Blog Post 9/28

Reflective Writing in response to the Buzzfeed Videos

I watched the videos “Chinese People Try Panda Express For the First Time” and “Americans Try German Food For The First Time”. In the Panda Express video, the elders’ reaction to American Chinese food was mild and accepted in general. They agreed that some dishes tasted delicious and authentic while some other dishes were not that authentic but still acceptable. However, the young people’s reaction to the food was furious. They disliked the food and considered it fake Chinese food. I was actually very surprised by their reactions while watching the video, and their reactions seemed a little ridiculous to me. The most surprising thing was that the young people, who seemed to be raised in a western environment, were very critical about the food while the elders endorsed the food. Based on my personal experience of eating at Panda Express, I would agree with the elders that some dishes are considerably authentic. Thus, in my opinion, the young people were just being very pretentious and judgmental.

Americans’ reactions to German food were not surprising to me. They all liked the German sausage very much and some of them disliked the German drink and candy. I feel the same as them. When I travelled to Germany, I loved the sausages which were meaty and delicious. Some drinks and candy may taste weird at the first time because we are not yet adapted to the new taste. I encountered many weird food, drinks, and snacks while travelling in different countries. Thus, Americans’ reactions to German food were pretty normal from my perspective. 

Ethnography of the Cox Hall Food Court

I. Background

       Strategically located at the center of the Emory campus, Cox Hall Food Court is a popular dining place for Emory students. It opens at 6:30 am and closes at 7:00 pm every day, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. According to its official website, the Cox Hall Food Court is positioned as a place “which offers quick-service dining options”. It consisted of ten food vendors, which are ITP Deli, Freshens, Maru, C3, Green Bean, Twisted Taco, Pasta John’s, Beltline Pizza, Dooley’s Farm, and Char’d House. They together offer diverse dining options for students, staff, and visitors at Emory.

II. Observation

       The first time I went to the Cox Hall Food Court was during a busy lunch time on a weekday. As I entered the food court, I was overwhelmed by its crowdedness. The tables were basically fully occupied, and long lines formed in front of both food counters and check-out counters. In order to avoid the waiting, I chose a box of pre-made sushi roll and a bowl of cold pasta from the refrigerator and checked out.

As I looked around to find an available table, I noticed that most tables at the Cox Hall Food Court had four or six seats. About one-third of the tables were located by the glass. The remaining two-third of the tables were situated near the check-out counters and food vendors. My friend and I sit down at a table by the glass which was lighted by natural sunlight.

I tasted the pasta first. It was very cold, and the pasta was a little too hard. The sauce of the pasta was kind of weird to me, and I did not finish it. The sushi roll was not bad. Again, the rice was very cold and hard, but acceptable. The sashimi inside was fresh and the portion was not too small. Overall, I did not really enjoy my first meal at the Cox Hall and I was still a little hungry after spending ten dollars on my food.

My comprehensive impression of the Cox Hall Food Court was crowded and the food was so-so. It deserved a score of six point five out of ten in my opinion.

III. Interview

       In order to make a better evaluation of the Cox Hall Food Court, I also interviewed two of my friends, Steven and Elaine, regarding their experience of eating at Cox. Elaine eats at Cox Hall approximately once a week. Steven is a less frequent eater at Cox, eating there about twice a month. Their first impressions of the Cox Hall Food Court were both crowded during lunch, but Elaine added that “during dinner time, the line was much shorter”. Steven did not like the food at Cox Hall except the sushi, and he concluded that “the food was not great but a good change of taste”. Steven gave an overall score of six out of ten for the Cox Hall Food Court. Elaine, on the other side, liked the food at Cox Hall, especially the tacos. “It is better than the DUC.” Said Elaine. She was happy with the wide range of choices that Cox Hall offered. After all, she gave a score of seven out of ten for Cox Hall.

IV. Conclusion

       In conclusion, the Cox Hall Food Court offers diverse options of food for everyone on campus. It can get really crowded during the lunch time and the waiting line can be very long. Thus, it is not a good choice if you are in a rush. The quality of the food is not superb, but it is a good choice if you are tired of the DUC.

Sources Cited:

Housing & Dining, http://www.emory.edu/home/life/housing-dining.html

Cox, http://emoryatlanta.cafebonappetit.com/cafe/cox/

In-class Writing  9/23

Dishes:

1. vegetable lo mein

2. coke-cola chicken wings

3. steak

4. miso black cod

Ingredients:

1. snow beans

2. broccoli

3. egg noodles

4. oyster sauce

5. frozen chicken wings

6. 2 bottles of coke

7. rib-eye steak

8. frozen black cod

9. miso sauce

10. soy sauce

11. garlic

12. green onion

estimated price: $250~300

Process:

I would go to the supermarket first to gather all the ingredients. Then, I would go back home and wash the vegetables and let the frozen food to thaw. After that, I would cook the vegetable lo mein first, and then the chicken wings and steak simultaneously. I would cook the chicken wings with a wok, and the steak with a pan. Lastly, I will cook the miso black cod with a pan since seafood needs to be served hot.

There is not a specific theme for the meal. The dishes I picked are those which I am able to make, and I actually made during my trip to UK with my friends. I consider it a combination of Asian and Western food since the ingredients I use are common in American supermarket, but the way I cook it and the sauce I use are typically oriental. I think I will cook this in a friend's house, and I think it will approximately take me an hour and half to finish all four dishes.

Blog Post for 9/23

To me, sustainability is the capability to protect the environment, limit unnecessary waste, and benefit the next generation. Sustainability is important in modern world as resources are limited while population continues to increase rapidly. Sustainability is not something unreachable, people can all be sustainable in different ways. For most people, one easy way to live sustainably is to buy and eat locally. To buy locally means to purchase local food and fruits to support local farmers. It is environment-friendly as it reduces the use of vehicles for transportation. Buying locally may sometimes costs more, but as compensation, we get fresher food and contribute to the economy of the region we live in. To me, in additionally, eating locally is a joy. In Guangdong, China, different rural areas have different signature dishes. Thus, eating locally in different places is a great adventure, and I usually encounter delicious food unexpectedly in different local restaurants.

Blog Post for September 19th

Comparing Evidence used in articles "Here's Why Salads Feel Feminine and Nachos Seem Manly" and "India's War On Biryani Mixes Caste, Religion, Cow-Avenging Vigilantes"

The articles use different types of evidence. The evidence in the salad article are mostly secondary since the writer is describing and interpreting other's study. For example, he writes "The results showed, unsurprisingly, that there was a significant tie to food and gender perception. People were more likely to see the unhealthier options as masculine and the healthier options as more feminine", and this is a summarization of other’s study result. The evidence in the Indian food article are mostly primary as they are cited mainly from interviews. For example, the writer cites “But in the last 20 years there are little shacks selling biryani everywhere. The quality is not good, but it's convenient, a meal in a box.” from Amin, a restaurant owner. Besides the difference in type, the source of evidence used in these two articles is also different. The writer of the salad article uses sources from scientific study to support his claim while the writer of the Indian food article cites interviews as evidence.

Blog Post
September 13th

From my perspective, food has a really close connection to religion and tradition. Different religions have different food restrictions as well as traditions.

My parents and I basically do not have any religious affiliation, but every year, as a tradition, on the first day of Chinese lunar calendar we will go to the temple as many other Chinese families. Following our visit to the temple, we will always have vegetarian meals on that day. When I was young, I did not know the reason. I asked my mom one time, and she told me that is because in Chinese Buddhism gods are believed to be born on the first day of the lunar calendar. Therefore, as a form of respect, people avoid killing animals and eat vegetarian meals on that day. To nowadays, though many Chinese people do not have a strong affiliation to Buddhism, this custom remains as a tradition.

Not only Buddhism has dietary restrictions, many other religions also do. When I was in high school, I learned from some Jewish students that there is a fasting day every year. In addition, in Jewish culture, there are many limitations on food and the ways that it is prepared.

To sum up, food is not simply what we eat every day. It contains cultural heritage and has important meaning to different groups of people.

Revised Version of Blog Post on September 9th

     For a typical Cantonese family, going to teahouse[1] on the weekend for dim sum is like going to church for a western family. Dim sum, the quintessence of culinary intelligence, is an indispensable element for Cantonese. If you have been to a dim sum place in America, you may notice that there are dozens of different types of dim sum, ranging from salty to sweet, from meat to vegetable, from warm to cold, and from big portion to delicate small plate. Among all these diverse and exquisite culinary delicacies, “Har Gow” (also called xiajiao or shrimp dumpling) is my favorite.

     Har Gow is usually considered as the most representative one in Cantonese dim sum. It always appears as the first item on a dim sum menu. Based on my experience, the quality of the Har Gow is highly correlated with the overall culinary level of a restaurant. Restaurants that can produce good Har Gow usually also offer other types of tasteful dim sum and dishes. Restaurants that are bad at producing Har Gow hardly cook anything well.

So what is Har Gow exactly? According to the online ChinaDictionary, Har Gow is a popular Han traditional snack in Guangdong Province made from wheat starch. Typical traditional shrimp dumplings are half-moon in shape, translucent, stuffed with shrimps, meat, bamboo shoots and tastes delicious.[1] Now, after knowing the definition of Har Gow, you may ask what a good Har Gow is like. In my opinion, a good Har Gow should fulfill the following criterions:

1.       have thin, soft, and translucent skin

2.       the skin should be as thin as possible, but not to the extent which it can be easily ruptured by chopsticks (the translucence of the skin allows Har Gow to have a reddish appearance as we can kind of see the shrimp inside)

3.       the shrimp must be very fresh

4.       other ingredients must be seasonal

5.       taste fresh, juicy, and full-bodied

     Comparing to its complicated composition, eating Har Gow is extremely simple. Some people like to dip it in soy sauce while others prefer sweet chili sauce. For me, I like it plain, so that I can have a real taste of it, slowly chew it in my mouth, and peacefully enjoy the sense of pleasure this delicacy offers me.

     I don't know why, but dim sum certainly has some kind of spiritual value in my mind. While living in Guangzhou, a week without going to the teahouse for dim sum is incomplete for me. Dim sum, especially Har Gow, gives me a sense of belonging and peace which has some kind of magic power that can sweep away all my anxiety and unpleasantness.

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[1] "Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow)." ChinaDictionary. N.p., 04 Mar. 2015. Web. 13 Sept. 2016. <http://chinadictionary.net/shrimp-dumplings-har-gow/>.