[Sca-cooks] Misha's Food question was: regional potluck)

[Elizabeth A Heckert]

On Tue, 14 Aug 2001 22:37:15 -0400 "Philip W. Troy & Susan Troy"
<troy at asan.com> writes:

>Was it, in fact, always a home to stir-fried foods? I suspect not; see
>below.

   Dear Adamantius,

       Now you've got me curious.  Xanchi (I think I spelled it
right--it's been 16 years, and they had only just started the new
transliteration method.  She pronounced it, as I remember, Yan-shee)
stir-fried everything.  Her introduction to western food was not good,
and we agreed she'd cook, and I'd be happy to eat!  She stir-fried
everything, and cooked just like a period recipe or my Nanna.

      My knowledge of Chinese geography is nil, so it didn't occur to me
to ask where she lived in reference to Beijing or any other place I might
recognize--I was more interested in language, and hearing about when she
lived in one of Mao's camps.

       The impression she gave me was that stir-frying was pretty
'normal' daily fare--she was tickled to find the kidneys, and laughed at
the faces I made, and then laughed when I liked it.  As I said, she was
from Hunan province originally, but came to the US from a university in
Beijing, where she'd lived for a while.

        So is stir-frying common to most of China?  If it is or isn't,
why?

       Thank you!

       Elizabeth

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