Go to Town On: wok lessons with Grace Young
On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to attend a cooking demonstration in the Class of 1953 Commons with Grace Young, a self-proclaimed “poet laureate of the wok” and “stir-fry guru.” Young introduced herself to me with a firm handshake and a strong voice. I learned after a brief chat with Young that she and I share an ancestral connection to the same province in China — Guangdong. Cuisines from this area have influenced Young’s dishes and cooking style, she said.
“There’s a lot of power in taste memory,” Young said. As a testament to that power, Young’s career now revolves around the perfecting the dishes her mother so lovingly prepared for her and her brother growing up.
At Wednesday's demonstration, Young prepared two dishes: vegetarian fried rice and a chicken and vegetable stir-fry, both of which probably took a grand total of ten minutes to cook. Along with about seven other students who attended the demo, I stared (and salivated) in utter bewilderment, contemplating how such delicious dishes were whipped up so quickly before our eyes. We got to sample her creations and the entire group unanimously affirmed our satisfaction through emphatic nodding — since our mouths were too busy chewing. Her dishes were simple yet flavorful, non-fussy but punchy. A tip for soon-to-be grads: invest in a wok for cheap, quick dishes! If you missed your chance to attend Young’s demonstration or try her menu items, wok (ha!) on over to 1953 Commons every third Wednesday of the term to sample selections from her collection of recipes.
Young is the author of three cookbooks — "The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen: Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing," "The Breath of a Wok" and "Stir Frying to the Sky’s Edge."