send soup!

What's that? NaBloPoMo is almost over? I never thought I'd say it, but good! I am having a rough week.

But I do have something for you in an imperfect state. I will babble on for a while, but I think there's some good stuff there.


I've been meaning to post about this all month, and here's my chance--while avoiding other vital work projects while sick! (hack, sniffle) I can't avoid the deadline OR my whatever-it-is, but I can avoid with the best of them.

* * * *
A while back, I read a very appealing book (novel) called The Last Chinese Chef, written by Nicole Mones, who also wrote Lost in Translation (which you know I loved). TLCC also explores the theme of two people out of their element developing a relationship of sorts and finding new aspects of themselves, unraveling parts of their pasts, but it's less depressive overall than LIT. It really is a wonderful read.

Since my brain is not really up to originality today, I draw on some reviews for adjectives:
"Luminous" "poignant" "sumptuous" "butter smooth prose" (Diana Abu-Jaher) "nourish[ing] the head, the stomach, and the soul." (David Henry Hwang)

"A dazzling journey ... through the mysteries of ... Chinese culinary arts to produce a feast for the human heart." (David Henry Hwang)


Of all the reviews on the cover of that I've seen, I like the blurb from Kirkus Reviews the best:
"Mones has a subtle touch when portraying growing affection between genuinely nice people. Meticulously researched gastronomy will entice foodies, even those whose familiarity with Chinese food is limited to takeout. Warning: avoid reading while hungry."

I would also add the Warning Caveat: Avoid reading if you have lost a spouse, especially tragically.



The main characters are very sympathetic with complexity and flawed but endearing human detail. The book depicts how people work through some of the questions that haunt their lives... past and present... how do I take the past and turn it into something I can understand and live with in the present, into the future? Not the usual boy meets girl kind of story. It was a very satisfying read that I could really sink into. I may have to buy it for my library.

In addition to the human relationships, I was loving the little details of Chinese culinary ideals, and the terms and phrases to describe qualities.

* * * *
Some notes on cuisine from the book... most of these are quoted straight from the book.


Formal ideas of flavor and texture:

Artifice and illusion. Sometimes food is made to appear to be one thing and is actually something else. A kind of intellectual play. Food to fool the diner. Food as theater. Food for healing. Eating as community. Every meal is eaten as part of a group. All food is shared.


Flavor ideals: (four main ones)

xian - the sweet, natural flavor, eg butter, fresh fish, clear chicken broth (it's natural but it's concocted)
xiang - the fragrant flavor, eg frying onions, roasted meat
nong - the concentrated flavor, deep complex taste eg meat stews, dark sauces, fermented things
you er bu ni - the rich taste of fat without being oily


Texture ideals: (three main ones)

cui - dry and crispy
nun - like taking something fibrous and making it soft and yielding
ruan - perfect softness, like velveted chicken, a soft-boiled egg

Sometimes a dish focuses only on texture, not flavor!


Then you mix and match flavors and textures. The art of that is called tiaowei.
Then match dishes in their cycles, and then the meal as a whole, "which is a sort of narrative of rhythms and meanings and moods."

"there are three kinds of menus ... the extravagant, the rustic, and the elegant."



Some food sayings:

Zhi feng mu yu - I am determined. "Whether combed by the wind or washed by the rain."
Cu cha dan fan - eat simply "crude tea and bland rice"


* * * *
In short, this book is zhen bang - great!


I shall now go attempt to fall asleep (hack sniffle ugh)

I found a neat Chinese Culture website by the University of Washington that's very friendly to the beginner to Chinese culture. They call it "A Visual Sourcebook for Chinese Civilization."

http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/contents.htm

The website has an array of topic headings, and each branches off into related aspects, yet the presentation of information is not overwhelming. It gives examples and leads you to compare and contrast and notice pertinent details. Really cool. I am always tucking away cultural ideas to share with my daughter so that she is more familiar with Chinese concepts and values, as well as it being part of my own cultural education.

I spent some time under Buddhism, mostly looking at the symbols used in historical art. Now I can discern the differences between images of the Buddha, Bodhisattvas who are enlightened, compassionate beings devoted to saving suffering beings in the world, Gods of Strength who fight evil forces in the world, and Apsaras or heavenly beings, looking much like angles to western eyes. Also, I learned a little about Guan Yin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, and about how these depictions changed historically over time. Yes, I am an art geek. :)

Under urban temples, the website gives us a tour of the Fayuan Temple in Beijing. To paraphrase from the website, it was first completed in the late 7th century during the Tang. Over the centuries it has endured destruction by fire, earthquake and war, and has been rebuilt as often. It is still in use today.
http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/bud/5temwood.htm

I've also perused maps & geography. I'm starting to learn more.
http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/geo/land.htm

The clothing section is also quite interesting. In includes a picture of Mao as a handsome young man. Who knew! :) No doubt the charisma was evident early.
http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/clothing/clotweb.htm

The section on gardens is also pretty cool. I have not read all of it yet, but I enjoyed this photo tour of the Garden of the Master of Nets in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, a "Chinese scholar's garden."
http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/home/3wangshy.htm

The website notes that this garden is "one of the smallest (at little more than one acre) yet considered one of the best designed and most elegant of the private gardens still extant."


This is really whetting my appetite to see China!

The other week I saw one of those travel sections in the Sunday paper talking about China. I was struck by the desire to go to China just to see it! That would be so cool! Not like we have the money to go galavanting about overseas right now, but wouldn't it be lovely? I really like the idea of seeing China both before and after we receive our daughter.

* * * * * *

On another note, I ran into a man with two young Chinese daughters in the library the other day. Awwww. No, I didn't stare, but I was sooo jealous. :) I don't think we'll be able to have a second daughter, the wait being as arduous as it is. Um, is it too soon to apply for a second child before we get the first? hehe I am only half joking. I think we can start the process, but can't resubmit until our first has been home a year.


* * * * * *

On another note, there was a Chinese woman in one of my classes recently. I was really very curious to get to know her, but a little shy about it. I want to know more (More what? I dunno, how people relate, what her life has been like as an immigrant the last couple decades... ), but I know it's too much to ask someone to be the representative cultural expert. She seemed like an interesting person (not merely because of her Chinese-ness). I'm worried about making mistakes and inadvertently offending someone, but then, I am shy enough about meeting other people of my own home culture!

On the other hand, this class was talking about multi-cultural values and issues and indeed only half of the people in class were American-born! Hey, if I can talk to the Brazilians, I can certainly talk to the Chinese. :) We did chat a little during the get-to-know-you part of the session. Also, I'm always interested to meet people from other cultures, so maybe if I see her again, I will talk to her more.

I see these kind of cultural opportunities all over the place. Some cost money, others just time and personal perseverance, not to mention the humility to consider another culture with all its core differences. And when getting to know a person, the need to consider each person as an individual and not merely as the classic representative of their culture and any attendant stereotypes (the big no-no in the multi-cultural world). I don't want to be a Chinese culture collector (or as Lindsey would say, a hoarder); I just want to gain a better perspective. But yeah, I am also intrigued.

* * * * * *