Bay Area chef/author Compestine turns COVID fears into lesson about compassion
Susan Faust November 8, 2022 Updated: November 9, 2022, 6:01 pm
Author Ying Chang Compestine
Photo: Ying Chang Compestine
Photo: Ying Chang Compestine
Wuhan is not just the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s what East Bay author Ying Chang Compestine wants to show in “Morning Sun in Wuhan,” a multifaceted novel set at the start of the outbreak in early 2020 that reads like a love letter to her beloved but beleaguered birthplace.
The story centers on 13-year-old Mei as she copes with grief, plus COVID-induced fears and isolation. Her mother recently died of an accident, and her father has 24/7 duties as a respiratory doctor at Yangtze Hospital. With the deepening crisis, Mei is left on her own to play a computer cooking game and prepare food, at first, mostly for herself.
Thus, slipped into Mei’s gripping, day-by-day, monthlong account are passages of WeChat conversations and 10 easy-to-make recipes. (I tried out the lettuce cups, kung pao beef and hot dry noodles. Delicious!) Not surprisingly, Mei loves to cook — after all, Compestine is a TV chef, food consultant and cookbook author.
A child of the Cultural Revolution, Compestine emerged from its brutality and deprivation to joyously celebrate Chinese culture and cuisine in her 17 books for children, all published in the U.S. (Three more out this fall.) “Morning Sun in Wuhan” is no exception. But intertwined are other goals: to encourage girl power, counter racism, honor selflessness and extol community spirit.
Nearly three years ago, Compestine was set for a trip to Wuhan when her best friend in China called about a new virus. “Don’t worry, it’s not transmitted human to human,” Compestine recalled her friend telling her. Then Compestine remembered her mother’s advice: “Always listen to what is not being said. … You grow up in the Cultural Revolution … you have to survive.”
That’s when Compestine canceled her trip. Two weeks later, a quarantine locked down the city.
The story centers on 13-year-old Mei as she copes with grief, plus COVID-induced fears and isolation. Her mother recently died of an accident, and her father has 24/7 duties as a respiratory doctor at Yangtze Hospital. With the deepening crisis, Mei is left on her own to play a computer cooking game and prepare food, at first, mostly for herself.
Thus, slipped into Mei’s gripping, day-by-day, monthlong account are passages of WeChat conversations and 10 easy-to-make recipes. (I tried out the lettuce cups, kung pao beef and hot dry noodles. Delicious!) Not surprisingly, Mei loves to cook — after all, Compestine is a TV chef, food consultant and cookbook author.
A child of the Cultural Revolution, Compestine emerged from its brutality and deprivation to joyously celebrate Chinese culture and cuisine in her 17 books for children, all published in the U.S. (Three more out this fall.) “Morning Sun in Wuhan” is no exception. But intertwined are other goals: to encourage girl power, counter racism, honor selflessness and extol community spirit.
Nearly three years ago, Compestine was set for a trip to Wuhan when her best friend in China called about a new virus. “Don’t worry, it’s not transmitted human to human,” Compestine recalled her friend telling her. Then Compestine remembered her mother’s advice: “Always listen to what is not being said. … You grow up in the Cultural Revolution … you have to survive.”
That’s when Compestine canceled her trip. Two weeks later, a quarantine locked down the city.
Author Ying Chang Compestine’s new novel, “Morning Sun in Wuhan.”
Photo: Clarion
Photo: Clarion
The situation was dire — a mysterious illness, overrun hospitals, not enough medical equipment or protective gear, no known treatment, food shortages, bodies piling up. Compestine found herself going crazy with worry for her family and friends. Far from the chaos, she said she cooked constantly and stayed up late to keep an eye on the stream of coronavirus updates.
“I watched all the news. It was just getting darker and darker, and I was just devastated,” she told The Chronicle during a recent video call from her home in Lafayette.
Desperate to know what was happening, Compestine relied on information from Chinese American friends, phone calls to her brother in Wuhan, TV news reports and blogs, some quickly blocked by the sensitive Chinese government. One day, still during the height of the pandemic, Compestine read about a group of young volunteers cooking for frontline workers.
“That’s when I saw that I have to write about this,” she said. “You know, this is goodness in the darkest time. I spent a lot of nights thinking about what I would do. … I probably would find a way to help too.”
And that is just what Mei does in the book. She distributes groceries in her apartment compound and enlists other children to work in an emergency kitchen to feed the hungry. Her story emphasizes how the people of Wuhan came together to share and survive.
Video clips of actual events in Wuhan are the basis for harrowing scenes in the book, Compestine said, such as a hospital nurse besieged by patients and the frantic girl chasing after an ambulance carrying away her dead mother. “It’s like a hell, like the end of the world,” the author said of seeing those scenes. “It just made my heart break.”
Photos from the time provided more on-the-ground detail. For example, Compestine could see how, without approved protective equipment, people had to improvise, turning plastic water jugs into helmets, and bras and grapefruit peels into masks.
After her acclaimed first novel, 2007’s “Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party,” Compestine had no intention of writing another middle-grade novel. That fictionalized memoir about growing up during the Cultural Revolution dredged up deep pain from her past. Her parents, both doctors, were denounced as enemies of the state. She was ostracized at school and lonely. But, the COVID crisis in Wuhan, she said, spoke to her heart.
From the beginning, disinformation sparked the idea that Asians spread the COVID virus. Such scapegoating continues to fuel ugly incidents in the United States. Compestine said her friends took to demonstrations, Instagram and YouTube to fight back against the demonization of the Asian American Pacific Islander community. She found her own way, by writing a book that aims to humanize the Chinese people.
“I watched all the news. It was just getting darker and darker, and I was just devastated,” she told The Chronicle during a recent video call from her home in Lafayette.
Desperate to know what was happening, Compestine relied on information from Chinese American friends, phone calls to her brother in Wuhan, TV news reports and blogs, some quickly blocked by the sensitive Chinese government. One day, still during the height of the pandemic, Compestine read about a group of young volunteers cooking for frontline workers.
“That’s when I saw that I have to write about this,” she said. “You know, this is goodness in the darkest time. I spent a lot of nights thinking about what I would do. … I probably would find a way to help too.”
And that is just what Mei does in the book. She distributes groceries in her apartment compound and enlists other children to work in an emergency kitchen to feed the hungry. Her story emphasizes how the people of Wuhan came together to share and survive.
Video clips of actual events in Wuhan are the basis for harrowing scenes in the book, Compestine said, such as a hospital nurse besieged by patients and the frantic girl chasing after an ambulance carrying away her dead mother. “It’s like a hell, like the end of the world,” the author said of seeing those scenes. “It just made my heart break.”
Photos from the time provided more on-the-ground detail. For example, Compestine could see how, without approved protective equipment, people had to improvise, turning plastic water jugs into helmets, and bras and grapefruit peels into masks.
After her acclaimed first novel, 2007’s “Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party,” Compestine had no intention of writing another middle-grade novel. That fictionalized memoir about growing up during the Cultural Revolution dredged up deep pain from her past. Her parents, both doctors, were denounced as enemies of the state. She was ostracized at school and lonely. But, the COVID crisis in Wuhan, she said, spoke to her heart.
From the beginning, disinformation sparked the idea that Asians spread the COVID virus. Such scapegoating continues to fuel ugly incidents in the United States. Compestine said her friends took to demonstrations, Instagram and YouTube to fight back against the demonization of the Asian American Pacific Islander community. She found her own way, by writing a book that aims to humanize the Chinese people.
Author and TV chef Ying Chang Compestine in the kitchen.
Photo: Greg Compestine
Photo: Greg Compestine
Throughout, food is an integral element of “Morning Sun.” Compestine projects unbridled enthusiasm for Wuhan’s cuisine. “It’s the best in all of China,” she proclaimed, adding that she’s particularly homesick for its morning markets full of fresh fish and produce.
Indeed, food is never far from her mind, perhaps because, as a child, she was always hungry. Meat and sugar were rationed and sometimes unavailable. Her grandmother taught her how to cook, she said, in an apartment hallway shared by five families. They had no kitchen, no oven, Compestine recalled, “but sharing food is how we show our friendship and love.”
Sharing food is what Mei does too, and that’s what Compestine hopes American children can learn from the character’s example.
“I want them to know how wonderful the people in Wuhan are and how delicious the food is,” she said. “Most importantly, I want them to know that young people can make a difference. This darkest time can bring out the best in people.”
Morning Sun in Wuhan
By Ying Chang Compestine
(Clarion; 208 pages; $16.99; ages 8-12)
Hicklebee’s presents Ying Chang Compestine: 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10. Free. 1378 Lincoln Ave., San Jose.
www.hicklebees.com
Book Passage presents Ying Chang Compestine: Noon Sunday, Nov. 13. Free. 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera.
www.bookpassage.com
Indeed, food is never far from her mind, perhaps because, as a child, she was always hungry. Meat and sugar were rationed and sometimes unavailable. Her grandmother taught her how to cook, she said, in an apartment hallway shared by five families. They had no kitchen, no oven, Compestine recalled, “but sharing food is how we show our friendship and love.”
Sharing food is what Mei does too, and that’s what Compestine hopes American children can learn from the character’s example.
“I want them to know how wonderful the people in Wuhan are and how delicious the food is,” she said. “Most importantly, I want them to know that young people can make a difference. This darkest time can bring out the best in people.”
Morning Sun in Wuhan
By Ying Chang Compestine
(Clarion; 208 pages; $16.99; ages 8-12)
Hicklebee’s presents Ying Chang Compestine: 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10. Free. 1378 Lincoln Ave., San Jose.
www.hicklebees.com
Book Passage presents Ying Chang Compestine: Noon Sunday, Nov. 13. Free. 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera.
www.bookpassage.com