The Cooks of Sun Tak Yuen

First, it is said that a happy life in China is assured if you live in Hangzhou, a beautiful city of lakes and pavilions; marry in Suzhou, the city with the most beautiful people; dine in Guangzhou, home to the country’s best food; and die in Liuzhou, where the wood used for coffins is the most fragrant. It is also said that if you are born in Sun Tak Yuen, which lies just outside of Guangzhou, you are born to cook. You need only mention—one cook to another, one gastronome to another—that you are from Sun Tak Yuen, and a knowing smile appears, quickly followed by the words “you must be a cook.” I was born in Sun Tak Yuen, and I know I was born to cook.