Local readers might not recognise the name, but those from Canada or the US will surely recognise Martin Yan as the face of Chinese cuisine in North America. Cityseen talked with the man behind Yan Can Cook - which has aired since 1979 and is shown in more than 60 countries - during a rare visit to Hong Kong.
'The reason why I don't do a lot of stuff here in Hong Kong is that the style for cooking shows is very different here,' he said. 'It's mostly hosted by pretty boys and girls. I'm not good looking and I'm not used to dragging beautiful girls around with me when I work.'
Yan may not be showing Hongkongers how to steam fish any time soon, but he is busy teaching an unusual locale - China. 'It is kind of ironic for me to be going back to China and teaching Chinese people how to cook,' he said.
'But there is a real need there. The lifestyle's changed so much, a lot of young people just never learned how to cook.'
