A Taste of Chinese Culture….And Then Some….

Posted on May 21, 2012 | 1 Comment


Dear #1 Fan,

So this might be my most sadistic post…but hey, it’s all part of the food chain/animal kingdom right? So the above picture I like to call ‘the last kiss.’ Makes you rethink the last time you had bacon doesn’t it? For me that was about 3 days ago. I was very close to attaching a picture of bacon beneath it, but then that might make me boycott bacon and I am nothing without bacon….and pork chops….ham….pork loin….

So, China has some interesting cultural differences as I mentioned in my previous post. Here are a few of them. Enjoy!

It is not unusual to have your silverware wrapped in plastic to assure/ensure that ‘cleanliness is next to godliness.‘ Personally, I don’t really buy into it and neither did our Chinese-English-Speaking friends. Also, a decent Chinese restaurant will give you a pot of tea prior to the meal and you use it to clean your silverware. So basically after I had unwrapped my ‘sterile’ package I poured hot tea on everything…..

Toilets are appropriate in this food blog because….what goes in must come out? All joking aside, yes that is a woman’s toilet, and yes I had to use it with my broken leg. I have to give props to the architect because peeing outside the cylindrical perimeter is nearly impossible.

The picture to the right is a minivan overfilled with Chinese people. Enough said.

I couldn’t resist. The middle picture came from a pet shop. sighs of relief. And no one ate the head or feet. Chicken feet isn’t that bad though. It tastes like soft, chewable sponges.

The picture to the left is an open truck with bags of live chickens. Henceforth, I will now only eat cage free chicken eggs and chicken. Though I couldn’t apply this discipline in China because cage free doesn’t exactly exist in Putian aka developing countries.

The picture to the right is more of a custom in this factory I visited. So, they explained to me that whenever a child is born they give away colored boiled eggs. They offered me these pink ones. I declined. This custom interferes with Easter. 25 years of Western culture has taught me that only chocolate belongs in colored eggs.

Last but not least, three guys very confident in their masculinity. You don’t see much of this in the southern states. Til the next adventure!

Thanks for reading!

Take Care.

Christine

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost

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Posted in CHINESE, TRAVEL, Uncategorized

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PUTIAN, CHINA

Posted on May 17, 2012 | 4 Comments

Dear Reader,

I am jet-lagged. I am wide-awake at 3am. This is going to be an interesting weekend. So apparently my blog is banned in China for reasons I know not. Perhaps it is my provocative take on eating and how I, from time to time, call it food porn. Nevertheless, I have been itching to post about my eating adventures abroad.

For the last 3 weeks I’ve been in China and in that time I’ve had the honor of digesting things I normally would not even consider. This is probably what I like most about traveling. Escaping one’s comfort zone and trying someone else’s for a change. If you are willing to be a bit open-minded, it can truly be rewarding. I always say I’ll try anything once.

PUTIAN, CHINA

Putian is a developing city. Certain parts are more developed than others and some parts are really……rural. Rural as in you can see local trucks carting around 20-25 live pigs or local bikes transporting baskets of live chickens and ducks. Developing cities can only be described as organized chaos. In a lot of ways you could compare it to a circus or a magic show because you’ve got babies riding in motorcycles sandwiched between mom and dad and sometimes maybe even an aunt or uncle in addition. There were mini-vans that usually carry 8 people carried 18-20 people. I wish I could utilize space more efficiently. Anyway,  this entry is based in a restaurant we went to on the first day. I don’t remember the name, where it was, or how to get there but I remember I really liked the eggplant.

CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP LEFT: 1. Steamed buns with onion pork filling. 2. Steamed fish with ginger and pepper sauce 3. Oyster omelet 4. Roasted duck..

I am never going to forget those buns. It requires, what they call, an acquired taste. The fish was quite good however I’ve always been quite antsy about bones and fish skin. The oyster omelet was a one bite wonder. The duck was really good but then again how can you go wrong with roasted duck? Just don’t think about Daffy, Rubber, or Donald.

Shrimp on skewers with a spicy pepper garnish. You eat the entire thing minus the tail. I for one like eating the shell. They say its quite good for your teeth too.

CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP LEFT: 1. Soup pot with mushroom soup. 2. The mushroom soup. 3. Sautéed eggplant and peppers. 4. Sautéed taro in a sweet sticky sauce.

The soup was like miso with lots of wild mushrooms and pieces of pork. The eggplant was fantastic. It had some really nice spicy undertones. The taro was not bad either.

Full. Thanks for reading. Will post something comedic very soon. Right now it is 4:40AM and I feel like having lunch. I think I’ll write a letter to WordPress Customer Service. How else am I suppose to build a Chinese fan base? Oh mon dieu.

Take Care.

-CHRISTINE

  “No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” -Lin Yutang

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Posted in CHINESE, International, TRAVEL

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PHAN’S PAD THAI

Posted on March 18, 2012 | 6 Comments


Dear Diary Reader,

Many things have happened since January’s post. I’ve gotten a lot of hate mail for not posting, but I have an excuse and it’s a pretty damn good one. I broke my leg mid-February and am currently in rehabilitation mode. It’s been quite an adventure to say the least. Evidence is below. Luckily, I only have a few more weeks on it. Food prep has changed dramatically. I now aim for the bland  simpler things in life like………..a good PB&J or cereal. It’s been 2 weeks post-op and I’m slowly getting back into the groove of things and well…..I just made a slammin’ gouda mac n’ cheese with arugula and peppers. It took patience and the fire alarm went off but SON, IT IS SLAMMIN’.

PHAN’S PAD THAI

Now for the moment you’ve been waiting for. Phan’s Phamous Pad Thai. I make pad thai a little different so bear with me. I would say mine is extremely healthy. I love anything with Kale because it is soooo good for you and carrots as well. And bonus, it’s VEGETARIAN! So, ON-Y-VA.

THE INGREDIENTS:

(give or take 1-2 things….:)

  • 1 onion
  • 1 1/2 cups of shredded carrot (I shred my own mainly because the sugars from the carrot make the pad thai sweeter vs buying the already shredded carrot that have since dried and shriveled up  inside the bag like your grandmother’s toes after a long bath)
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/4 cup chopped scallions
  • 1/2 box of extra-firm tofu (more if you like)
  • 1/2 bunch of kale (cleaned and chopped….I like to buy the kale that’s already been cleaned and I generally use 1/2 a bag for this recipe mainly because I love kale like nobody’s business)
  • Soba Noodles (the kind I buy comes in a package of 6 so I usually boil 2)
  • 1/4 cup of mushroom sauce (Chinatown grocery store)
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 tbs of chili flakes
  • 2 eggs
  • I don’t remember if I put mustard or not but I’m sure 1/2 a tbs of mustard (whole grain) can only be a good thing right? :)
  • 1/2 tbs of sesame oil (if you have it…..if not, it’s ok)
  • 2 tbs of chopped peanuts

STEPS:

  1. Sauté the garlic for 1 minute on medium heat in a large pan. Add in the onions and shredded carrot. Shred your own carrot it makes a difference in the taste. It gives it a golden sweetness almost. Sauté until the onions and shredded carrot becomes soft and united. Add in the green onions and sauté for about 5 min more. Add a pinch of salt.
  2. Add the kale. Give everything a quick toss and put a lid on it. This will help the kale shrink down drastically. Medium to low heat.
  3. While the kale is working. Boil the Soba noodles by the boiling instructions. Strain and set it aside when it is done.
  4. Back to the vegetable mixture. After everything has been sautéed. Add 1/2 the mushroom sauce, mustard, and chili flakes.
  5. Now this is the part where it gets interesting. I generally like to keep things down to 1 or 2 pots or pans but you can use a new pan if you like. In the same pan, scoot everything aside so that 1/2 the pan is clean. If it’s a non-stick pan you don’t need oil for this part. Crack 2 eggs and scramble them on this side on Medium heat. Try not to mix in the vegetable mix with the eggs too much. I mean you could but it’s just not aesthetically pleasing to me. What are we barbarians? 
  6. After the eggs are done, incorporate the soba noodles, the tofu, and add the remaining mushrooms sauce. You may or may not use all of it. Taste it and see. Add the peanuts. Add salt and pepper to taste.

STEP 1:

 STEP 2:

STEP 5:

The End.

It should hopefully look something similar to this. Pad Thai is a dish you can add anything too like bean sprouts, broccoli, and etc. It’s kinda like my version of soup du jour. Whatever I have left in my fridge it just sort of makes it’s way into my pad thai.

THE ARTISTIC SHOT:

I’ve had a lot of time on my hands lately due to being crippled and thus I’ve seen many films. So I’m going to include a mini-movie review section.

LES FILMS:

THE HELP (A) – funny with depth
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (A-) – dreary yet light hearted
HUGO (B) – beautifully made but boring as hell
BILL CUNNINGHAM DOCUMENTARY (B+)- interestingly provocative
LIKE CRAZY (C+) – I’d rather watch a couple fight in real life
DRIVE (A) – It gets you.
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (A) – Blockbuster
JACK AND JILL (pending)
THE DESCENDANTS (pending)

Thanks for reading!

Christine
There are really only three types of people: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who ask, what happened?
Ann Landers

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Posted in Health Nut, Vegetable, Vegetarian

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PARA CAMILLA: ARROZ CON LECHE

Posted on January 31, 2012 | Leave a comment

Dear You,

So, when I first started working at this undisclosed-location-where-they-make-shoes, everyone was really nice and normal for the most part. Everyone except for this torture from Columbia named Camilla. Prime example, I would be innocently working diligently on a project and out-of-the-mother-fuckin-blue comes this Colombian broad scaring the sweet bejesus out of me. This happened repeatedly. Now that she is no longer working at this undisclosed-location-where-they-make-shoes I’m tempted to start asking one of the Spanish speaking cleaning ladies to scare me sporadically. Deep down inside I know it will not have the same effect.

So, darling Camilla sent me this traditional Latin American recipe called Arroz Con Leche from an area called Choco.  Now I’m more of a chocolate person (dark chocolate with sea salt), and I prefer to eat my rice with a little soy sauce and tofu. I’ve never been a huge fan of rice pudding but this one tastes like pure coconut rice candy. It actually reminds me of a pudding Trinh use to make me when I was a child.

A RELEVANT PHOTO OF RICE:

ARROZ CON LECHE:

a.k.a. Rice with milk

Level of Difficulty: If I owned a cat, she could do it.

Serves: 5-6 people…5x

THE INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup rice
  • 4 cups water
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 can of coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup cream of coconut
  • 1 can sweet condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup raisins (I prefer golden)
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp of vanilla (optional)
  • pinch of nutmeg (optional)
  • ground cinnamon to garnish

THE DIRECTIONS:

  1. Place the rice and the water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes.
  2. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the salt and stir well. Cook uncovered for approximately 30 minutes.
  3. Reduce the heat to low and add the milk, coconut milk, cream of coconut and condensed milk. Stir with a wooden spoon. Cook for 1 hour, or until the rice pudding thickens.
  4. Add the raisins and stir well, remove from heat, and let it cool at room temperature. The consistency should be very creamy. Refrigerate for a least 1 hour or overnight.
  5. Sprinkle cinnamon on top or add a cinnamon stick for decoration

That was it. It was quite simple. I can see why it would be so popular.

GOLDEN RAISINS

Gracias Camilla para tu receta. Me gusta mucho et te extraño!  I’ll see you on Words with Friends soon. Here are a few pictures for you to smile and think of us!

Sadly there is no emoticon for an evil smile… Revenge is one of my favorite things in the world.

Thanks for reading.

Take Care.

Christine

“It’s like when you put instant rice pudding mix in a bowl in the microwave and push the button, and you take the cover off when it rings, and there you’ve got ricing pudding. I mean, what happens in between the time when you push the switch and when the microwave rings? You can’t tell what’s going on under the cover. Maybe the instant rice pudding first turns into macaroni gratin in the darkness when nobody’s looking and only then turns back into rice pudding. We think it’s only natural to get rice pudding after we put rice pudding mix in the microwave and the bell rings, but to me, that is just a presumption. I would be kind of relieved if, every once in a while, after you put rice pudding mix in the microwave and it rang and you opened the top, you got macaroni gratin. I suppose I’d be shocked, of course, but I don’t know, I think I’d be kind of relieved too. Or at least I think I wouldn’t be so upset, because that would feel, in some ways, a whole lot more real.”
― Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles

If you haven’t heard of Haruki Murakami go buy After Dark. Really good.

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Posted in Dessert, International, Vegetarian

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TEXAS TOFU CHILI

Posted on January 16, 2012 | 4 Comments

Dear all,

My apologies for making such late entries. Ça n’est pas ma faute. I’ve been distracted. Anyway, tofu chili.

I created this recipe in 2010 for my cousins, Gene and Ivy (my two most favoritest people under 20). How’s that for bad English. Gene does not like to eat meat. He is 7 years old. Ivy is a pig. The cutest pig you’ll ever meet. She eats anything. She is 4.

Long story short, I decided to make chili without meat but with tofu instead. I use to buy the chili mix packages but chili is 10x better if you make the powder yourself. Side Note: I forgot to buy tofu so I had to use another can of beans. Which is just fine….good for digestion if you know what I mean.

Serves a 7 nation army

Level of Difficulty: Not bad at all

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 can of black beans
  • 1 can of red kidney beans
  • 1 can of corn
  • 1 package of tofu (cubed)
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 large can of plum diced tomatoes
  • 5-6 celery stalks (chopped and diced)
  • 1-2 beef steak tomatoes (2 is optional)
  • 1 tbs flour
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 1tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tbs garlic powder
  • 1 tbs of chili flakes (1/2 tbs more if you like super spicy)
  • 1 1/2 tbs of chili powder (less if you hate spicy)
  • 1/2 tbs of cumin (I usually do 3/4 tbs)
  • 1/2 tbs of celery seeds
  • 1/2 tbs of dried basil
  • 3-4 bay leaves
  • 1 tbs of onion powder
  • 1 bouillon cube
  • 1 tbs honey
  • salt and pepper
  • green onions chopped to garnish
  • pinch of sanity

Ladies and gentlemen, my stock at home. Friends that have never let me down.

THE STEPS

  1. Cut all the fresh vegetables. Sauté them all with a little coconut or vegetable oil. My order: celery, onions, green peppers, and tomatoes.
  2. Open all the cans and throw them in. Mix everything up. Save the tofu for last.
  3. Add all the seasonings. Give her a good mix
  4.  Bring her to a boil and let her simmer for about 20-25 min. Add salt or pepper to taste. More chili powder if it’s not spicy enough. Add sugar if you need.

THE CHILI…WITHOUT THE TOFU….

The kitchen should smell like chili by now.

THE SEXY SHOT

I love to eat chili with pan-fried eggs and some cornbread. I use this great pre-made mix from Trader Joes in New York.

Thanks for reading!

Take Care.

Christine

“Next to music there is nothing that lifts the spirits and strengthens the soul more than a good bowl of chili.  Congress should pass a law making it mandatory for all restaurants serving chili to follow a Texas recipe.”
- Harry James (1916-1983) band leader and trumpeter

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Posted in American, vegan, Vegetable, Vegetarian

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The BBB: BLACK BEAN BURGER

Posted on January 9, 2012 | 1 Comment

Happy New Years!

I hope you stick to your resolutions as I am dutifully trying to stick to mine…like practicing my dying French more often, learning Chinese, be a better designer, bet a better friend, et etc. May great things appear in 2012.

THE BBB:

I like the idea of vegan-izing any meat-friendly dish.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 onions chopped roughly, they will be blended in
  • 1 can of kidney beans
  • 1 can of black beans
  • 3/4 to a cup of vital wheat gluten (magic stuff)
  • 1 1/2 tbs of chili powder
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup of cooked brown rice
  • 1 tbs of garlic powder
  • 3/4 tbs of salt
  • 1/2 tbs of pepper
  • I should really write it as I make it because I can never remember for the life of me
  • a splash of mushroom sauce if you have it if not use worcester sauce
  • 1 tbs of organic sugar (organic actually does taste better)
  •  …..I think that was it

THE PROCESS:

Now if you look below and squint your eyes, wouldn’t the picture below make an interesting print for a dress or shirt? Yes? I think so….
Anyway…
  1. Put everything EXCEPT the brown rice and vital wheat gluten in the food processor until everything is finely blended.
  2. Pour the bean mix into a bowl and add the vital wheat gluten and rice. If it is still sauce-y like add more VWG until it becomes meat-like (if you’ve ever made hamburgers you will know what I mean). 
  3. My recipe will produce about 9 good patties. When you go to fry them (with a little oil) let them fry for about 2-3 minutes until they stiffen a little. They are going to be a little soft when they go on the hot skillet. POINT: Don’t mess with it. You know how bad grillers continuously press down on the burger patty or they keep touching it? Just let the patty be. 
Click on the pictures and you can see the actual process step by step. I stupidly left my DSLR camera in Texas so these won’t be as sharp. The DSLR will return in February-ish. You can also see the tiny ass kitchen I work in. I’m like Geppetto with no Pinocchio.

THE BBBs:

I serve it on whole wheat buns with tomatoes, a bunch of arugula, a slice of muenster cheese, red onions (if you’re not on a date), a little mayo,  and some pickles. I also made some roasted parsnips and potatoes but I’ll save that for another rainy day.

My little mini dedication to Andy Warhol.

I don’t know why but I have the biggest craving for a pistachio macaron right now. Maybe I’ll make some for my next post. Til then.

Take care.

Christine

“Welcome to the Good Burger home of the Good Burger, can I take your order?”

Guess. 

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Posted in American, Health Nut, Vegetarian

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RATATOUILLE

Posted on December 27, 2011 | 5 Comments

Dear You,

As I write this, I’m currently enduring a 3 hour layover in Chicago. Enduring is a bad word. I’m sitting here eating a warm ham and pepper cheese panini with kettle chips and a pickle. My only concern really is whether or not I should get a Stella Artois to go with this fine panini.

Did you know you get a complimentary 45 min of wifi at the Chicago Int. Airport? Which is why I’m  hustling.

RATATOUILLE

Paris is one of my raisons d’être. As are macarons, chocolate, rare steaks, pink tulips….just to name a few. Ratatouille, the movie and the plate, is another raison d’être.

I took an artsy approach to this entry. It is all relative.

THE INGREDIENTS

  • 1 EGGPLANT
  • 1 ZUCCHINI (cut into medallions)
  • 1 YELLOW SQUASH (cut into medallions)
  • 3 ROMA TOMATOES (cut into medallions)
  • 1 RED BELL PEPPER (cut thinly to be layered)
  • 1 TBS of THYME
  • 1/2 TBS of SAGE
  • 1 SMALL ONION (finely chopped)
  • salt, pepper, sugar to taste
  • A SPRINKLING of PARMESAN CHEESE
  • I am probably forgetting something

EGGPLANT

ZUCCHINI

YELLOW SQUASH

RED BELL PEPPER

TOMATOES

PREPARATION

The preparation was quite easy. After having watched Ratatouille one more time for reference purposes, I decided to wing it. I made a ragoo-like base of eggplant, onion, and herbs. Then, I medallionized (soon to be real word) all the cylindrical shaped veggies. I proceeded to building my ratatouille like Remy. I popped it in the oven for 30 or so minutes and POOF. Voilà! For a more detailed list of instructions, you know how to reach me.

THE END

THANKS FOR READING

Take Care.

Christine

Anyone can cook.

-Gusteau

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Posted in French, vegan, Vegetable

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