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.

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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.

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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"


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In short, this book is zhen bang - great!


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

Books and Other Thoughts, August 2007

I have loads of random mis-matched snippets, m'dears. Bite-sized, fun-sized. (Have I been reading too much mimi smartypants? Why, yes I have! hehe :))

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I recently made an effort to list the adoption- , attachment-, learning- and China-related books I have been wanting to read. That's partly because there are SO MANY that I cannot keep them all straight in my head long enough to find them. So when I read good reviews (eg several useful reviews from Rumor Queen recently), I write 'em down. And given that I would like to stretch our dollars to maximum effect (and not just buy everything in sight), I have started looking for titles at our local library first. I was somehow surprized that they actually have many of the titles I am looking for! I requested one book and found a couple others.

Two adoption/identity-related books I've started reading:

In Their Own Voices: Transracial Adoptees Tell Their Stories by Rita J. Simon and Rhonda M. Roorda. and

Inside Transracial Adoption: Strength-based, culture-sensitizing parent strategies for inter-country or domestic adoptive families that don't "match" by Gail Steinberg and Beth Hall

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ITOV consists mostly of a series of in-depth telephone interviews with transracial adoptees (I guess that's the term) about their experiences growing up and addressing their cultural and racial identity. As I work my way through the book, I periodically find a statement that hits me as good-advice-to-remember, and want to write it down. I started a file to collect some of these, but it quickly became tedious. I wanted to absorb the stories, not just take text-book notes. :) Maybe later.

The interviews are quite interesting. So far, most of the stories have been of racially-black or mixed children. There should be some of Asian children, but I haven't seen them yet.

One core idea that screams out is how important it is for the adoptive parents to make a *conscious effort* to expose their child to their birth culture in order that they have a smoother path to a coherant self-identity. Simply raising the child as if they were "white like them" typically leads to pain and confusion. :(

At least one story is very sad for the lack of cultural support which contributes heavily to the child's alienation from both her home and birth cultures. But it's also true that this same child lived in a small town in the midwest (Indiana or Illinois) where I know from my own experience (!!) is often NOT conducive to open discussion of uncomfortable topics! Witness my own in-laws who try to ignore uncomfortable or merely unusual situations out of existance!
So this poor child is both still quite young and Mid-Western, still trying to find her way and be accepted by *somebody*, in prime condition to be sucked into a cult or other abusive organization... Her attempts thus far to connect with her own racial/cultural identity have been met with both subtle and frank disapproval and discomfort from her parents... and some derision from others of her racial group for her awkwardness. So at the time of the interview, she was going to college (persisting although neither parent had gone to college themselves), and trying to make opportunities for herself. She seems to be fighting an uphill battle for her core self, not the least of which is needing to learn to push ahead despite her parents' need to push her down so that she doesn't make them uncomfortable. (! My God, I am not even kidding.) I'm inclined to think that, although her parents had fostered dozens of foster kids of various ethnicities over the years, that they were the wrong people to actually adopt a minority-race baby... :(

That one is sad. But there are other stories that are rather inspiring, in terms of how the parents being open, frank, and giving their child ample exposure to their birth race/culture. Those parents who make a strong consistent effort to clearly and openly address identity seem to raise self-confident and happy children... Quite interesting.

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ITRA is also quite interesting! In fact, as soon as I picked it up to skim it and peruse the table of contents, I became convinced that I would have to buy this in the future. It looks like it has very practical strategies for helping ones child and family keep up with the issues of families with "unmatched" ethnic identities.

One thing I have learned already (from skimming), is that if someone is rude towards or prejudiced against one's child or family, the first important thing is to take care of your child's needs *first*, rather than trying to respond to the rude person. It may be that the person does not get a response, but the family provides a united front of solidarity.

At the same time, it is also vitally important to not tolerate ANY instance of racism or subtle racist attitude to create the supportive environment for your child(ren). If somebody is making a hurtful or thoughtlessly racist remark, jokingly or merely offhandedly, call them on it! Respectfully and straightforwardly, but firmly. I'm sure I'll have some quotes later...

The book acknowledges the balance the parents must strike encouraging both bonding/attachment and differentiation. Lots of interesting, very practical, things to think about. I'll write more about my impressions as I read deeper, but even at this superficial level, I am very impressed with this book. Looks like one for our own library.

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We've been slowly de-cluttering in preparation for serious baby-proofing the house. And just in time, Clutter Girl has some useful and inspiring Babyproofing Reviews here: (Updated to show URL. Sorry about that.)

http://cluttergirl.typepad.com/founding_a_family_in_clut/2007/08/babyproofing-re.html

Many cool items I will no doubt acquire eventually. Things I had never even thought of needing, like fridge and toilet locks! I probably need to start a list of *that* too, items needed/wanted, so that I can space them out and avoid killing our budget.


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On the decluttering side, I've been greatly enjoying FLYlady's website and email services. I can't rave enough about her! Some of her sayings:

Progress, not perfection.

Housework done imperfectly will still bless your family.

You can do anything for 15 minutes.

You are not behind! Jump in where you are!


hee hee! It's like being in training to be an efficient parent. At least, that's how I'm thinking of it. A chance to develop better habits and routines so that we don't descend into complete and utter chaos (or CHAOS) once our daughter arrives. Yeah, not complete and utter chaos, just minor sleepless chaos. :)

So far, I have inspired one friend and one sister, and inspired even my *husband* (!!!) to build better care-taking routines. Abso-luely-freakin-amazing, that. :) I am still taking baby steps with it, so even if I backslide a little, I still have a core set of routines that help keep me going until I can jump back in.

I can't convince you if you are not in the place to appreciate her warm wisdom. But it you *are* interested in a fun and supportive system for housework and life, check it out. :) Cool stuff for SHEs (Side-tracked Home Executives) like myself. And more fun than you would expect...


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Oh yes.

I think I said that I have started joining all kinds of LID and agency groups.

I am staying relatively quiet until I figure out if/when I have something to ask/say. Or until/if there is any topic of interest to read about... But I almost always see a few waiting PAPs (potential adoptive parents) speculating about the wait times, but *frequently* being clueless about the wait situation, sometimes spectacularly so. There are too too many PAPs for which the mere thought of a 3+ year wait is shocking news. :(

I am somehow shocked that some PAPs are just now getting wind of the wait times. And I am disgusted to hear that some agencies are still telling people in my LID month that they can expect to be home by something like the end of 2008!!! Which is just insanely unlikely. It would take a miracle for things to speed up to that degree. 'Taint likely. And hugely unfair to the families who are still expecting 18-22 months. :(

So I haven't decided how, if at all, to break current "news" to such uninformed (rather, mis-informed) PAPs. While I think about it (and laugh somewhat bitterly about their naivety), someone else steps in and does the brave deed of informing them of the true situation. :( How hard and unbelievable it must be to get smacked with this information all at once. We at least were disappointed gradually. We have had time to adjust our expectations.

If I had not found info on the web but relied only on my agency to tell me accurate expectations, I'd be at some point angrily disappointed. I know the agencies want to put a good face on it, but geez. I don't see how they can avoid hoards of angry clients as the sh*t starts hitting the fan more publicly.

I know this is long and disgruntled, but all I wanted to say is--there are still people who have not gotten the secret memo. :( And I have mixed feelings about seeing that. It's like a train wreck. I wince, but I can't quite look away.


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On a completely different note, I have been recently reading about some people undertaking the massive project of "ripping" their music CDs to digital storage. I am not ready to join to MP3 / iP0d crowd (I like listening to speakers that are *not* stuck in my ears, thank you), but I can see it coming. CDs are on their way to being *gasp* obsolete! Reading some of this recently (people converting vast collections into various mediums and storages, trying to figure what to do with the cases and liner notes with attendant imagery), I experienced a shiver of foreshadowing.

Yes, I still have stacks and stacks of cassette tapes that I rarely ever listen to any more (unless I am traveling). Yes, I still have record albums that I can't listen to any more for excess of dust and lack of turntable.

So I have already experienced the frustration of having things go obsolete and/or madly transferring audio and visual data onto ever-improving/changing storage systems. I have already run through the sequence of big 5" floppy to small 3.5" floppy, to zip discs to CDs to external storage to thumbdrives to... ? So I suddenly realized that someday my CD collection will be obsolete and thus neglected! Nooooo...

I remember buying my first two CDs ever: the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's album as a gift for my then-boyfriend and Paul Simon's Graceland album for myself. Heck, I remember the first LP I ever bought (that's a long-playing record for you young whipper-snappers), which was The Best of The Eagles. Which I now have on CD. (heh) Where will it end????

Although I tend to run ahead of the curve on numerous societal trends, I adopt new popular technology mostly kicking and screaming, or at least groaning and complaining. I am not looking forward to the eventual conversion. *sigh*

Meanwhile, I'll enjoy my current fab music CD collection. Life is good. :) And no, it's not the cliche.

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Fresh Dietary Ideas

Since early December, I've been reading some new books about health and diet. This is in no way related to that whole New Years resolution idea. Due to some health concerns, my doctor has encouraged me to educate myself more about dietary hows and whys, specifically and especially about the Glycemic Index.

Both books that I am reading so far have given me lots of concrete and practical information. Both books have me exclaiming: Cool! I understand this so much better now!

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The first book is from the Brand-Miller and Foster-Powell series of books about the Glycemic Index, which is "a measure of how quickly carbohydrates hit the bloodstream." The book I chose is called The Low GI Diet Revolution, which was not my first impulse. However, it seemed like the best option from library selections. I'm liking it more and more.

The gist of what I am getting is that one should chose mostly low-GI foods while getting more exercise. Here's one quote:

Low-GI foods have two important advantages for people trying to lose weight [and gain better health, I might add]:
• They fill you up and keep you satisfied longer than their high-GI counterparts.
• They reduce insulin levels and help you burn more body fat and less muscle, so your metabolic rate is higher.

There's much more, of course. I might write more later, but if you want to read it, buy the book! :) Or your library has some rendition.

I am being more conscious about choosing foods with a low-GI. Not always easy, but I'm going to try it for a while. As the author emphasizes, it's not a diet book really, but an approach to eating better the rest of your life. And since I am trying to get in shape for this upcoming backpacking trip, I don't mind having diet and fitness info packaged together like this.

And as the insulin surges and drops have been annoying me for some time, and I have been already making some headway in recent years, I am even more motivated now to make better eating choices. And yea for that!

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The other book is The Portion Teller by Lisa R. Young, Phd, RD. I picked this up on impulse in the library, and I am pleasantly surprised; it's very cool, very sensible.

The gist of the Portion Teller seems to be that in this era of extravagant super-sizing, we have lost all sense of what constitutes a reasonable portion of food. Larger portions (what we actually eat) turns into more servings (recommended food amounts) that we realize, which means more calories and ... you know... bigger butts.

I am especially interested in the idea that we are so influenced by comparative size of the packaging or presentation.

One serving on a big plate looks teeny, and so we invariably feel unsatisfied with our portion and so we eat more. The same serving on a smaller plate looks more satisfying (larger) and so we tend to eat less.

I have noticed this effect with my ice cream bowls. When I visited Italy, all gelato was served in tiny cups with tiny spoons. I do the same thing at home now-- I have several small cut-glass bowls that hold maybe an even cup total, and several little demitasse spoons. If I serve myself ice cream in one of these small bowls and eat it with one of these cute little spoons, it feels like a special treat, and I'm usually satisfied with my portion. However, if I try to put ice cream in, say, a larger cereal bowl, that half cup or whatever, looks measly! You know you have to add more ice cream into a larger bowl!! It's sure happened to me. Big bowl leads to big portion, leads to feeling like a hog afterwards.

Did you know that plate sizes have expanded dramatically in the last 30-50 years? Did you know that a serving of pasta is more like an appetizer than a trough? Oohwee, this is so fascinating. I knew there was a reason I liked using my smaller plates and dishes.

Likewise with larger "jumbo" packaging versus a smaller package. Research has shown that we eat more out of a jumbo container. Hmmm. I'm thinking Co$co is NOT a good option for me.
But even in an average store, many foods are packaged *as if* they are a single serving, when in fact a package may contain several! Eating the whole darn bag means you are eating *how* many servings? Ack! Yes, that's x times more calories etc than you thought. I knew this, but somehow it did not sink in until I read this book.

So I've been practicing being more aware of portion size. When we were traveling recently, I tried to steer myself away from the usual junk or candy that I tend to indulge in on long trips. Keeping the whole protein-carb-vegetable balance in mind (yes, it talks a lot about that as well), I chose a modest bag of trail mix that contained mostly various nuts, dried fruits and a scattering of MnMs. This way we'd get a little chocolate with the energy food, but not the whole shebang.

Well, this was a great idea, and I made sure to read the back of the package. And do the math, tho the results were painful!

This 6 oz bag had *5* servings in it! Of 160 calories each. So clearly, I was not going to be able to wolf down the whole thing with impunity. Not with *800* calories and *50* grams of fat to be had! OMG.

My strategy (one idea/strategy from the book) was to portion out one serving at a time into my hand, in this case, 3 Tablespoons. The author recommends taking what you *think* is a serving, and then measuring or weighing it to see how accurate you are, then trying again for better accuracy. It's supposed to help retrain your eye to discern a more accurate serving size.

... Anyway, I did not do badly with it, estimating Tablespoons, although I did not have access to a measuring spoon to check my accuracy. And so I ate only approx. 1 serving at a time..... and then waited a couple hours before snacking again. *Knowing* that it was actually a serving helped me avoid eating out of boredom rather than actual hunger... or eating most of the bag in one sitting.

I did the same thing with my G@torade, drinking a cup (8 oz) at a time rather than guzzling it without a thought. Even what looks like a single serving of soda these days is actually 20 oz! That's about 2.5 servings right there.

There is apparently a movement in the FDA to list the nutritional information for the *whole* package of anything.... so that we are not suckered by misrepresentation of information. Can't wait!


The book has much more about balancing portions of food groups-- I can't write it all here, but it's pretty neat too.

The six groups listed are:
• Grains or starchy vegetables (4-8 servings per day)
• Vegetables (3+)
• Fruit (2-4)
• Dairy (2-3)
• Fish, Meat & Meat Alternatives (2-3) (what I think of as the protein group)
• Fats (1-3)
• Treats & Sweets (0-2)

This is another area that is open to misinterpretation if we don't have an accurate idea of a serving size. While we may aim for 5 servings of grain, that may be 5 slices of bread OR one bagel!! Ack! Yes, even foods themselves have gotten larger over the years. She has a whole list of this kind of portion-inflation.

. . .
Ok, I realize I am probably babbling here (although it's my blog, so hey, who cares, right?), but there is a bunch of really interesting and useful information in these books. I find that thinking about food using ideas about both portion and Glycemic Index is way cool.


Now if you add the book that my husband is currently reading-- The Omnivore's Dilemma (about the development of the modern food-industrial complex)-- into the mix, it gets *really* interesting. I have read only the intro and heard my husband talk about it so far, but I am getting the feeling that it will be very eye-opening as well. What little I have heard has encouraged urges to revisit the Macro-biotic philosophy, of which one aspect is that you eat food as close to its natural form as possible, i.e. little or no processing. .... But that's a topic for another day...


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One last thought, though. When I became a mostly-vegetarian (cheese, egg, occasional fish, meat maybe 2-3 times a year), I found myself making interesting choices. I do like most vegetarian foods, and am less thrilled with meat, so it's not hard for me to be MV.

It boils down to this: if I have a vegetarian option, I chose it.

No whining about how I should do this or that, or how I'd rather eat this or that, I just made the healthier choice. So with these fresh dietary ideas, I have even better information to make better choices, and I can approach each meal positively.

It's so easy to eat junk or overly processed junk. Yeah, yeah. But if you approach it day by day or meal by meal, you can find yourself saying-- for THIS meal, I will make a good choice. Even if I had too much ice cream or chocolate earlier... well, I can still have some veggies and get myself back on track...

I find it encouraging that I don't have to berate myself for past dietary sins. I can make that positive choice if I so chose. Yum yum. Now go eat something good for yourself. :)

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