Wu also put together a student cookbook featuring dishes that took only 10 minutes to prepare and used simple ingredients from the supermarket.
"There were 30 dishes in the cookbook, including steamed fish, grilled chicken, Ma Po tofu and even sour-and-spicy soup," Wu said.
"It's very easy to make all these dishes," he said, "but the tips in my cookbook helped not only to make quick dishes but also save money."
In 1989, Wu completed his studies and returned to Taiwan. The following Lunar New Year holiday, when he returned to his family home in Changhua County, he herded all his female relatives out of the kitchen and prepared a full Lunar New Year banquet. The meal was a great success and the women all wanted to know how he had managed to create such good food.
"It was the only time I was allowed to cook for Lunar New Year. Everyone else had nothing to do because I was doing all the work," Wu said. "My aunts felt embarrassed since their cooking wasn't as good as mine. So now I am only the consultant."
Although Wu hasn't been active in the kitchen for many years now, he still gets excited talking about his cooking experiences. While many people envy his talent, he still remembers the learning process which cost him a piece of a finger.
"Now I talk about these things like they are all good memories, but at that time it was a nightmare," Wu said. "When the restaurant was full, we were so busy and stressed out. But I am proud that I was able to deal with the pressure."
"In 1995 when I visited the US for a conference, I returned to St. Louis and the Yen Ching Chinese restaurant. Business was better than ever but Chef Lin who had trained me had left and opened his own establishment," Wu said.
"Recalling those experiences is like having wonderful dreams. However, the real feeling of being in a hectic kitchen was a nightmare," he said.
"Whenever I feel a lot of pressure from work, I often dream of those busy days at the Yen Ching and wake up in a cold sweat," he said.
RSS