上，沒把這道菜餚做對 之前我都不准去服務客人。

until I got this dish right.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

The oil goes into the wok first,

先放油到炒鍋裡，

but only when the wok is hot enough.

但得要先等炒鍋夠熱才行。

The egg goes in next.

接著把蛋放進去。

This creates a nonstick coating

這一層的用途是在把米飯放入熱鍋時

for when the rice hits the hot wok.

能避免沾鍋。

(Stove beeps)

（爐子嗶嗶聲）

From experience, you can tell when the rice is too wet

根據經驗，你能判斷米飯是否太濕，

or if the wok is too hot or too cold.

或者炒鍋是否太熱或太冷。

All these small factors will create a different end result.

所有這些小因素都會 造成不同的最終結果。

If the rice is too wet, you lose the smoky aromatic flavor.

如果米飯太濕，

就會失去燻香味。

But if the rice is too dry,

但若米飯太乾，

you're basically eating pebbles.

就會像在吃小卵石。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Now we add a little bit of yum, yum.

現在加入一點點好吃好吃。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Now we add the cooked meats and vegetables.

現在加入熟的肉和蔬菜。

I'm tossing it to combine the flavors of the meat and vegetables with the rice.

我做拋扔的動作是要讓肉 和蔬菜的味道能和米飯結合。

Even if we were to remove all the meat and vegetables,

就算我們把所有的肉和蔬菜都拿掉，

your rice should still have all the flavor.

所有的味道仍然會留在米飯中。

(Sizzling)

（嘶嘶聲）

From years of experience,

根據多年經驗，

I can tell you the difference between a good fried rice

我可以看得出好的炒飯，

just from the feel and from the smell,

且根據感覺和氣味就能分辨，

without even having to take a bite.

甚至不用嚐過。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

And I thought --

我以為——

I thought that was enough.

我以為這樣就夠了。

But I realized cooking with one wok was way too slow.

但我發現，用一個炒鍋 來烹飪實在太慢了。

So I took the knowledge from my dad

所以我借用了我爸的知識，

and taught myself the dual wok cooking technique,

自學了雙炒鍋的烹飪技巧。

using two woks to cook two different dishes at the same time.

同時用兩個炒鍋， 做兩種不同的菜餚。

This requires coordination,

這會需要協調性、

organization and years of training.

組織能力，以及多年訓練。

What makes it harder is the combination of dishes coming up next.

讓難度更高的是後續菜餚的結合。

They have endless possibilities.

可能性有無限多種。

Chow mein, sizzling garlic prawns,

炒麵、鐵板蒜蓉蝦、

egg foo young.

芙蓉蛋。

When one is cooking, the other is served.

烹飪這道菜餚時，另一道就送上桌。

When the other is cooking, the next is served.

烹飪另一道菜餚時， 下一道又送上桌。

The goal is that no matter the combination,

目標是，不論菜餚怎麼組合，

all the dishes get to the table at the same time.

所有的菜餚都能同時上桌。

People expect this in a Chinese restaurant.

大家進中國餐廳會抱這樣的期望。

People expect variety.

大家會期望多樣性。

In a Western restaurant, you open the menu,

在西餐廳，翻開菜單，

there's 20 items.

就那麼二十個項目。

When I first started, I had 300.

我剛開始時，有三百個項目。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

在西餐廳，

In a Western restaurant,

you can often judge the food by the decor,

評斷食物的標準包括裝飾、

the plating of the dishes

菜餚的擺盤，

or even by the number of different forks for each course.

或甚至每一道菜的不同叉子數。

But in a Chinese restaurant, it's a little bit different.

但在中國餐廳就有點不同。

評斷標準可能是像孩子 坐在第一桌做功課。

You can often judge it

by things like the kids sitting on the first table doing their homework.

That's when you know a Chinese restaurant will have amazing food.

那時你就知道這間 中國餐廳的食物超棒。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

I was that kid.

我就是那個孩子。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

To a lot of us Chinese immigrants who started our own restaurants,

對很多自己開餐廳的中國移民而言，

the restaurant isn't just a business.

餐廳不只是生意。

It's a part of our lives.

它是我們人生的一部分。

We eat almost three meals a day there,

我們幾乎一天三餐都在那裡吃，

and often we just use our homes as a place to sleep.

通常我們的家只是睡覺的地方。

We dedicate our lives to these restaurants and to making delicious food.

我們把一生奉獻給餐廳 和做出好吃的菜。

In Chinese cooking, we use a lot of strong flavors

在中式烹飪中， 我們會用很多重口味，

like ginger, garlic, chilies

比如薑、大蒜、辣椒，

and even shrimp paste.

甚至蝦醬。

The different flavors, I think, are why people like Chinese food,

我認為大家喜歡中國菜 是因為有不同風味。

because every bite is different, and you never really get bored.

因為每一口都不一樣， 永遠不會感到無聊。

But flavors, flavors are also built with the tools we use.

但口味，口味也 來自我們用的工具。

When you use a wok, you get wok hei,

用炒鍋時，會有鑊氣，

known as "breath of the dragon."

也就是「龍之氣息」。

Wok hei is the reason why noodles and rice always taste better at a restaurant

餐廳的麵和飯總是比自己在家 做的好吃就是因為鑊氣。

than when you try to cook it at home.

鑊氣是油氣化到空氣中， 造成一種燻香味。

Wok hei is the combustion of oils in the air

that make that smoky aromatic flavor.

But wok hei also tastes like nostalgia.

但鑊氣也是種鄉愁的味道。

Growing up in Malaysia, the kitchens are outside, just like this.

在馬來西亞長大，廚房都在外頭，

就像這樣。

You can smell every ingredient that goes into the wok.

你可以聞到放入 炒鍋中的每一種原料。

The air is thick with humidity,

空氣因為潮濕所以很黏稠，

and the fragrances of the food, they linger around so much longer.

還有食物的香味， 它們會在附近滯留更久許多。

Those memories, they become nostalgic.

那些記憶變成帶著鄉愁。

The sense of home is what I feel when I taste Chinese wok cooking.

當我嚐到中式炒鍋烹飪的 食物時，會有家的感覺。

Nostalgia is what makes a good dish taste ten times better

鄉愁讓好吃的菜餚嚐起來好吃十倍，

and that much more valuable.

帶著那麼大的價值。

But the value of Chinese food

但中國菜的價值通常會 被拿來和速食相提並論，

is often compared to fast food, quick and cheap.

快速又便宜。

Although we've spent years developing skills to cook faster,

雖然我們花數年的時間 來發展能烹飪得更快的技巧，

Chinese food isn't fast food.

但中國菜並不是速食。

It requires skills, mastery of ingredients and nostalgia.

它需要技巧、精通原料，以及鄉愁。

In 2017, my dad passed away.

2017 年，

我爸爸過世了。

I looked up to him.

我很敬重他。

He was my best friend.

他是我最好的朋友。

When he passed away, I realized --

他過世時，我了解到——

I realized my passion of cooking dishes from my childhood.

我了解到我從兒時 就對烹飪菜餚有著熱情。

I was working as a chef at an airline’s first class lounge at the time,

當時我在航空公司的 頭等艙貴賓室當廚師，

but I didn't have any memories of the dishes I was cooking.

但我對我所做的菜餚 都沒有任何記憶。

I wanted to feel closer to my dad.

我想要感覺更靠近我爸爸。

So I quit.

所以我辭職了。

I dropped out of university on my last semester.

我在大學最後一學期退學了。

I hopped onto a plane, and I flew over here to Sydney.

我跳上飛機，飛到雪黎這裡，

And I took over the restaurant that I own today.

接手了現今我擁有的這家餐廳。

I wanted to record everything that my dad taught me,

我想記錄下我爸爸教過我的一切，

so I shared it on social media.

所以我在社群媒體上分享。

It went viral.

結果被瘋傳。

Hundreds of millions of views.

有數億人點閱。

A lot of people related to the recipes that I was cooking

很多人能和我烹飪的食譜產生連結，

because it was what they grew up eating with their parents.

因為他們被父母帶大時就是吃那些。

I remember this one fried rice he made.

我記得他做過一道炒飯，

I was eight years old at the time.

我當時八歲。

It was the first time I recall my dad stepping into the kitchen cooking.

那是我第一個關於爸爸 進到廚房烹飪的記憶。

He made this fried rice

他做了炒飯，

with spam, seafood, peas

加上罐頭豬肉、海鮮、豌豆，

and a little bit of dark soy sauce.

和一點黑醬油。

It was a little bit salty,

吃起來有點鹹，

but it was the best fried rice that I've ever had.

但那是我吃過最棒的炒飯。

I cook and I've always cooked because it was a way to connect to my dad.

我烹飪，且我總是在烹飪，

因為那是和我爸爸連結的一種方式。

It was something that we shared.

那是我們共有的。

Cooking represents all the hard work and memories that we had,

烹飪代表我們做過的 所有努力和共有的記憶，

learning the art, mastering the skills

學習這門藝術，精通這些技能，

and understanding the history of Chinese food.

以及了解中國菜的歷史。

To me, the value of Chinese food

對我而言，中國菜的價值

is so much more than the prices you pay at my restaurant.

遠遠高過你在我的餐廳所付的價格。

So the next time you visit a Chinese restaurant,

所以，下次你去中國餐廳時，

just remember.

切記，

It's not just a plate of fried rice.

那不只是一盤炒飯，

It's so much more than that.

遠不只那樣。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）