For chef Yan, food reflects culture

Over the past 40 years, Master Chef Martin Yan has hosted more than

1,500 episodes of “Yan

Can Cook” on PBS. Back then, there was no Food Network or Cooking Channel. A few star chefs like Julia Child and Graham Kerr (“The Galloping Gourmet”) had their own series, but the climate for cooking shows was much different in 1982 than it is today.

Now in his 70s, Yan is still busy at work not only with the series that made him famous, but with

“MY Chinatown,” his new YouTube project, where he offers historic background and cooking in his usual easy-to-digest manner. Born in Guangzhou, China, Yan now calls California’s Bay Area home. Yan said he has been staying healthy throughout the pandemic by eating vegetables from his plentiful garden (which he showed off during our Zoom interview) and walking his dog. Fans may stay in touch with Yan on Instagram (@chefmartinyan) and Facebook (facebook.com/chefmartinyan). because it was not very good. When you come over older (like I did), you’ll always have an accent. It’s very difficult to shake.

In the U.S., I think we tend to be in a rush. Eat food while we’re doing something else. I think food in general is an integral part of life for people in Asia, not just for eating but socializing. They spend a lot of time eating in the restaurant at those big tables with the large (Lazy Susans) in the middle. You can have 14 or more people around the table and get work done in a relaxed setting and no one feels left out at the end of the table. Sharing and eating family style is integral and that’s not as big a part in the West, except maybe countries like France and Italy.

We did a trip from North to South Korea and then went to Jeju Island, where I dove with the haenyeo (female divers who harvest seafood). Three of the women I dove with were 69, 74 and 82.

I love Chicago. It’s a beautiful city right by the lake. I enjoy walking on the lakefront. I love all the museums there, like the Shedd Aquarium.

I plan to go to Africa. My wife and I were supposed to go there two years ago, but the trip was delayed (because of the pandemic). That’s one place I really want to go to, to see the unspoiled nature, eat the delicious food and meet the people.

This shouldn’t be that complicated. When an airline cancels your flight, the refund should be automatic. You shouldn’t have to chase down your money, even if it’s in the middle of a pandemic.

SriLankan Airlines should have immediately refunded your money to your travel agent, GotoGate. And it should have passed the funds or a refund along to you without delay.

As I’ve noted before, you might have expected a brief delay during the initial outbreak, but this happened at the end of 2020. Planes were flying. Online agencies were accepting reservations. There’s no excuse.

So, what happened? Well, it looks like you made your booking through a third party, a German online agency called MyTrip. It appears the agency then contracted with GotoGate for your tickets, which then made the reservation through SriLankan Airlines. That’s a lot of parties involved but not uncommon.

I get a lot of emails from readers asking why people bother dealing with third parties. Why not book directly through an airline? In your case, that would have vastly simplified the refund process. But others might want to work with a trusted travel advisor or access special deals that an online agency might have.

You kept a comprehensive paper trail. You have an email from MyTrip verifying that SriLankan Airlines processed the refund in December. That’s a key piece of evidence, and all my team and I needed to crack this case.

Question is, could you have done it yourself? I think so.

You could have appealed to an executive at GotoGate (we publish the names, numbers and email addresses of GotoGate’s customer service managers on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org).

You might have also considered contacting your credit card issuer to initiate a dispute. The Central Bank of Nigeria allows for credit card chargebacks under certain circumstances, and you might have been able to secure a full refund even without the cooperation of the airline or online agent.

It took a while, but GotoGate finally responded directly to you and sent the full refund.

Christopher Elliott is the chief advocacy officer of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers resolve their problems. Elliott’s latest book is “How To Be The World’s Smartest Traveler” (National Geographic). Contact him at elliott.org/ help or chris@elliott.org.

Celebrity chef Martin Yan said that diving for seafood in South Korea was one of his favorite travel memories.