Posts from — June 2010

Behind the scenes on the making of Asian tuna salad:

Meet Tofu.  She is one of the loves of my life, and here she is lapping up tuna water.  Instead of draining the can of tuna into the sink, I drained it into Tofu’s dish.  Tofu loves her occasional treat of tuna water.  I’m such a Grinch – I didn’t even give her a tiny chunk of fish.

I created this Asian tuna salad in my college days.  One tin of tuna can be stretched out for several meals, and ready to eat in 10 minutes.  Top it on a steamy bowl of rice, add a fried egg with soy sauce, and some Japanese pickles – you got yourself a complete meal.  Use it as the filling for rice balls or sushi (recipes to come).  I love making a bowl of miso soup on the side to go with it too!  This tuna salad is packed with flavor – only a small spoonful or smear is needed.

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It’s Dragon Boat Festival, and I’m feeling sorry for myself. I don’t have a zong zi to eat. I have fond memories of making zong each year. The preparation is an event in and of itself. I wrote about it on yelp and re-posted here.

Picture from Food Mayhem

Here are some online recipes:

• Food Mayhem
• Fresh Sage
• Wiki-How

Making Zong Zi in My Grandma’s Kitchen:

Being Chinese American, I am marginalized and viewed as foreign. I get statement like ‘My, you speak such good English!’ On the flip side of the same coin, being Chinese American gives me access the Chinese community. Schools reach out to me requesting assistance to translate at a parent/teacher conference for a Chinese family. Working at a women’s shelter – the women of color identified with me and found comfort in someone who understands their background. Going to Chinatown, I never get pester with sales pitch for a Gucci or Channel. Yes – being Asian I get marginalized, and being Asian, I also get the privilege of access in the community. I get the privilege of being able to have the understanding, being accepted, and am empowered to serve my community.

Similarly, being a women – I get the burden. I get men staring at me walking down the street or getting odd PMs from men on yelp *ehem* – ok, fine, personally, it hasn’t happened, but I’ve witness women with that burden. Women’s movement in space is also restricted – in the uncomfortable late night subway ride/walk home. The expression, “Woman! Get back in the kitchen,” can be demeaning, but we crafted a space of empowerment out of the marginalization.

By default, I have access to a community of women, a community that has been and to some extent still continues to be hidden and private in the realms of the home. Whether it’s making zong-zi (Chinese tamales) before the dragon boat festival in May, or tamales and enchiladas with my best friend’s mama and seven sisters on x-mas eve, or enjoying pasteles with my Puerto Rican sister and her family – all of these food requires an entire day of labor, days of preparation, and a whole crew of laborers. There in the kitchen, where I often burst out in laughter and tease my sisters, is a place where only women feel comfortable entering. It’s an unspoken rule that men may pass by, but dare not stay long.

I get to interact with others in a way where we swap stories, catch up on family gossip, and share resources/tips. The old transfer knowledge to the young (and vice versa) and the each of us are adding our own twist. We are adding on our experience and lens. Just like in making zong zi, we change the recipe to adapt to the modern diet. Lard has been replaced with vegetable oil, and a big wad of pork fat has been replaced with lean cuts of meat. We even make a few vegetarian versions. As food is ever evolving, it doesn’t make it less authentic.

Stories we share also evolve – it doesn’t make it less reliable. Just as recipes are adapted, I adapt my grandmother’s stories just as she has made them her own. They are not just her stories, but the stories of those that have come before her and the stories of those who she has come across. Now they are a part of my stories, and I will share them through my lens. Just as it is important for each woman to have a room of her own, it is also important that as women we have a collective space of OUR own, one of which is the kitchen that we claimed as ours.

How Do You Celebrate?

People don’t love me through booze, they love me through food.  It’s interesting to see how each person celebrate their birthday.  Some friends create a week of going to bars with pregame.  My b-day involves plenty of nourishment.
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