Food Archives - the bird on fire

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

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo59LlkTDe4

–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

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

The World According to Henry: The Artisanship of Japan

September 17, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org 4 Comments

by Henry Huang

When people talk about the Japanese spirit, many people refer to Bushido (dignity, loyalty, and honor). To me, what represents the spirit of Japan is, in fact, the artisanship. The Japanese believe that they are supposed to do the best in their every pursuit: whether building a bridge or cooking street food. Today, our example of artisanship is found in a restaurant in Tokyo.

The restaurant is called Hirooichie. This restaurant was awarded a coveted Michelin Star–a universal recognition of culinary excellence. I was lucky enough to get a reservation during my trip to Japan. This restaurant is in a residential district in downtown Tokyo. When my friends and I walked into that restaurant, I realized the spirit of artisanship starts here.

In order to keep the quality of the dinner, the chef only serves 15 people per night. The meal was in fact, a show, a show that only has a chef and a zyoshou (a traditional Japanese waitress) on the stage. The chef, to me, is a representation of artisanship. He was working behind the counter so all the customers could see what he was preparing. Without great confidence in his skills, no chef would dare to cook under the watchful eye of his customers. What’s more, the restaurant was an Omatase, a restaurant without a menu. The chef has to satisfy instinctively the desires of his customers. All his tools were well organized, another symbol of excellent craftsmanship. The zyoshou was very friendly to us. We were the only foreigners in the restaurant. Even though there was a language barrier, the zyoshou tried her best to introduce the dishes. One of the details that I will never forget was how the zyoshou constantly refilled my glass, like she could read my mind.

The moment the food was served, I could feel the artisanship of the establishment. When I looked at the chef, he had an extremely focused expression. He worked at a very mild and pleasant pace. At that moment, his seriousness was palpable. The chef works alone. There is no apprentice to assist him. He tried to ensure the satisfaction of every customer. The zyoshou was the epitome Japanese elegance (silently meeting everyone’s needs with a pleasing aesthetic). When she realized that we were Chinese, she made cards in Chinese to tell us what was in the dishes.
The food was magnificent. All the food was made with simple ingredients; however, every bite appealed to every taste bud. The presentation of the dishes was glorious. Although simply decorated, every dish was so attractive that I almost didn’t want to take a bite. The simplistic style of cooking produced the ultimate enjoyment of taste. There are no words to describe the absolute magnificence of my culinary experience. Hirooichie opened the door for me to observe the artisanship of Japan.