Through out the years i've been in several relationships and dating relationships. And i wish i can say that I no longer need to date. I'm currently single and getting older is making it harder and harder to meet people. I tend to search guys that are 8-10 years older than me.
And from all my experiences on picking who to date... some one the most important thing to me was culture and food. Culture as in The person is willing to explore new culture, travel, open minded about learning the quirks and tradition of each culture.. or mine in particular. Second is food. Meaning the person would be open minded or adventurous about trying out new food/ cuisine.
Culture.... being chinese it's certainly hard dating caucasian. Most caucasian guys are not so into culture, or the mumbo jumbo of Feng Shui.. or eastern medicine. It was hard explaining why i can't buy a house that has a tree in the path of the front foor. Or have stairs going straight up from the front door. Or food related... Not having your stove across from your sink. Why? you might ask....
well the tree on the front door path is supposedly is a substance that is blocking your chi or your fortune to come into your house. And the staircase not be going straight up as soon as you come in from the front door, it's because we believe that fortune would be hard to go up the stairs.. instead of just flowing into the house..
And as for food... i believe it has something to do with commonality. I've gone on a date one time where i had to find out through the conversation that the guy doesn't like a lot of things i eat. When i asked him :" what don't you eat?" he replied:" i don't eat mushrooms, corn, pork, soy, or seafood. LOL.... if i could be rude... i would be standing up and say nice meeting you... but i didn't... i stayed through the whole dinner date and find out what more he doesn't like. When i heard he doesn't eat all those.. i was like: oh brother... i can't make my corn succotash that i'm famous for. I can't make chipotle like Corn salsa.. I can't cook anything that has mushrooms... no pork dishes... carnitas of any kind.. no seafood???? i love sushi.. as raw as it comes!! so... it this mean we could never go for sushi? hmm no Newport Tan cang Seafood??? that's going to be impossible.... no soy at all? so no Korean tofu soup? or soy milk? i'm lactose intollerant? Good Golly... what do i do.. IF THE ONE doesnt eat all that... is that mean i'll have to make 2 dishes for every meal??
Speaking of that.. my mom's friend ( 2 of them) who was Taiwanese... One married a muslim and another one married a German. the one married a muslim converted into muslim and never eat pork again. And the one that is married to a German... had to stop eating hot food and make cold food for dinner.. because apparently they only eat cold cuts... I know i know... you're going that's extreme... or i'm sure the German guy eat some Kartoffeln ( potato in german)... i'm just sayings he told me her friend had to prepare 2 dishes, cold and hot.. so they can sit together on a dinner table.
marriage or dating is already hard as it is... having food not in common or not be open minded about it.. would make it harder.
I don't eat the following: Peas, lentil, beans... I love Indian food, When i go to have indian food.. i tend to not pick any of the lentil or chickpeas or those type of dishes. But i will eat Rasam soup. Which is basically ground lentils with tamarind...
So i can't explain to you why i do and don't eat lentils a certain way... I'm guessing it's texture.. when it's blended and i can't tell it's lentil and i taste Tamarin instead lentil, i'm ok.
or when i went to Cafe Hiro ( japanese/ french) fusion.. where they served cream pea soup... i was devouring that soup to the last drop... because i can't taste peas... all BUtter!!! lol..
so beans.. When i go to Taco San pedro (local hole on the wall place) or other mexican joint i would have to order saying " Burrito de Lengua, con todo... sin frijoles, Por Favor!"
and i ONLY eat beans.. when it's in desserts... Mung bean, red beans in dessert!! come on!! i'm asian aren't I? ROFL....
so the bottom line is.. I am hoping to find someone who loves steak, game meat, vegetables, seafood of all kinds... cook or raw.. who is ok with my that i don't eat peas, beans, lentils or potatoes.. but i'm willing to try their version of the dish at least once...
I did find that guy recently... too bad it's the right guy at the wrong time in his life... I sure hope that soon he'll see that i'm the one for him.. i can't make him see it for now... but once grass is no longer greener on the other pasture... He'll come back to me... maybe.
:)
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
Movies and Food
Like everyone in this world, I like movies. At the moment, I'm watching Pretty Woman. Yes i've watched this many many times. Why do I like it? It's not because of the cinderella story. In fact that portion is rather fake and impossible.
But i'm attracted to the bits and pieces of the story. Where she learned how to become a woman with grace. Learning how to use utensils in the proper way. Probably most of us don't know either... although mom taught me how when we were kids. About the proper forks... for salad, main course, soup spoons, etc. Did you know that in drinking western soup you have to tilt the spoon outwards ( swoop outwards?) and you have to tilt the bowl your side up ? And probably if i had to attend a super high class restaurant or dinner with the queen, there would have been 5 forks and i wouldn't know what to do with them... Lol.
I like the part where she was trying to eat the Escargot.. and the snail pop out.. This movie clip makes me conscious when i eat at a restaurant with things that could fly ( lobster, crab, etc)...
Do you find it funny that almost all movies/ tv show.. when they have a take out. it's always chinese or pizza? i find it amusing. Because i never order chinese for take out. I tend to order Thai, subway, etc... So i always wonder why they pick chinese food.. does the movie industry have deals with chinese mobs? what is it? and they seemed to always order chow mein and moo goo gai pan... i'm chinese... i'm not even sure what that is.
So, when Julie and Julia came out i was very happy that they didn't cook chinese... they were cooking french. Something that is really hard to do.. and a lot of work. Remember when Julie was trying to make headcheese?
Or a different movie, No Reservation, with Catherine Zeta Jones. She cooked a fish dish for the little kid cause she doesn't know that kids don't like fancy food. She didn't think about making spagetti... you know.. kids eat spagettio's?? the funny part is that she cooked the whole fish with head on.. I have not seen any restaurant that serves a whole fish with head and tail... especially american restaurant. i've been to chinese resturant that serves the whole thing... Have you?
But i'm attracted to the bits and pieces of the story. Where she learned how to become a woman with grace. Learning how to use utensils in the proper way. Probably most of us don't know either... although mom taught me how when we were kids. About the proper forks... for salad, main course, soup spoons, etc. Did you know that in drinking western soup you have to tilt the spoon outwards ( swoop outwards?) and you have to tilt the bowl your side up ? And probably if i had to attend a super high class restaurant or dinner with the queen, there would have been 5 forks and i wouldn't know what to do with them... Lol.
I like the part where she was trying to eat the Escargot.. and the snail pop out.. This movie clip makes me conscious when i eat at a restaurant with things that could fly ( lobster, crab, etc)...
Do you find it funny that almost all movies/ tv show.. when they have a take out. it's always chinese or pizza? i find it amusing. Because i never order chinese for take out. I tend to order Thai, subway, etc... So i always wonder why they pick chinese food.. does the movie industry have deals with chinese mobs? what is it? and they seemed to always order chow mein and moo goo gai pan... i'm chinese... i'm not even sure what that is.
So, when Julie and Julia came out i was very happy that they didn't cook chinese... they were cooking french. Something that is really hard to do.. and a lot of work. Remember when Julie was trying to make headcheese?
Or a different movie, No Reservation, with Catherine Zeta Jones. She cooked a fish dish for the little kid cause she doesn't know that kids don't like fancy food. She didn't think about making spagetti... you know.. kids eat spagettio's?? the funny part is that she cooked the whole fish with head on.. I have not seen any restaurant that serves a whole fish with head and tail... especially american restaurant. i've been to chinese resturant that serves the whole thing... Have you?
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Thanksgiving My Way
I've Been meaning to have my own blog about food ( cooking and eating) for awhile now. And when i watched the Julie and Julia, it inspired me to make my own. But i wasn't sure what to make and what to write about. And it seems like today is the DAY. I started one and cooked a meal out of it.!!!
You notice that i picked the name ChiKelChon, you might wonder what the heck is that mean. I actually picked the name of cooks that inspire me. Julia CHILD, Thomas KELLER, Joel RobuCHON. I admire these chefs not because they were all French trained... but because each is known for different reason.
Julia Child ,as the woman that protest against no cookbook exist in the world at the time on french cooking in english and most chefs are male.
Thomas keller known for his talent and fresh ingredients and sauces.. his cook book French Laundry inspired me.
Joel Robuchon, known as the godfather of french food.
Ok back to speaking of Thanksgiving MY WAY...
Most people today would be working in the kitchen cooking gigantic Turkey. Our family never got into turkey i suppose. The thanksgiving i have were mostly when i was in college. In West Lafayette, IN, where my dad's friend Uncle Steve B.. took me to his house in South Bend, IN or to his cousin's house in Southern IN by Brown county.
I think people have stuck to the idea that Thanksgiving has to be Turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. But to me, Thanksgiving is all about gathering with family and friends eating whatever is COMFORT to you. It's about gathering with family members you haven't gotten to see in awhile.
Although Thanksgiving with them was fun... but every Thanksgiving since then has been with my family we were eating chinese hot pot or what most people known as Japanese Shabu shabu. This year my family was out of the country.. i resort to my own comfort food since i'm eating alone. I made myself a pot of Beef stew for Beef stew Noodle soup.
On this blog i will show you how i've made it with mom's recipe.
Ingredients:
Stock:
1-2 lbs Country style beef ribs ( from costco) or you can use tendons or other style of meat.
3 stalk of green onions
10-20 cloves of garlic
20-30 Szechuan peppercorns
2-3 Star anice
1 cup of rice wine
1 medium sweet onion/ yellow onion ( chopped into little cubes)
2-3 tablespoons Hot bean paste ( Dou Ban Jiang)
1/2-1 can of tomate paste
1/2 C Dark soy sauce
I chose the country style chuck short ribs because it gives you the marbling, tender, has fat but not too fat. I personally don't like tendons, so i chose regular type of meats.
Ok let's start with a 5 qt pot with water, boil the meat with green onions, 1 cup of rice wine,10 cloves of garlic in the pot. Boil until the meat is half cooked. Take out the meat, cut into little chunks, cubes to your desire size. Leave the stock in the pot. You might be asking, do i scoop out the goo that is on the top of the water? ( the cooked blood stuff? no, it's known that those eliminate the beefy smell and makes the meat tender). Old ancient chinese recipe.. lol...
In another pot, sauted the sweet/ yellow onion until translucent and lightly brown or charred.
Stir in half a can of the tomato paste, cook it for 2-3 min ( to get rid of the acidity of tomato paste from a can). Stir in the hot bean paste and add the dark soy sauce.
Now when ready pour in the stock that you made into the mixture and drop in the pouch of (peppercorns, star anise, garlics).
Throw back in the cut meat into the stew. And bring the heat to a simmering boil on low heat for 1 hr.
In a bowl, Put a dollop of Oyster Sauce, Chopped cilantro and chopped green onions
And garnish with chinese vegetable ( You Choy in this case.. like chinese brocolli :) ) and i always add 2 tablespoon of my garlic infused chilli oil that i make myself.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
You notice that i picked the name ChiKelChon, you might wonder what the heck is that mean. I actually picked the name of cooks that inspire me. Julia CHILD, Thomas KELLER, Joel RobuCHON. I admire these chefs not because they were all French trained... but because each is known for different reason.
Julia Child ,as the woman that protest against no cookbook exist in the world at the time on french cooking in english and most chefs are male.
Thomas keller known for his talent and fresh ingredients and sauces.. his cook book French Laundry inspired me.
Joel Robuchon, known as the godfather of french food.
Ok back to speaking of Thanksgiving MY WAY...
Most people today would be working in the kitchen cooking gigantic Turkey. Our family never got into turkey i suppose. The thanksgiving i have were mostly when i was in college. In West Lafayette, IN, where my dad's friend Uncle Steve B.. took me to his house in South Bend, IN or to his cousin's house in Southern IN by Brown county.
I think people have stuck to the idea that Thanksgiving has to be Turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. But to me, Thanksgiving is all about gathering with family and friends eating whatever is COMFORT to you. It's about gathering with family members you haven't gotten to see in awhile.
Although Thanksgiving with them was fun... but every Thanksgiving since then has been with my family we were eating chinese hot pot or what most people known as Japanese Shabu shabu. This year my family was out of the country.. i resort to my own comfort food since i'm eating alone. I made myself a pot of Beef stew for Beef stew Noodle soup.
On this blog i will show you how i've made it with mom's recipe.
Ingredients:
Stock:
1-2 lbs Country style beef ribs ( from costco) or you can use tendons or other style of meat.
3 stalk of green onions
10-20 cloves of garlic
20-30 Szechuan peppercorns
2-3 Star anice
1 cup of rice wine
1 medium sweet onion/ yellow onion ( chopped into little cubes)
2-3 tablespoons Hot bean paste ( Dou Ban Jiang)
1/2-1 can of tomate paste
1/2 C Dark soy sauce
I chose the country style chuck short ribs because it gives you the marbling, tender, has fat but not too fat. I personally don't like tendons, so i chose regular type of meats.
Ok let's start with a 5 qt pot with water, boil the meat with green onions, 1 cup of rice wine,10 cloves of garlic in the pot. Boil until the meat is half cooked. Take out the meat, cut into little chunks, cubes to your desire size. Leave the stock in the pot. You might be asking, do i scoop out the goo that is on the top of the water? ( the cooked blood stuff? no, it's known that those eliminate the beefy smell and makes the meat tender). Old ancient chinese recipe.. lol...
In another pot, sauted the sweet/ yellow onion until translucent and lightly brown or charred.
Stir in half a can of the tomato paste, cook it for 2-3 min ( to get rid of the acidity of tomato paste from a can). Stir in the hot bean paste and add the dark soy sauce.
Now when ready pour in the stock that you made into the mixture and drop in the pouch of (peppercorns, star anise, garlics).
Throw back in the cut meat into the stew. And bring the heat to a simmering boil on low heat for 1 hr.
In a bowl, Put a dollop of Oyster Sauce, Chopped cilantro and chopped green onions
Happy Thanksgiving!!
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