February 2009 Archives

      Fortune cookies are curved butter-vanilla flavored wafers with a slip of paper tucked inside. On this paper is a series of lucky numbers and a wisdom prophecy. They are usually served in Chinese restaurants as a dessert.  

      Most Americans assume fortune cookies are from China because they get them from Chinese restaurants. However, as a Chinese, I had not heard about fortune cookies before arriving in the U.S., and the other international students I know who are from China or Taiwan didn't know what fortune cookies were as well. During my first time at a Chinese restaurant in Boston's Chinatown, I was wondering what the cookie was. And I asked myself, "Am I a Chinese? Why don't I know fortune cookies? If it is from the USA, why do Americans put pieces of paper inside their cookies?"

      It is believed that fortune cookies were introduced to the United States by the Japanese around 1890, but there is a well-known ancient Chinese fable from as early as the Ming Dynasty(640 years ago) that said Chinese soldiers communicated with each other by hiding a piece of paper in a moon cake. So, some people claim that the fortune cookie is a modern Chinese American interpretation of the moon cake.

      No matter where fortune cookies are from, this interesting dessert has become a special eating custom in Chinese restaurants, and people have developed a game to go along with the "wisdom" messages inside fortune cookies. People add "between the sheets" or "in bed" to the end of the fortune. It always creates a sexual meaning or funny message, such as "You need to maximize yourself [in bed]"or "You will be rich [in bed]."

      You may see most Chinese restaurants provide chopsticks, but do you know how to use them? I have been asked hundreds of times of how to use chopsticks since I arrived in Boston. So, I decided to share the knack of using chopsticks. If you'd like to, we can go to a Chinese restaurant together and I can demonstrate how to pick up food with chopsticks.

      There are tons of websites or blogs with information about how to use the chopsticks; however, I think they make the readers more confused about how to use them. Here are 3 steps to teach you how to use chopsticks easily:

       Step1: Hold the first (lower) chopstick between your thumb and middle finger. Position the chopstick so that it lies at the area between your thumb and forefinger so it extends along your middle finger and rests on the last joint.

      Step2: Hold the other (upper) chopstick between the tips of thumb and forefinger as you hold a pen.

      Step3: Move chopsticks with middle finger and forefinger to pick up food. But do not make chopsticks an "X" as this will make it difficult to pick up food.

      Even though these are very useful steps, if you find a more comfortable way for you to use chopsticks, you definitely should stick to it. Don't worry about the rules or custom. If you get the food from the bowl to your mouth, you are using them correctly!

Chopsticks Tip: The shorter, the easier. If you are a beginner of using chopsticks, when selecting a pair of chopsticks, you should choose he shorter one. It is much easier to use. After getting used to this Chinese eating utensil, you could try the longer one. Also, chopsticks made from bamboo are the easiest one to use. The plastic, ceramic or metal ones are harder to use because there are too smooth to pick up food.

     Practice makes perfect. I hope you will enjoy using chopsticks!

      It is believed that the Chinese have used chopsticks since 3,000 years ago. Archaeologists found evidence that chopsticks originated in ancient China as early as the Shang Dynasty. Now, chopsticks are widely used as the main eating utensils throughout East Asia, including Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Vietnam.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

     Chopsticks may be made of a range of materials, such as plastic or bamboo. They may also differ in shape and length, coming to a point or a blunt tip, and ranging from 80 centimeters to 20 centimeters. No matter what chopsticks are made like, they can be used in the same way, picking up mouth-sized morsels and sweeping rice into the mouth directly from the bowl.

      Before using chopsticks, you should know major chopsticks etiquette first:

1.      Don't stick chopsticks vertically into food, especially into a bowl of rice because it resembles ancestral offerings and it implies an untimely death.

2.      Never wave the chopsticks over food and don't pass food with your chopsticks to other people, because it is considered poor manners and not hygienic.

3.      Do not suck on the tip of the chopsticks because it is considered rude.

      I wanted to share an inspired Chinese story which is related to chopsticks. I heard that when I was an elementary student, but it was very impressive so I haven't forgotten it. Here is the story:                                                                      

      A wise old man has 5 sons. His sons always fought with each other. One day, their father gathered all of his sons and gave each one a pair of chopsticks. The old man asked his sons, "Can you break the chopsticks that you have?" His sons said, "Of course, they can be broken easily." Then, their father asked them to put the five pairs of chopsticks together and let each of his son try to break it, however none could do it. The moral of the folktale is "In Unity there is Strength" and it is taught to most Chinese schoolchildren.  

      Please check the next article if you are interested in learning how to use chopsticks.

You've probably heard the phrase "dim sum." But, you probably have no idea how to order from the menu.

My friend, Ryan, has tried dim sum three times, but he has decided not to go there anymore, because he has had nightmares about dim sum restaurants! He couldn't understand the menu completely, so he just ordered something by instinct. When the dishes had been put on his table, he suddenly understood he had made wrong choices... because the food he ordered looked and tasted gross. Based on my friend's awful experiences, I decided to introduce some classic dim sum assortments from a view of a Chinese. After reading this article, please go to a dim sum restaurant again. Believe me, you will love it.

Dim sum consists of a wide variety of dishes, from sweet to savory. It has combinations of meat, vegetables, seafood, and fruit. It is usually served in a small bamboo basket (for steamed dim sum) or on a small dish. After the main meal, you have many choices of dessert, from tofu to pudding.

Some dim sum restaurants have over 50 items. As a Chinese, I chose the Top 10 most famous and popular dishes to share with you.

Sesame Seed Balls (Jin Dui):
Balls are rolled in sesame, filled with sweet red bean paste and deep-fried. Sesame seed balls are crispy and chewy. This is my favorite dim sum dessert.

Spring Rolls (Chun Juan):
Spring rolls consist of a crispy flour shell which contain juicy vegetables and meat inside.

Egg Custard Tart (Dan Ta):
Baked tart filled with egg custard. It can melt immediately when in your mouth.

Turnip cake (Law Bok Gow):
Turnip cake is a fried cake made with daikon which is a Chinese turnip.

Beef Balls (niu wan):
The ball is made of beef that has been finely pulverized and steamed.

Char Siu Bao:
These are steamed buns stuffed with barbecued pork.

Fung Jeow:
Chicken feet marinated in a special spicy sauce.

Har Gau:
Shrimp dumplings made with a translucent rice flour wrap.

Shaomai:
There are many kinds. Traditionally, shaomai is filled with pork, shrimp, sometimes with vegetables. It is best dipped in soy sauce.

Water Chestnut Cake:

A cake made of water chestnut that is pan-fried. So the outside is crispy while the inside remains soft.

Even though you may have had bad experiences ordering dim sum in a restaurant, you should give it a try again. Especially, now that you have read this food guide.  If you are interested in dim sum, please leave me a comment, maybe I can be a guide and hold a "dim sum group" to explore the dim sum culture and find the best dim sum together in Boston.

Here is the information: 

Hei la Moon

88 Beach Street, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 338-8813

As a Chinese, I am often asked, "What is dim sum?"

In Chinese, dim means "point at" and sum means "the heart."This describes what you do when you eat in a dim sum restaurant; you point to what you want, and enjoy the dim sum from your heart.

Dim sum is originated from Guangdong province in China. It has been described as the Chinese version of tapas, or small delicacies, in the Western world. These Chinese dishes are usually steamed, baked or fried. In general, these small dishes are displayed on a bamboo basket or put atop a steamer. The serving size is usually quite small and normally served as three or four pieces on one dish.

Chinese tea is served with dim sum. Dim Sum Tip: It is polite to pour tea for others before filling your own cup. If someone pours tea for you, it is tradition to curve your index and middle fingers and tap them on the table. This shows your respect to that person who is pouring tea because the shape of your fingers looks like a "bow".