chinese culturecookinglab2010

A Labor of Love

The Art of Chinese Cooking

Guosheng Song

Guosheng was born and raised in Northern China. She became a doctor like many of her family members. She moved to Japan for a fellowship and met her husband in a Japanese language class. They married and moved to St. Louis in 2002. They have two children. Guosheng enjoys traveling and teaching cooking in the community. She taught herself to cook and cooks foods from many nationalities, including Japanese, Indian and Pakistani.

Students

Amanda ArtnerJennifer CoulsonChelsea BertholdCathy Crawley

Miriam BrinleySarah DacyHeather ButlerCourtney DauwalderSarah CheathamAlana DeanSarah Dobbs

Shopping Experience!

Shopping Experience

• We went to two different authentic Chinese stores to purchase all of our ingredients. – At Olive Marketplace we purchased all our

vegetables, sauces and herbs.– At Seafood Market, we purchased these meats:

– Chicken– Pork– Ground Beef– Shrimp– And one poor Bass

At The Seafood Market, we had to pick a live fish to be scaled and gutted!

The Chosen One:There was a slight language barrier at the meat counter, fish counter, and check out. We worked through it by having another shopper help us explain what we needed.

There was still some miscommunication that occurred at the fish counter and the butcher cut our fish’s tail off, which Guosheng told us not to have done!

Food as a Form of Expression:

• Color—red, green, yellow, black and white

• Shape—sliced, cube, chunk• Texture—hard, soft, mushy

and crispy• Flavor—salty, bitter, sour,

sweet, spicy• Aroma—garlic, ginger,

scallion, vinegar

The Basics• Chinese food is cooked with

vegetable or peanut oil and lots of salt, but rarely any sugar.

• Garlic and ginger are common seasonings

• Traditional methods of cooking include boiling, steaming, stir frying, braising, slow cooking and occasionally deep frying.

• Fresh fruits and vegetables are common ingredients. Many animals are used for meat including: chicken, duck, pig, fish, and ox.

• Unlike in the U. S., meat is butchered and drained of blood (which is why ducks are hung upside down in shop windows)

Chinese Meals• Meals are served with an even

number of dishes (2, 4, 6, 8 etc. ) and usually with a soup. Traditionally, three meals are served a day.

• Breakfast is simple often steamed bread or soupy rice.

• Chinese meals do not traditionally include dessert but are finished with fruit and tea.

• Meals are traditionally “family style”, but sharing dishes has led to higher rates of hepatitis, and so is less common now.

Food Storage• Traditionally (prior to 1990 for

Guosheng), Chinese households do not store food in a refrigerator.

• Fresh foods, like vegetables, might be stored in an dug-out underground cellar to keep cool and meat is often marinated.

• Chinese food is served hot and not cold, Chinese people do not use ice cubes.

• Food is bought every day at small shops in the open market.

• The entire process from food prep to presentationrequires attention to detail.

• Cooking is done “from the heart” –by tasting and not measuring.

• Chopping is an essential skill for a chef.

• Being a chef requires a strong knowledge of knife skills.

• A chef-in-training will be asked to chop an entire box of cabbage before being allowed to cook a meal.

Chef Skills

Snacks and Drinking• Ladies in China often eat

sunflower seeds as a snack and drink tea together. Green, jasmine and oolong are common varieties. Women rarely drink alcohol.

• Drinking alcohol is a social activity among men, who drink, as a sign of friendship, until they “hit the floor”. They traditionally drink rice wine (stronger than sake) out of a small vessel which is heated in a large bowl of water.

Taboos in China

• Slicing a pear and separation are homonyms in Mandarin• Leaving chopsticks upright in the bowl symbolizes incense

at funeral• Sweeping on Chinese New Year represents sweeping good

luck away• Wearing white at wedding symbolizes of death• When picking food from a dish, pick the closest and don’t

be choosy.

Symbolism in Chinese Food• Spring roll – wealth• Mooncake – togetherness• Fish served whole – prosperity• Cashew nuts – gold, money• Noodles – longevity• Dumplings – wealth, prosperity• Chicken – happiness• Duck – fidelity• Peanuts – a long life• Seeds– fertility, many descendants

From: http://www.chinancient.com/category/chinese-mystery/mysterious-emblem

Chinese Special Occasions Lunar New Year:• Two weeks of vacation—15 days

total• Each day has a traditional food to

eat (e.g. 1st day: dumplings, 3rd day: goat)

• Families wake up at midnight to eat dumplings

• When a whole fish is served it is a symbol of abundance and families do not eat the whole thing to have some left over

Children In China• Children take part in shopping

and food preparation at a young age. Guosheng remembers helping to butcher a chicken when she was five-years-old.

• Children eat what adults eat. “There are no chicken nuggets.”

• Children eat with spoons until they are 4-years-old when they are then given chopsticks.

Choosing the Recipes• We chose the recipes for our

meal from Chinese Cooking: The Food and the Lifestyle, which is Guosheng’s favorite authentic Chinese cookbook.

• Our meal was six dishes and a soup.

• Beverages were almond milk, plum wine and jasmine tea, which is traditionally served afterwards.

• Guosheng prepared mooncakes for our dessert.

Stir-fried Chinese GreensChaau Jaap Choi

1 tbsp. vegetable or peanut oil1 tsp. finely chopped garlic8 oz leafy Chinese greens,

coarsely chopped½ tsp salt

Recipe Adapted from: Jackson, Anabele Chinese Cooking:the

Food and the Lifestyle. Love Food. Parragon Books Ltd.,

UK (2004)

Ma Po DoufuMa Po Dau Fu

1 lb soft tofu2 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil1 tsp Sichuan peppers2 tbsp chili bean sauce1 tsp fermented black beans1 ¼ cups hot chicken stockPinch of sugar 1 tsp light soy saucePinch of salt2 tbsp thinly sliced scallion

Recipe Adapted from: Jackson, Anabele Chinese Cooking:the Food and the Lifestyle. Love Food. Parragon Books Ltd., UK (2004)

Stir-fried Bean SproutsChing Chaau Nga Choi

1 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil1 ½ cuts bean sprouts2 tbsp finely chopped scallion½ tsp saltPinch of sugar

Recipe Adapted from: Jackson, Anabele Chinese Cooking:the Food and the Lifestyle. Love Food. Parragon Books Ltd., UK (2004)

Won Ton SoupWun Tun Tong

EggChinese Garlic Chives½ tsp finely chopped fresh

gingerroot1 tbsp light soy sauce1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine2 tsp finely chopped scallionPinch of sugarPinch of white pepperDash of sesame oil30 square won ton skins1 eggs white, lightly beaten

8 cups chicken stock2 tsp salt½ tsp white pepper2 tbsp finely chopped scallion1tbsp chopped cilantro leaves

Recipe Adapted from: Jackson, Anabele Chinese Cooking:the Food and the Lifestyle. Love Food. Parragon Books Ltd., UK (2004)

Cantonese Steamed FishChing Jing Yu

1 whole sea bass½ tsp saltFresh gingerroot1 tsp Shaoxing rice wine1 tbsp slivered scallion1tbsp vegetable or peanut oil1 tbsp light soy sauce

Recipe Adapted from: Jackson, Anabele Chinese Cooking:the Food and the Lifestyle. Love Food. Parragon Books Ltd., UK (2004)

Spring RollsCheun Gyun

6 dried Chinese mushrooms1 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil2 cups ground chicken1 tsp dark soy sauce1 cup fresh bamboo shootsPinch of salt3 ½ oz raw shrimpBean Sprouts1 tbsp finely chopped scallions25 spring rolls skins1 egg white, lightly beatenVegetable or peanut oil

Recipe Adapted from: Jackson, Anabele Chinese Cooking:the Food and the Lifestyle. Love Food. Parragon Books Ltd., UK (2004)

JiaoziGaau Ji

4 cups ground pork1tbsp light soy sauce1 ½ tsp salt1 tsp Shaoxing rice wine½ tsp sesame oilScant 1 cup cabbage2 tsp minced gingerroot2 tsp chopped scallion½ tsp white pepper50 circle dumplingsJiaozi Dipping Sauce

Recipe Adapted from: Jackson, Anabele Chinese Cooking:the Food and the Lifestyle. Love Food. Parragon Books Ltd., UK (2004)

Chinese Film History• Early Chinese films (pre 1930s) attributed little influence to

Chinese culture until American filmmakers stepped in to teach Chinese filmmakers techniques of the trade.

• Since then, Chinese films have dealt largely with significant cultural and political events, including the Chinese Civil War, Japanese War, the formation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and modern economic development.

• 1950, 60s, and early 70s - Chinese film experienced a lull due to suppressed artistic license in Mao Zedong’s PRC and Cultural Revolution.

• 1970s – Filmmakers slowly recovered from their artistic expression. (Lixio, 2004)

• 1980s – The “fifth generation” of filmmakers shocked their audience with untraditional methods leading to government control of the film industry.

• 1990s – Chinese films began receiving international attention and prosperity; China began showing foreign movies in 1995.

• 2000s – The “sixth generation” of filmmakers aim to create films showing a more realistic side of Chinese life and culture.

• Shanghai comprises the hub of Chinese filmmaking, with the Star Studio being the premiere studio. (Lixio, 2004)

Chinese Film History

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (CTHD)

• Director: Ang Lee• Starring: Yun-Fat Chow, Michelle Yeoh• Genre: Wuxia Drama• Released: December 22, 2000• Summary: “Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life” (imdb.com)

(allmoviephoto.com, 2000)

(imdb.com)

Awards and Acclaims

• Won 4 Academy Awards, including Best Foreign Language Film, Best Art Direction-Set Direction, Best Cinematography, & Best Music, Original Score

• Another 73 wins & 91 nominations

• Ranked #240 on IMDB’s top 250 films (imdb.com).

• “Ang Lee’s "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is the most exhilarating martial arts movie I have seen” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times(2000).

• “It's great, gorgeous fun. ” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone (2000).

Chinese Culture Exhibited in “CTHD”

• Set during the Qing dynasty• Features traditional Chinese gender roles and

social expectations• Actors used the wudan style of martial arts

Lulu Seafood &Dim Sum

Kung Pao ChickenSalt pepper ShimpSeaweed SaladSteamed Pork Buns

Szechuan ChickenPork StewBeef and BroccoliAlmond Cookies

Works Cited• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. (n.d.) In The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved

September 22, 2010 from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190332/• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon photo. (2010). Retrieved September 22, 2010 from

http://www.allmoviephoto.com/photo/michelle_yeoh_crouching_tiger_hidden_drag on_001.html

• Ebert, R. (2000, December 22). Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190332/

• Jackson, Anabele Chinese Cooking:the Food and the Lifestyle Love Food. Parragon Books Ltd., UK (2004)

• Lixio. (2004, January 17). Film Industry in China. Retrieved from http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/film/84966.htm

• Travers, P. (2000, December 10). Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Retrieved from http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/8550/48947

• Symbolism in Chinese Food. (n.d.) In Ancient Chinese Culture. Retrieved from http://www.chinancient.com/category/chinese-mystery/mysterious-emblem