• Tangy craving:   Dried green mango strips
• Salty craving:  Japanese seaweed crackers
• A little kick:  Wasabi peas
• Sweet:  Hi-chew taffy (mango or melon) or black sesame brittle
• Feeling munchy:  Laver soda crackers (Korean and Japanese)
• Sour-Sucking-Mouthwatering: Preserved plums!  (Pavlov’s right, my mouth waters every time I think of them)
• On-the-go or in the car:  Hot oatmeal mixed with Black Sesame Powder, honey and soy milk in my thermal mug
• Suddenly I’m starving:  Multi-grain, high-protein cereal biscuits (Taiwan) with a glass of water
• Feeling anti-social:  Cuttlefish jerky
• New favorite:  Sliced almonds with dried, seasoned minnows (sold at Tomato Japanese grocery)
• New import: Green tea smoked tofu packs (Taiwan)

Many of these can be found either at Tomato (mini-Japanese grocery at Windy Hill/Smyrna or one of the Asian groceries (Buford Highway Farmers Market, H-Mart, Assi, 99 Ranch, Dingho, Hong Kong Supermarket)

Noodles are traditionally served on birthdays because they symbolize long life (chang shou). So don’t break your noodles when you boil them! My favorite is my mom’s Chinese Chili Spaghetti (featured at the Dunwoody Chili Cookoff).

In celebration of long life noodle birthdays,  here are my favorite noodle highlights:

• Fresh ramen noodle soup at Umaido Japanese noodle shop (Korean-owned) in Suwanee and Yakitori Grill in Smyrna (great photos and helpful review by FoodieBuddha)
• Noodle fun with the kids at my Chinese Hotpot party with friends and going overboard with 5 different kinds of noodles.  Everyone was so full, they couldn’t finish the noodles, served as part the hotpot closing ceremony.
• Eating at a new Korean noodle house in Duluth with a non-English-speaking server and haplessly trying to figure out which noodles were cold, hot, dry or wet (soupy), with meat or no meat.  I learned that Korean “buckwheat noodles” are not the same as soba/Japanese buckwheat noodles. Meanwhile, I see my dad “washing” his kimchi in a glass of water to take off the hot chili edge. I laugh at him, but then adopt the practice myself.  The food was good!
• The Oodles of Noodles overview of our Asian Market Tours– 3 whole aisles of noodles!
• Watching the Noodle Master make homemade noodles by hand–no pasta machine –at Man Chun Hong (thanks to Atlanta Ethnic Foods Examiner) in Seoul Plaza on Buford Highway. Even as I’m watching him, it still amazes me how the lump of dough is transformed into long, skinny threads of noodles, in a matter of seconds!
• Seeing a three year-old baby slurp up our Chinese Chili Spaghetti and clamoring for more and more. The kid had good taste (or was starving), perhaps both!
• Serving noodles made from tofu at our Cook’s Warehouse class, a first for everyone!
• Learning that a 4,000 year-old bowl of noodles (millet) was discovered in northwestern China in 2006

Celebrate your birthdays (or any day) with noodles and slurp and twirl your way to long life!

Tuff Mug by Zojirushi

My friends have joked that I was more upset when I lost my Tuff Mug than when I lost my keys. I’ve been a loyal Tuff Mug fan since 1994 when I moved up north for graduate school. Throughout the fall and winter, it was my constant companion. And now that I’ve discovered it for icee slushies in the summertime, it’s my year-round buddy! When I carried it in the breast pocket of my parka, it was, literally, the only thing that would come between me and friends!

These are the reasons why I love my Tuff Mug, by Zojirushi (Japan).

• It keeps things very hot for a long time (several hours with patented thermal vacuum technology)
• It has a cool little storage compartment in the lid to keep your tea bag (or a vitamin).
• It lives up to its name. Mine has been dropped, rolled and bounced.

There is one drawback. It’s not a hand-warming mug. It’s so well insulated that the exterior metal layer never changes temperature, cold or hot. When I want a hand warmer, I grab cheaper look-alike versions.  Everything has its purpose!

Article courtesy of Beth Robinette who came with smiles and her camera to all of our new classes.  Nice to meet you and thanks for the interest and enthusiasm!

Beth is the Atlanta Ethnic Foods Examiner, Atlanta Ethnic Restaurants Examiner and Atlanta Ethnic Foodies meet-up group.

Asian Dumplings_handout – History/Shopping List/Recipe

Thanks to Buford Highway Farmers Market (and Bill) for being a great host for the class.

Asian Hot Pot Party Handout/Shopping List

* Curious, overwhelmed or intimidated by Asian markets?
* Want to learn about popular Asian produce, products and shortcut tips for making authentic, healthy and fusion Asian meals at home?
* Do you enjoy new food, cultural, travel and shopping experiences?

Join mother-daughter Chinese Southern Belles (and Atlanta natives), Natalie and Margaret, for a popular, fun, unique, interactive culinary and cultural experience!

Tour highlights include:

-Fresh Asian Fruits & Vegetables
-Oodles of Noodles
-Mad About Rice
-Some Like It Hot – Spices!
-Kitchen Tools & Pantry Essentials
-Chinese Hot Pot aisle
-Asian Snack Attack
-Food Court tasting

Price: $40 per person, 2 hours, includes all materials, samples, food court. (Students, kids and group discounts available)  Minimum 10 participants for private group bookings.

Sign up 10 friends and organizer gets 25% off! Great for birthdays, clubs, company teams or visitors.

*   *    *    *    *

Featured in Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Cook’s Warehouse, Taste of Atlanta, Whole Foods and Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Natalie and Margaret enrich their tours with Buddha-to-Bubba family stories from China to America’s Deep South and their passion for international travel, diversity, healthy living and sustainability.

By sharing their tips and tales, Margaret and Natalie hope to add a fun fusion touch to the kitchen, a cross-cultural dimension to Atlanta’s immigrant history, and a shared sense of community through the celebration of food, family and culture. Opening Minds, One Mouth at a Time!

Follow Natalie’s cross-cultural and food adventures on www.chinesesouthernbelle.com and Facebook and Twitter!

Tour/instructor/media questions: info@chinesesouthernbelle.com or call Natalie 404-494-0088

I enjoy the atmosphere and I’m usually there with good friends, family or even business colleagues so for me, it’s not just about the food.

A few of my favorites:

* Hot green latte (very chic)

* Green tea buns and cakes

* Almond and coconut cookie crisps (can’t eat just one)

* Fresh fruit smoothies (mango, kiwi or mixed with peach)

* Sweet Potato Pastry (can’t remember exact name but very good!)

* Sticky Rice Red Bean Buns

On Buford Highway, just outside I-285, next to big Tower Liquor store. Enjoy!

Here’s the handout from the Eat, Learn & Shop Series: Sushi Express (November 14, 2009, Buford Highway Farmers Market).

• Sushi history
• Shopping List (Basic and Variations)
• Where to find in the store
• Product and Cooking Tips

For a complete list of dates and topics in the Eat, Learn and Shop series