Cooking Workshop

Last time we covered what I do with my elective class. Today we will go over yet another elective class because we all know how engineering classes are already (as a side note, engineering classes dont begin until February anyways, we have language/culture class now from 8-4 everyday).

This class, which I am sure everyone enjoy, helps Americans to quickly get a grasp on Chinese Culture as it is now. It is taught by a Chinese woman, who is really quite traditional, yet what she knows about the Western Culture really puts me to shame.

We will have 4 field trips in this class and the 1st one is the Chinese Food cooking work shop. As you may all know already, Chinese food really is not just sweet n sour, deep fried, and over oily food as, but unfortunately, for reasons I do not now know of, the dishes offered at this workshop were all limited to exactly those...

(I am speculating is so that us "Americans" are not too far out of our comfort zone) 

Our workshop sensei, Mike is a chef who used to work at a Ritz-Carlton hotel but now fully devotes to teaching, apparently just last month he taught a Saudi prince and when they were out in the market getting ingredients they didn't have money "small enough to pay" (lul)

Our culture teacher, Weiqi (pronounced wei chi)

work station, I lahved it

Mike introducing the dishes we will be making and Russell playing with knife

ready steady cook!

So what did I cook? vegetables? pasta? no! none of that cheap stuff when raw materials are provided (or when I'm not at Purdue), I actually diced a fish! We were promised to be able to pick out the raw materials, but due to scheduling, our group got the clean, gutted fish, instead of the live, just-out of the water ones.

Nevertheless, it was still quite an experience. It was my first time preparing fish that's not been filleted, and I've gotta say, the de-boning process was a lot more complicated than I thought, contrary to my belief, it was actually bind together with the fish flesh and cutting it with the cleaver without a pointy edge didn't make the job any easier...

first blood at the station, never forgetting about you guys and got my camera all fishy

surprisingly simple to marinate the fish: cooking wine, sugar, salt and white pepper so the fishy smell gets covered

no worries, your head is in good hands

fish are food, not friends

here, you may observe other cooks prepping meat, no where close the butchering we experienced of course

As the fish marinate, I thought about it, a lot, how much longer it will take, how many bites it might take me, etc..

After prepping, we moved on to the cooking (duh), the kitchen really was not as big but just seeing woks was enough to put all my doubts down, with the help of Mike, all our dishes turned out edible and we even managed to attract some beef cakes aka the other groups...

making of sweet and sour pork and someone who just couldn't wait Kathleen looking out for us and checking if it was poisonous

preparation of eggplant

deep frying the fish (someone had to hold the mouth of the fish open so it doesnt drawn)

showcasing what seemed like the most delicious fish ever

as we finish up, some beef cakes also pulled up trying to taste the fruit of our labor

Very colorful and tasty, health values, mhmm...

mandatory eating photo

After the meal, we took a tour of the local market where all the ingredients had came from. "wet market" we called them, and although produce looks some what sketch (especially when they are all piled up together), it is definitely the freshest, most local and best priced.

These Brings back memories when I just moved back to Taiwan in my early days when I was scared of walking for this very reason. The best part though, was the reaction of all the white people, and the equal satisfying facial expression of the Chinese people seeing these white people react.

Typical conversation goes like this:
"what are those?"
"fish's swim bladder"
"you can eat that?"
"oh yeah, in your soup, we might have had it already!"
"*gags" okay"
":)"

Without further waiting, here are some first hand experiences. (notes to all, please don't ask me how everything taste because I haven't had all these things either) Also keep in mind, it's my first time in China too, so I am as much of a tourist than anyone else.

smoked pork head, i think it was saying "welcome" to me

local butcherie, pork and lambs, no catch here

"the last free range chicken has been captured"

ducks, geese and all kind of smoked meat

the sea food section

nuts and grains, the ones for food if it's a little heard to tell

two turtules, they were in a race to get off the container

name three vegetables here!

and as always, group photo, I got to sit because I had no manners, so stop asking

say "茄子" (qié zǐ), meaning egg plants, good substitue for saying cheese and if you wanna get some genuine laughs

Anyways, what's next?

the water town of Wuzhen! maybe a little on Steve Aoki too once I get my hands on some photos (My photos looked like I was snapping out of my pockets)