The Captain’s Word is Law

My mother is from Taipei but grew up part of the time in Oxford, England, so between her and my Chinese-American father, our dinner table was a mixed bag of East meets West. One night we would have steamed bass with scallions and soy or chicken hearts with black bean sauce, and the next it would be shepherd’s pie, a T-bone steak or, on weekends, prime rib. But no matter what, there was always something steamed.

My father is one of the biggest influences in my life. He was kind and thoughtful and fierce in his love for his children and his family. He came up in the kitchen, working in my auntie’s restaurant, the inimitable Ruby Chow’s. He washed dishes alongside Bruce Lee and shook hands with Warren