Fast food? The true value of Chinese cooking | Vincent Yeow Lim | TEDxSydney

Vincent Yeow Lim was the kid doing his homework at one of the tables in his dad's Chinese restaurant. Now a restaurant owner himself, he asks why Chinese food is considered cheap, fast food, despite the skill required to cook it, and the long tradition and history behind it. In this talk, Vincent cooks the first dish his dad ever taught him - the simplest, but also the hardest to get right - Fried Rice.
DIMSIMLIM a.k.a Vincent Yeow Lim is a restaurant owner, chef & one of Australia’s most popular online content creators on TikTok, Instagram & KZbin. He is on a journey to showcase the true art of wok style cooking to the western world with a lil bit of YumYum. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@MrShem123ist]

When he started cooking, I felt that something was missing and then he said, "Now we add a little bit of yum yum." That was so satisfying.

[@tradewalker8187]

ew , that's just MSG, meaning heart problems and blood pressure problems at the age of 50

[@MrShem123ist]

@@tradewalker8187 US FDA has already classified this ingredient as generally safe. Of course, moderation is key. (Same can be said with salt)

[@mattbourke603]

US FDA HAHAHAHA

[@wokgod]

Thank you so much for listening to my TEDx Talk 🫶

[@RoryBland]

😂

[@priyac3760]

You rocked it....way to go

[@Mels1705]

Loved this bro! Well done

[@peterichards4317]

Awesome presentation. Loved hearing your story.

[@AllAboutRegine]

Inspiring story! You keep it so natural!

[@JamesBlake3]

"Chinese food isn't fast food. It requires skills, mastery of ingredients, and nostalgia." Something the should be ingrained into people everywhere. To watch traditional Asian food being made, not the Americanized versions, is like watching an art being performed. But with benefit of experiencing the artists masterpiece at the end.

[@levyshi]

don't disparage american chinese food please. esp if you're not chinese.

[@JamesBlake3]

@@levyshi not criticizing American Chinese food. I am referring to the skill it takes to prepare traditional foods. I am Japanese and to see “Americanized Japanese” food being prepared is sometimes insulting. At least around me. Very blatantly incorrect and haphazardly thrown together.

[@user-pm9jr2cr8g]

it aint cheap either

[@DIRKDIGG88]

Agreed. Fried noodles done traditionally is my soul food

[@Lkur2024]

"The kids sitting at their first table doing their homework", literally this was so true and our own experience finding a hidden local gem at Picton NSW Chinese restaurant one evening The foods turned out to be amazing, authentic and at affordable prices. All 14 of us were amazed as we didn't have high expectations when we came

[@dianagusprioutomo5870]

"Cooking represents all the hard work and memories." I DO LIKE THIS SENTENCE. Thanks a lot, you have tough us about a life, real life.

[@dianagusprioutomo5870]

@Аб дулла it depends our point view

[@shays7815]

I loved this talk. It was so heartfelt and touching. I got teary eyed by picturing him and his father cooking and making memories.

[@MelinaTEntertainment]

WOW! My family also owns a Chinese restaurant, father and grandfather were immigrants. Relate to the 1st table of us doing homework growing up too. What an inspirational talk, one which made me realize how much I hold dear, my parents, the memories intertwined with the flavors of our culture and home. THANK YOU!

[@Esoteric312]

Chef Lim's key word is nostalgia. Even with dumplings, the accuracy and precision needed to make those requires skillful mastery. Eastern cuisine has so much humble food that were made by peasants and passed down to so many generations. I take pride in where I come from, and as a Korean American woman, I have a higher appreciation for it now that I am older. Working in restaurants for several years also gives me the opportunity to showcase Asian cuisine in the light that it deserves. Thank you so much for this Ted Talk and making me realize I am not alone in my passion!

[@Letmein111]

im malaysian and currently on my 3rd year studying in russia. hes right. every chinese restaurant have that one kid doing their homework 😂 but most importantly, when he said nostalgia.. oh god i miss my country. SEAsia is the home of AMAZING food, and i might say, one of the most - delicious food in the world. im grateful for where i came from, bcs if not i would never taste real food and real savoury. thank you vincent, you made me tear a lil bit lol.

[@alww28]

growing up in malaysia, my parents runs a street makeshift “restaurant “ for over 60 yrs. Our parents raised 10 kids, some are now ceo, doctors and finance experts. The entire family works at the restaurant. It was very hard work. No social media at the time, every customer was hard earned by providing good value food and building a personal friendship with the customer. We know theirs and their grandchildren names, and if not, we will make one up for you. It is one of a kind experience and I hope you enjoy it despite the hardwork.

[@rafisuryana9503]

Your parents must be so proud to have such successful kids, they can humble brag anytime and anywhere 😂

[@bruhbro1181]

hey bro I'm from the other side of the courseway

[@linuxman7777]

Beautifully done. The issue with Chinese food and price is that it is so ubiquitous that all that competition drives down prices. Like how my friend worked at a restaurant about 20mi from where I lived, I liked supporting him and his restaurant, but on the way there I would drive past 5 Restaurants that were also Chinese places, and he would often say that I didn't have to go all that way just to visit him when other options were available.

[@aznfattass]

Dang, my pops used to own a Chinese take out before the rent got too high. Man was on two woks at the same time and working on the broiler and deep fryer when he lacked workers. Now he's a foreman, dude is a hero on paper.

[@t44n3st]

Seems to me your pops is a hero in real life, too. :)

[@michaelwong1908]

That's truly touching. I lost my parents couple of years ago, and I miss them dearly. Thankfully, teaching my kids, now 13, to make fried rice has become a meaningful way to share his memory and create new bonds.

[@MikhailFederov]

lmao ok relax

[@ramenbatman]

"The kids sitting at their first table doing their homework" so much truth to that statement

[@samg5555]

Great job. Tears in my eyes watching him talk. Seeing his passion for cooking and hearing him talk about his dad really got to me. Thank you. Beautiful job. I now have a new appreciation for Chinese food.

[@anthonyfong4922]

Thank you...this made me teary too as you are correct...for a lot of Asians, the restaurant was a second home away from home. We have a lot of memories forged in these beautiful places and the food, drinks and environment just gels things together. Even as a 50 year old man now, whenever I am back in Sydney, I will bring my kids to places I have eaten and tell them stories and recollections of my life. Thank you to all the sifu in the kitchens and the staff that makes everything a great memory

[@harveyscottz]

David Chang was right on when he said that our food industry also experienced racism, from the grocery market aisles where "Asian items" are not placed in the International Section or the value of Asian dishes like Chinese food is not perceived as the same level as Italian food from price value to recognition.

[@gabequezada2066]

Over the last few weeks ive come to admire this young man...bless him

[@GreenLanternJC]

You had me in tears as this connects directly to my early life with my family in the Chinese restaurant life. The memories and the nostagia is truly deep. Thank you for bringing me back to the early days.

[@jameshowcroft321]

What a beautiful speech , your Dad would be so proud , good on you champ love your words , you are amazing thank you 🙏

[@billyjoebeanie4468]

Fellow Chinese restaurant kid here as well from USA (Virginia). Was never easy growing up in our environments but am wishing Vincent and others out there raised like us nothing but the best.

[@leo_hoang]

Followed you on the other social platforms - you’ve been killing it… I can tell how hard that was for you to talk about your dad without breaking, you don’t well to stay strong… stay strong 💪

[@ninjaundermyskin]

This was awesome. I remember folding menus in the Chinese restaurant owned by our family friends. What stood out to me, even as a child, was how hard everyone worked to support their business and their dream

[@abmelvic5066]

Vincent is brilliant. I hope he becomes a multimillionaire Chinese cook! He is a brilliant speaker, cook, influencer!

[@qinshi-huang8791]

I'm pretty sure he's already a multi millionaire

[@SquidandCatAdventures]

I live in Vancouver, BC. It's an area that is fortunate to have many Chinese restaurants representing many different regions and price levels. Even many non-Chinese people get that there is such a thing as formal (or fine dining) Chinese food here (and they are expensive here). But reading Google reviews, there are still some that don't have a clue of the traditions and expect it all to be the cheap and Westernized version. Btw, what this means also varies regionally. I've only recently realized that there is a dish that originated in New York that is hard to even find on menus here - the orange chicken. Here it's almond chicken or lemon chicken if you are really looking for the Westernized Chinese food (you can also find it in some of the mall food courts, but some of our malls are also all Asian and have amazing authentic food). I appreciate the Westernized too - to do it well still takes skill and it is its own cultural phenomenon. It kind of bothered me that he made the fried rice and then it sat there losing its ideal temperature, taste, and texture (stir fry is best right after making it) with no one eating it, not even a taste. Felt like a waste, even if it was a stage fried rice, lol. Not very Chinese, lol. I would have been happy with him handing it with a spoon to one person in the front. Nice talk.

[@reelesp3261]

So, I have to look for the Chinese restaurant owner's kid doing their homework at the restaurant to make sure the food is amazing. Thank you for the tip!

[@jeannie101]

This got me emotional

[@mr.cookie7308]

The Chinese diaspora all around the world work extremely hard to earn a living. Food is a central part of the Chinese experience, of oppulence, of the pain and hunger the people endured, or the changing seasons and the times. Next time, when you go into a Chinese restaurant, just tip a little extra and say thank you for allowing us to enjoy your beautiful food.

[@wintercame]

I will!

[@Hay8137g]

Chinese food is so undervalued. It took covid to realize all the prices, and value of these valuable skills and techniques.

[@lanakloch559]

you are amazing.. you are such a wonderful lecturer.. you hold our attention and have a great sense of humor.. proud of you.. from california, usa..

[@regiasama3565]

Everything you said about Chinese cooking is so true. I am a chef too, though not Chinese by blood but for e Chinese food reigns supreme. Not thefrench or italian cooking will ever beat chinese.

[@Chickadeebunny]

Love this, chinese food is a gift from heaven. And the chefs work so hard we love them.

[@balirajverma1125]

Which country you are belong

[@smith3136]

wok so hard

[@Chickadeebunny]

@@smith3136 😂😂😂

[@kuahlinliang3555]

Sending love from Malaysia, sorry for your loss.

[@cryptotonic567]

I love noodles and fried rice and you can definetly taste and feel the passion and love of the person cooking It! It s amazing keep those memories and tradition alive!

[@littleskittles9589]

This is the most refreshing talk I've watched in a while.

[@brucelee5576]

The western world really needs more restaurants that sever real Chinese food. What we all know as Chinese takeout in America is really truly American.

[@byadyatama]

just by the way he always took a second to stare at his wok, let me tell you something man, that thing is very special to him.

[@ohmikesroh5904]

What came cross was your love and bond with your dad... You both must he proud of each other and love each other very much. Your dad taught you well and given you that love and enjoyment for cooking. Happy memories, happy life. Congratulations on your success. You have earned it well!!

[@CheeLiangLam]

Thank you Chef Vincent for your inspiring story on nostalgia, an important aspect to cooking when you are not in your kampung.

[@Darkvader401]

Proud of you taking over your dad’s master of Chinese cooking. 👍👍👍👍👍

[@ricardomanrique9125]

Thank you for share your dad memories. You feel proud of him.Its amazing how you teach to cook.Thank you again.

[@junyuzhang414]

This is so beautifully said and demonstrated - love it

[@boonjabby]

I have to admit I teared up when he talked about his dad

[@nuvamusic]

The Chinese way of cooking is actually the smartest way of cooking. It’s about getting a wide variety of delicious food on the table in the shortest time possible. Efficiency at its best. It’s “fast” food because it’s smart cooking.

[@JackLy777]

Great work Vincent!

[@jianhongwu8627]

Hola Vincent, que buen speech tuviste , lo que hablaste fue el sentimiento que he guardado en mi por años, porque también crecí en ambiente restaurante de comida china aqui en méxico, pasé mi infancia ayudando al restaurante de mis papas, odiaba de estar todos los días en el restaurante y decía que no vale nada lo que estaba haciendo y meno aprecia el labor de los cocineros, pero conforme creciendo me dí cuenta que tenia una infancia muy especial que los demás no la tiene, y gracias por esta experiencia ahora ya tengo mi propio negocio de restaurantes y estoy orgulloso de decirle a todo que soy cocinero que aprendí de cocinar de una cocina de restaurante chino, saludos.

[@Eric-kg5mh]

Awesome speech. Well done!

[@miamiwong687]

Your presentation gave my goosebumps. I went through my childhood similar to yours. Although I didn’t follow my father’s footsteps to continue with his restaurant business but my memories of him and his mastery of cooking remain till today. Well done and thank you for sharing your childhood and your challenges to reach culinary success with your business and social media content. All the best.

[@amyloo4112]

Great job!

[@castielchieng7475]

Chinese food is fast because of the chef's mastery and skills. They might not have the best look but the taste is on another level

[@graceandmarvellouswonders6249]

Winners smile and inspiring story thank you

[@iansilverlight4540]

The restaurant is the front "business" run with family's heart..it is never fast food, but efficient mastery of skills. There is martial... there is culinary art

[@djboogie504no]

he is awesome !!! cooking skills are on point !!

[@lowchristopher5226]

Proud of you! Malaysia proud of you too!

[@tudemerta]

Love his cooking videos!

[@khurshidahmed1060]

Khurshid Ahmed

[@AusMed420]

And a little bit of yum yum!

[@grahamcharlton861]

What is yum yum

[@AusMed420]

@@grahamcharlton861 I'm guessing it's monosodium glutamate. it's widely used by Chinese cooks but got a bad rep in Australia many years ago,.

[@distortdude80]

MSG. It's basically salt with 200 IQ. But it's high in sodium that's why too much of it is a health risk.

[@homefoods89]

Man thanks for sharing all of this

[@conned]

The old Chinese chefs don't share this, they let their cooking do the talking, no social media then .. Food doesn't have to Michelin , it just have to enjoyable n meaningful. It's not just taste, tongue, it's the heart, culture, memories, heritage

[@sejinbyun9758]

I'm soooo proud of you Vincent miss u xx

[@mapagmasidtv]

Yo dimsim lim😢😢😢😢 thanks for sharing your memories and nostalagia about the food…❤❤❤❤❤

[@cheryl_heidemann]

Chef Lim l love what you stand for in your cooking and boy do l wish you were my neighbor! you cook from the heart that’s so beautiful lam old but still wish you were my neighbor God bless you your Fad is looking down at you and he is so proud of how you turned out !❤God bless you ! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@temy2009]

❤❤❤❤❤ heart to heart... delicious of your dishes arived here 👍🏼

[@CoolGirl007]

Frying rice is difficult it always stick on the wok but this chef doing well without messy 😄

[@petraleong]

For it not to stick you have to wait for the wok to be hot enough. But when the wok is hot, it’s easy to burnt the rice and ingredients, thus why it is easy to cook hard to master.

[@Alkhatibr]

It was a great TED Talk but what he said kind of just applies to all types of food and restaurants as I'm sure a Hispanic, middle eastern, African, American, etc would say the same thing. He draws the comparison between Chinese food and fine dining when really theyre just different. You can find different levels of dining for asian food such as how many would consider Panda Express a much nicer setting than your standard Chinese take out location, and you can easily find gourmet fine dining Chinese restaurants as well. What he should've based the TED Talk is on the importance and greatness of mom and pop restaurants as like he said theyre generally cheaper, not as aesthetically pleasing but just as good if not better than your standard chain restaurant or high end restaurant due to the chefs/cooks spending years learning and perfecting their craft that they have a passion for.

[@hobear637]

This was beautiful.

[@cjdipper100]

I wish it was longer

[@spinzerus]

You’re amazing!

[@MindMagick222]

I still can’t get over how fast he cooked that meal which looked totally amazing btw. In like THREE freakin min HOW!!! TAkes me longer just to warm up my rice pot 🙄🙄🤣🤣 So cool!!! I have an even deeper respect for my favorite “fast food”! ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

[@avicharlton]

Always use leftover rice for fried rice :) You can also freeze leftover rice

[@DivineAtheistWannabe]

​@@avicharlton the chef argues otherwise. I've always used fresh rice and never had an issue. As long as you cook the rice properly fresh should be fine. The main priority with fried rice is the fluffy texture and grain separation I.e. not in clumps. If you can achieve that its not necessary to use old rice. And imo it's easier to achieve with properly cooked fresh rice.

[@DivineAtheistWannabe]

​@@avicharlton the chef argues otherwise. I've always used fresh rice and never had an issue. As long as you cook the rice properly fresh should be fine. The main priority with fried rice is the fluffy texture and grain separation I.e. not in clumps. If you can achieve that its not necessary to use old rice. And imo it's easier to achieve with properly cooked fresh rice.

[@fumomeats1141]

Incredible

[@barbros2023]

You're an inspiration love u bro

[@ahkoy973]

A TED Talk like no other ❤

[@t.h.1784]

My dad taught me to use 4 chopsticks in a wok to create diy steamer. So smart !

[@lukeishikawa9215]

Amazing sharing chef

[@DashofTing]

Proud of you, Aussie bestie @dimsimlim ! Keep going and inspire us to keep learning and growing! Your dad would be so proud of you. PS. Can you make you your fried rice when you coming visit me? lol

[@zshastikay336]

God of Wok at his best 🎉 .. Congrats & wishing you all best from a fellow Malaysian 😊.

[@HevaNaisdey]

It's fast-cooking, not fast-food. The techniques and the tools they use is extremely efficient

[@snookerson9292]

Keep it going!

[@danltm]

Kudos! The cooking makes u relax and in the element! Jiayou

[@JXiong-zo8ig]

Anything cooked in a Wok is the BEST in the world, hands down!!!

[@helenfoong3696]

Yes, food connects us..

[@SQUAREDONO]

Love it

[@KlassicApparel]

well done buddy. keep it up

[@utopia998]

I'm a big fan of you dimsimlim! You are definitely one of my biggest role model when it comes to cooking!

[@justicemoody]

Well done.

[@paulxing5865]

Came for Ted talk on fried rice, ended up bawling my eyes out

[@davidmccann9468]

Now I’m crying while ordering fried rice 🥲

[@graemeaustralia221]

you spoke great Vincent and I myself have always thought Chinese food was not only the best food but undervalued

[@anon2218]

Good Ted talk

[@angelo6460]

That was a nice speech

[@saharbelhouchet]

I'm obsessed with Chinese food ❤and traditional.. One day I'm going to visit China ❤

[@jotk9440]

Congratulations 👏

[@JenniferDacon]

cool!

[@kikyoass]

Congrats bro 😎

[@1JoyPeace]

Margaret Kuo served the best Chinese food growing up in her restaurant. Never realized people considered it cheap until I left home. Now I'm hungry. 😋

[@blueworm123]

Anyone know the model of electric wok stove?

[@binder946]

I saw Dan lok haircut nice and sharp. Nice cooking

[@ult11mo]

Wow. Mr. Yumyum was on Tedtalk

[@bukurie6861]

Thank you for your cook and your traditional chinese food delici🥰ous and so fast!Congratulation own you today😍📸💥

[@utkarshsrivastava6077]

Yeh bro I feel you

[@sistermaria1028]

From Heaven The Good God and your Dad are watching over you... God Bless you. Thank you for your yam yam Blessings.