Wok with Yan

Wok with Yan was a Chinese cuisine cooking show starring Stephen Yan.[1] The show was first produced in Vancouver, British Columbia by CTV affiliate CHAN-DT in the late 1970s, before moving to CBC in 1980 (but shot at CJOH) and continuing there until 1982.[2]

The show then moved into syndication,[3] running until 1995 in that format.

Later sources have occasionally confused the show with Yan Can Cook, an American series hosted by Martin Yan which also aired during the 1980s.[4]

Format

A running gag featured on the show was Yan's wearing of an apron featuring a different pun on the word "wok." Some examples are:

  • Wok & Roll
  • Wokking My Baby Back Home
  • Danger, Yan at Wok
  • Wok Around the Clock
  • Wok the Heck
  • You Are Wok You Eat
  • Wok Goes up Must Come Down
  • Wok's New, Pussycat?
  • Wokkey Night in Canada
  • Stuck Between a Wok and a Hard Place
  • Raiders of The Lost Wok
  • Eat Your Wok Out
  • Moon Wok
  • Wok Your Butts Off
  • Jailhouse Wok
  • Superior Wokmanship
  • Wok-A-Doodle-Doo
  • Wok Before You Run
  • Wok Me Amadeus
  • Wok up Little Susie
  • Wok Don't Run
  • Don't Wok The Boat
  • 101 Ways to Wok the Dog

The humorous aprons also complemented his humour that consisted of spontaneous one-liners spoken with his trademark Cantonese accent or him playing with his food or cookware. That, combined with his energetic personality, endeared him to Canadian viewers. Prior to him preparing his stir fry cuisine, the show usually featured a vignette of Yan travelling to different vacation spots from around the world (e.g., Thailand). He always invited an audience member to come up and eat with him near the end of each episode (there was a ticket draw in the studio audience to sit with him), and had a fortune cookie reading before the meal (first done in Cantonese, then translated in English).

References
  1. Nancy Enright, "Wok's Happening: It's wit of Stephen Yan". The Globe and Mail, July 2, 1980.
  2. Salem Alaton, "Yan makes cooking a 'wok of art': Zany humor adds spice to an offbeat celebration of Chinese culinary delights". The Globe and Mail, July 23, 1982.
  3. Ted Shaw, "Grapes plucked by TV9". Windsor Star, January 13, 1990.
  4. Louise Leger, "TV chefs whip up entertainment as they tempt the palate". The Globe and Mail, July 31, 1993.


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