SC - Piquant foods

[Philip & Susan Troy]

> Date: Thu, 2 Apr 1998 02:00:01 -0500
> From: "marilyn traber" <mtraber at email.msn.com>
> Subject: Re: SC - Piquant foods
> 
> Having had a pair of Chinese Aunts[roommates of my grandmother, Mt Holyoak
> '19] one of whom wrote cookbooks and taught Chinese cuisine, I was taken to
> various tiny storefront and 3d floor places that were owned, operated and
> catered to the Chinese themselves, I was aghast when taken to a mainstream
> chinese place for us whities in the late 60's by a well meaning friend of my
> parents. They didn't have chopsticks[to this day I find it hard to eat
> several oriental cuisines without them...]

Uh, FWIW, Thai food is eaten with forks, traditionally. I suspect the
source of disappointment about chopsticks not being used is that some
Chinese people may find it faster and more efficient to have a regular
plate of rice and "som" (which in my lady wife's dialect is pronounced
"chloam", more or less), which they would eat with a fork. The Chinese
immigrant population who would favor such places are usually in a hurry,
since they usujally work something like 16 hours, six days a week. At
least the ones I know generally do.

> they didnt just bring tea and
> nibbles to the table to hold you while you ordered-you bought tea by the
> cup. They didnt even have soy sauce on the table, you had to ask for it.
> Sheesh, talk about disapointing!

Soy sauce on the table??? Oh, oh, oh, aren't we grand? Gettin' all 'igh
an' mighty, are we? Soy sauce is generally a cooking ingredient,
sunshine, not a table condiment! To the Chinese the idea of adding soy
sauce to food at the table would be the equivalent of reaching into your
pocket, taking out a dried bouillion cube, and adding it to your soup.

Didn't mean to get all excited there. But yes, I see your point. I can
clearly trace my current interest in exotic foods, and cooking in
general, to childhood trips to some very ancient hole-in-the-wall
Chinese restaurants, complete with covered silver dishes, red and gold
velvet paisley wallpaper, lanterns, and a big neon sign, probably
reading "Chow Mein". Oh, and a War God near the cash register...;  ) 

Adamantius
______________________________________
Phil & Susan Troy
troy at asan.com

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