Harvard University

I picked up my first stirring spoon when I was barely taller than the range oven. Standing on a wooden stool and quaveringly gripping the metal handle of the heavy pan, I first attempted to cook in the hope of easing the burdens of my parents’ busy lives. I began with simple dishes such as scrambled eggs and salads, and gradually proceeded to more complex cuisines, such as stir-frying. At the time the complexity did not seem challenging at all – simply cutting the vegetables into pieces, dropping all the chopped ingredients into the pan, stirring, and adding the prescribed amount of spices. I…