Food Archives - Page 9 of 9 - the bird on fire

The Art of Talking

December 17, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

As you prepare to sit around the holiday table with relatives and close friends, Ashley Zhou, specialist in relationships, has some conversational advice for you . . . .

–by Ashley Zhou

“We always take good care of our appearance, our clothing, and makeup. We look into the mirror several times a day, but we don’t listen to our own voices when we are talking.” — Kevin Tsai

This is an excerpt from a famous Chinese book, The Art Of Talking by Chinese writer and TV host, Kevin Tsai. I think of this book when I hear my peers talk, chat, or argue about different topics. We really don’t care much about the way we talk to others. No one will actually tape his own voice and play it back at the end of the day. I once listened to my voice when I was doing a interview, and I felt really uncomfortable about my voice. I didn’t think the voice sounded like me. However, we can think in a different way: If we constantly listen to ourselves or pay attention to our voice volume and tone when we are talking, we will become better talkers.

When we are talking, we all want to be the dominator in the conversation. We always want to talk about ourselves. To be a good friend, however, we need to listen carefully to others. Try to avoid saying “I” in the conversation, instead, use “you” or “he.” Also, if you don’t want to be too blunt in front of newly made friends, then you should avoid those sensitive or potentially dangerous topics, such as age, relationships, politics, religion, etc. Some people have secrets that they don’t want to reveal, and others might have strong opinions about a certain issue that might cause arguments.

People want to hear compliments the most. We need to intentionally compliment our friends and make them feel special. Being a good friend doesn’t mean being honest or blunt. It means to place yourself in your friend’s shoes. Be empathetic. When we are asking someone for a favor, it is the same thing. We could use a little trick to achieve whatever we want. For example, when you want someone to cover for you at work, you may want to say, “Could you help me this time and I will substitute for you next month?”

Talking is an art, and it needs us to be studied and explored and practiced. A person who knows how to talk will be much more attractive than someone who knows how to dress.

–Edited by Gaven Li

What can $100 buy?

November 4, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

–Watercolor by Amelie Wang.

As senior Jim Wang prepares for college next year, he considers how far a dollar will stretch.

–by Jim Wang
Let’s take 100 bucks and go shopping! Imagine, you are an International Student at an American college. You live here by yourself, and you need supplies to last, say, for two weeks. You need your daily necessities. How much will $100 get you at a big box store like CostCo?
Firstly, I would grab my favorite fruits: oranges, lemons, and grapes. Four oranges might cost me $2; three lemons, $1; and one bag of grapes weighing 3 pounds might cost me nearly $9.
Secondly, let’s look to vegetables and meat. Vegetables cost a lot in America; meat is cheap. I personally don’t like vegetables, so I would just choose a head of cabbage (because it’s good for me), and that costs like $6. Eight pieces in a box of pork chops cost $7.22, and a package of hot dogs costs $3. You can cook the hot dogs for a simple meal at home, and it makes life easier when you are busy. Then, I would get some eggs for breakfast. There are several kinds of eggs–regular medium and large eggs and cage-free eggs or organic eggs (these two cost more money). A dozen of normal medium-sized eggs cost $2.
On average, dairy products are much more expensive in China than in America. Let’s take Haagen-Dazs for example. In an American market, a carton of 414 ml of Haagen-Dazs costs $3, but the prices in China are insane. The same box would be $30 in China. (I guess that’s why people consider America like heaven!)

Below are the all things we can buy with $100.
These items should be enough food for two people to eat for two weeks along with the daily necessities which can be used for almost three months!

The World According to Henry: American-Chinese(?) Food????

October 30, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

–by Henry Huang

The Chinese have immigrated to the United States for many years. They brought with them their own food customs to the “land of the free and home of the brave.” Out of Chinese immigration to the United States formed a miracle—American-Chinese food.

Well, the reason I call it a “miracle” is that Chinese people insist that these American-Chinese dishes are really trashy and not indicative of authentic Chinese food. These American dishes don’t contain any traditional Chinese-food values.

Some of the foods, even the most famous ones, are not even from China! In this case, an example would be General Tso’s Chicken (otherwise known as Orange Chicken). I swear to buddha that there is nothing called General Tso’s Chicken (or Orange Chicken) in China. In fact, General Tso is a real person in Chinese History. The only reason that this dish exists is that a chef from China invented it in America. So why do we still not call it an authentic Chinese dish? He created it according to American people’s tastes and did not put any Chinese elements into this dish–elements such as Chinese spices, seasonings, and chicken with the bone in it. He had a restaurant on East 44th street in NYC. When Henry Kissinger was there, he loved the dish. Since Kissinger loved it so so so much, it became popular. However, General Tso’s Chicken has NOTHING to do with real Chinese food.

The next thing is ingredients. Unfortunately, some dishes are not using real Chinese materials. When Chinese arrived fresh off the boat over a century and a half ago, it was hard for them to find the right ingredients to make Chinese food. Chinese immigrants were then forced to seek new ingredients. Therefore, things as “weird” as beef and broccoli were invented. Again, broccoli is not something that Chinese cooks would put in their dishes since it didn’t exist in China until about the 1900s.

Now, we shall talk about flavors. This is the worst element in American-Chinese food. The problem is that American-Chinese food is just too sweet. “It’s too sweet, and it makes me thirsty–especially Orange Chicken,” said senior Hugh Hu. Well, we all know Americans love sweet food. That is why my mother hates American candies and desserts as they taste like pure sugar. However, I can’t accept that Americans put so much sugar in Chinese food. Nobody in China would have that obsession with sweet flavors. I can’t understand why Americans put sweet and chili sauce on their Spring Rolls. What is even worse is the sauce. No self-respecting Chinese man or woman would put any sauce as thick as American dressings in their Chinese dishes. In China, we want to keep the original flavor of the dishes, so we believe that the best flavors come from the food itself and that sauce only serves to enhance the food’s original tastes.

Well, the only thing I need to tell Americans is–Not everything that is stir fried in a wok is Chinese food. However, no matter how much I discredit American-Chinese food, I am still in love with Panda Express. However, not everyone agrees. While I was writing this blog, I found an American who detests Panda Express! Isn’t this rare? This person is Trey Lucatero: ” I don’t like Panda because it tastes old, dry, gross, and it’s not real Chinese.” Trey’s words express the true thoughts of many Chinese students in America.

–edited by Amber Zheng

European food vs. American food

October 29, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org 3 Comments

European Correspondent Anna Kleckerova has compared American and European educational systems, culture, social moires. Now, she looks to FOOD! Anna comes to PVS from the Czech Republic.

–by Anna Kleckerova

image2-3

Which pizza is American? Which is European?

Like every article I post, I would like to start with Europe. Let’s start with Italy where we can taste delicious pizza. This pizza is not like American pizza, where it is one big, thick cloud full of pepperoni and cheese. But, if you are a gourmet like me, you will appreciate more than just these two ingredients, and Italy comes with wide-spread, thin pizza where you can add whatever you want to it. Also, pasta is very typical for this beautiful country. We can find all kinds of different pasta there, for example: spaghetti, bucatini, macaroni, penne, rigatoni and very popular in America, my lovely fettuccine. France loves to make meat in every possible way; it is the same with sea food and French wines. You will taste French wine just one time (the drinking age in France is 18), a image2-2 nd you will never want any other. It doesn’t matter if it is red, white or pink, all of them have spectacular taste. When we talk about gourmets, we must not forget Germany. It is well known for schnitzel (fried chicken breast), different kinds of sausages, and beer. Speaking of beer, the Czech Republic is a big distributor of this golden drink and not just that. Czech cuisine is known for Svíčková na smetaně served with dumplings, whipped cream and cranberries, roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, and roasted duck with potato dumplings and braised red cabbage. If you still don’t have enough good European food, you can go to Holland and try some of their cheeses, and in Switzerland your heart can be melted by delicious chocolate.

America, on the other hand, is a home to all kinds of meals from different countries. And, it is a country of fast foods. Mexican food is very popular in America. Everyone likes tacos, burritos and quesadillas. California is well know for the fast food joint called In-n-Out. People from the whole country are coming here to enjoy these fresh and tasty burgers. You can even hold the cheese on your cheeseburger, says senior Hugh Hu when ordering, “No cheese.” A lovely thing in American restaurants is that you can get free refills anywhere. In Europe, you have to buy every single drink again and again (the ice, too!), so if you are very thirsty, your lunch can be relatively expensive. Chinese cuisine also completes the American food menu –along with Italian, French, and German. You can find all these influences in America’s Panda Express, Subway, french fries, and hot dogs!

–edited by Trey Lucatero, big, big fan of In-N-Out

The moment I walk into that marvelous place and find a seat in the crowded sea of hungry customers, I begin to smell the dream-invoking scent of the freshly shipped burgers waiting to be devoured by me. I love the perfection of the meat, coupled with the amazing cheese and tasty sauce. It takes but mere seconds before the burger is completely engulfed by my unquenchable hunger for this delicious burger.

Turkey Is Not Turkey In Turkey

October 28, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

–by Amber Zheng

Thanksgiving is coming. Grandma is buying her turkey for the onslaught of visiting family. Watch out. Food Correspondent Amber Zheng finds Turkey isn’t always Turkey.
Turkey is an extremely common food source and even has its own holiday in the U.S. However, this majestic bird is also an enigmatic creature. Depending on what country you are in, the turkey has many different names.

In Turkey, it’s called Hindi, which means North Indian.
In India, it’s called Peru.

In Arabia, it’s called Greek Chicken.
In Greece, it’s called French Chicken.
In France, it’s called Indian Chicken.
In Xinjiang, it’s called Afghanistan Chicken.

In Afghanistan, it’s called Elephant Chicken.

These are just a few of the plethora of turkey names. If you are interested in looking at others, please check out an article called “List of Names for Turkeys” at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_names_for_turkeys#From_geographic_names.

And, don’t stop with turkeys. Check out the side dishes. Peas are called Dutch Peas in China, but in Holland they are called Chinese Peas. And, sweet potatoes . . . .

–edited by Chloe Sweeney