Acknowledgments

“Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand.”—Chinese proverb

I have so many people to thank for this book but I am most grateful to my late mother Leeann. As if she was answering to a higher calling (the Kitchen God, perhaps?), she made it her steadfast mission in life to instill a love of Chinese cooking in her children. She could have done this purely by example, we as the willing and appreciative participants watching with amazement at her culinary prowess in the kitchen. This would not be the case. I can remember being five years old standing by her side while she showed me how to fold creases in her delicious potstickers. She’d watch patiently and work with me until I felt comfortable, practicing over and over again. In these early moments together, I began to understand.