How i spent my Wednesday evening

[kyllo_in_china]

I just cooked myself sweet and sour pork from scratch (and it was really good, unlike the last time I tried), and watched The Graduate on DVD. Total cost? Less than four dollars. It's times like this that remind me how much I love China

Comments

[kayanna]

huh, that's not how I make sweet and sour. no ketchup. just, well, tang n cu. (and the other usual suspects)

[kyllo_in_china]

Yeah, there are two different kinds of sweet and sour sauce. The red kind has ketchup, and it's more like Hong Kong style, which explains why we have that kind in America. The kind you get in Sichuan is usually the not-red, northern-style one, but I've had both kinds here. I think it tastes better with the ketchup.

I used to think Chinese food in America was really fake and inauthentic, since it's so different from the food in Sichuan and Beijing. But after going to Hong Kong, I realized that American Chinese food is basically just Hong Kong food.

Hey dude, thanks

[da_rosas]

Greetings, I've come to your blog from the zhongwen community where I read your response here. Wanted to THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for your response. I can't tell you how unexpectedly livid I became when I first read that "request" desiring tutoring help in Vancouver, etc. I actually wasn't going to respond initially, but the youngster who responded with what the difference is between NE male and NE female, inspired me to make a response finally. Unfortunately, it's an old, painful peeve of mine. Sadly, on some issues, I turn borderline flamer, as in blow torch. The specificity of that request is just so mindbogglingly offensive and insensitive, it could almost be funny, if it wasn't indicative of what so many people really do. Sorry, old and painful button on this

Re: Hey dude, thanks

[kyllo_in_china]

Haha, I liked the "bilious vomit" part.

Yeah, stuff like that gets really old. I love how she responded to my first comment with the My favourite accent I've heard is from people from northeastern China, but not Beijing itself. I met a girl the other day with the most wonderful, clear accent--she made me so happy--but sadly, she wasn't interested in being friends.

HAHA.

If I were that girl with the "wonderful, clear accent," I would have avoided her like the plague, too. I could continue trashing on Ms. hsi_feng for multiple paragraphs, but I'd be preaching to the choir

Re: Hey dude, thanks

[da_rosas]

Heheh, thanks for your response! Ms. Clueless in Vancouver, I fear what she must be like in person if she is incapable of making friends in person. Generally speaking, many Chinese that I've met here who came here as immigrants tend to be very polite. They'll make no clear indication directly to someone if they've been offended, but (with luck) they'll avoid them like the plague when given a chance. Yeah, as I wrote in my initial response, pity any poor thing that meets Ms. Clueless' clearly stipulated requirements in the perfect coolie that will be in awe of a proffered cup of tea. Oh, yeah, and like all such Chinese actually need English tutoring to boot. *trying not to gag* Sorry, I shouldn't preach to the choir

Re: Hey dude, thanks

[kyllo_in_china]

Well, you're definitely on the right track here--both of the two common words for "tomato" in Mandarin (番茄 fan qie) and (西紅柿 xi hong shi) denote that it's foreign/western in origin, but I have no idea when it was introduced to China. Today, Chinese people eat tomatoes, peppers, corn, and potatoes all the time. There are many things that didn't exist in Chinese cuisine a few hundred years ago, but I wouldn't hesitate to call "Chinese food" today