After having some success with Wei-Chuan’s Chinese Cuisine (中国菜), I decided to pick some some of the other Wei-Chuan cookbooks to diversify, namely Chinese Snacks (點心專輯), Chinese Cuisine: Beijing Style (北京菜) and Chinese Cuisine: Shanghai Style (上海菜). I really like the bilingual cookbooks produced by Wei-Chuan. While I prefer to read through recipes in English, I like the title of the dishes to be in Chinese because I am more familiar with the Chinese names. I also like that I can consult with the Chinese recipe if the English directions are unclear.
Last weekend, I made the 糖醋瓦塊魚, which was inartfully translated to Sweet and Sour Fish Tiles. Another reason why I like the Wei-Chuan cookbooks is because the recipes all include a color photo of the final dish. If I had to rely on the awkward English translation, I probably would not have attempted the dish. Anyways, the recipe called for 1 T. of brown vinegar. Since I was unsure what was brown vinegar, I looked at the Chinese recipe which listed 鎮江醋. The bottles I see at 99 Ranch are labeled Chinkiang Vinegar, not Brown Vinegar. So, having the Chinese recipe with the English translation really helped in this instance.
I did notice that in some instances the Chinese and English recipes differed. Specifically, the Chinese recipe for 槽溜魚片called for 味精, but its English translation did not. I guess the translator was aware that Americans are not exactly fond of MSG. However, this cultural sensitivity theory fails if you look at all the dishes in the Chinese Snacks book that requires lard or shortening. I guess that’s the only way to make pastry dough light and flakey, but it’s definitely not a product I stock in the kitchen.
AP is reporting that the Bird’s Nest stadium will be converted into a shopping and entertainment complex. Funding the construction of an athletic stadium is one thing. But finding a stable source of income to pay for ongoing maintenance is another.
During the broadcast of President Obama’s inaugural address, CCTV panned out when the President said the “c” word – communism. Not exactly one of the seven dirty words. However, if you read the inaugural address, you will realize that CCTV overreacted. President Obama said:
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
Of course, the fascism comment refers our victory against Nazi Germany in World War II. As for communism, I’m pretty sure that Obama was talking about the Cold War with the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union collapsed. Again, we won, they lost. I’m not positive that “faced down” applies to the Korean War where the US fought to a standstill or the Vietnam War where the US departed in defeat. So, just because Obama talks about communism, it doesn’t mean he’s talking about China.
Each day, government officials worldwide are announcing that more and more Chinese food products contain melamine. The good news is that someone is testing all the products, obvious or not, for melamine contamination. The Voice of America reported that latest products recalled include Koala brand chestnut and chocolate flavored cookies, Nabisco Ritz cracker cheese sandwiches and rice crackers. The lesson here is that nothing is safe. Rice crackers contain milk? Even I wasn’t expecting that. Time to be extra careful.
A few days ago, I spotted this post: Tainted Milk in China; No Threat in US. However, that headline is not entirely accurate. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a Health Information Advisory that “there is no known threat of contamination of infant formula manufactured by companies that have met the requirements to sell such products in the United States.”
No Known Threat. First, “no known threat” is not the same as “no threat.” We are talking about milk production here and not terrorism. Some farmer is not going to release a video threatening to poison the milk supply with melamine. So, the government and the public, more often than not, will not become aware of specific threats to the food supply until someone has already been seriously injured or killed.
Infant Formula. Secondly, the Health Information Advisory was limited to the contamination of infant formula and not to other milk or milk-based food products. So, while infant formula may be “safe,” that doesn’t mean that melamine contamination posed no threat in the United States. In fact, right after I read that, my immediate thought was to wait and see. I did not believe that melamine contamination was an isolated incident. However, I wasn’t expecting the situation to unravel that quickly. Today, the FDA announced the recall of my beloved White Rabbit creamy candy (小白兔奶糖) because of melamine contamination. Fortunately, I had not indulged in those in quite a few years. The FDA also announced the recall of Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea, also because of melamine contamination.
Met the Requirements. Finally, the FDA didn’t say that all infant formula was not knowingly unsafe. (Yes, that is a double negative, but not knowingly unsafe is not the same as safe.) Instead, the FDA limited its declaration to infant formula manufactured by companies that have met the requirements to sell such products in the United States. So, infant milk formula produced by companies that have followed applicable laws and regulations is not knowingly unsafe. But, we really have no idea which companies are following the “requirements to sell such products in the United States” now, do we? Is the Health Information Advisory less reassuring than when you first read it?
This melamine contamination issue is very serious because there is no meaningful way to distinguish between safe and unsafe food products. Take for example the Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea recall. King Car Food Industrial Co. Ltd. produces Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea. King Car is a Taiwanese company that used a non-dairy creamer manufactured by Shandong Duqing Inc., a Chinese company. Let the implications of that sink in a bit. First, the melamine contamination scandal implicates products made by companies outside of China. Secondly, the source of contamination was a non-dairy creamer. So, either the “non-dairy” wasn’t really non-dairy, or products other than milk are also contaminated. Yikes. So, even if you wanted to boycott food products manufactured in China, you will not necessarily be safer because companies located outside of China may be using China-sourced ingredients.
Last year, Caroline Smith Dewaal of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees and stated, “We see the pet food recall as a warning sign for the government that they need to do more to protect the food supply. It could easily happen to an ingredient used in human food as well.” Now, 17 months later, the warning sounds more like a prediction.
One incidence of melamine contamination may be an “isolated incident. However, we now have two data points. A trend, perhaps? This time, we don’t have to search for melamine on Google to figure out what it is.
I love Google’s news archive search. I just discovered a New York Times article from February 13, 1912 announcing that Emperor Pu-Yi had abdicated from the throne. The interesting part, at least for me, was the terms of the abdication. Specifically, the Republicans pledged that “[t]he Emperor shall receive an annual grant of 4,000,000 taels until the currency is reformed, after which he shall receive $4,000,000 Mexican.” Of course, the Republicans referred to in the article are those supporters of the Republic of China, and not the McCain/Palin crowd. Now, almost a 100 years later, pegging a severance payment to the Mexican dollar seems a bit quaint. Just shows how powers ebb and flow over time. A century from now, I wonder of our current US dollar denominated contracts will appear equally quaint to those who are yet to be born.
The Beijing Olympics have begun. Or, as the Beijing 2008 website notes: “-4 days to go.” Humorous if you know computer programmers, I guess. Once an event has started, turn off the countdown clock.
I found the opening ceremony to be absolutely breathtaking in scope, precision and theatrics. More than once, I stared at the performance—gloriously broadcasted in HD— and wondered aloud how exactly they did “that.” Arthur C. Clarke once said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. That opening ceremony definitely included a healthy dose of magic. Uh, except for the flying guy. The special effects works in movies because the “magicians” can digitally erase the harness and wires. However, in real life, it just looks like a guy in a harness and there’s no magic in that.
Now that the opening ceremony has aroused the Olympic spirit in me, I’m in the mood to pick up some Olympic souvenirs. However, I was not spirited enough to go to Beijing and witness the spectacle live. Some of the official licensed products on the Beijing 2008 website look appealing, but the website has no shopping cart or 1-click buttons. Just a hotline to phone in an order. A China phone number at that. Some how, I don’t think they’ll be shipping to the United States. Anyways, for someone looking for some Olympic t-shirts, pins or other merchandise, I came across the following sites:
