Chinese Southern Belle » Travel

#SSE10-In Heaven: 2010 Snack & Candy Expo, Chicago

Chinese Southern Belle — Tue, 25 May 2010 03:12:46 +0000

Snack-a-holic Chinese Southern Belles, Chicago Sweets & Snacks Expo

Just landed in Chicago and took the train and bus to the 2010 Sweets & Snacks Expo, a snack-a-holics dream come true! My mom already turned into a kid and started gobbling up welcome treats which included a 15-lb bag of taffies, chocolates, gummies, chewies and crunchies. Who says you can’t love sushi and swedish fish at the same time?! Of course, my weakness is chocolate…twist my arm, I’ll try a sample here…and there…and there…

Bubble Tea & Taiwanese Street Food: Bento Cafe

Chinese Southern Belle — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:06:03 +0000

I love and miss the Taiwanese street food and fresh fruit/tea drinks! In Taipei, a line a block long will indicate the best fried pork chop vendor, even though there is another vendor right next to it, with no line. Folks will stick with the line and wait. The cart and location is a coveted spot that is often run by a family through multiple generations. Working long hours, the income may support several families and enable kids to go to college.

Bento Cafe is a colorful slice of Taipei in Norcross, 5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd. not far from 285/85 interchange. Sometimes I drive out to Bento just for the beverages. Few other places make fresh bubble tea anymore (mostly powders). I also recall that Bento is run/owned by a young female artist/designer. Good to support her efforts at entrepreneurship.

For more on Bento Cafe and what to order, see Creative Loafing review

Food question from friend visiting Shanghai

Chinese Southern Belle — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:00:49 +0000

Excerpt from an email and a question from a friend traveling to Asia for the first time, on business:

” In Shanghai, I have had tea eggs from our breakfast buffet almost every morning. In addition, I have tasted Fish Lip soup, Shanghai style dumplings, bamboo, and lots of other stuff I am not real sure what it was. I liked a lot of it, but not all of it. Also surprised we have not seen more rice and noodle dishes?”

My response was:

So fun to hear about your travels and food adventures. Yum!

I have spent limited time in Shanghai, but my experience as a traveler and guest is that rice and noodles are considered a “base,” peasant food or cheap fillers, so if you’re a visiting foreigner or dinner guest, you will be treated to mostly meat and seafood in larger, reputable restaurants. If you want white rice as an accompaniment, you often have to ask for it. As a main dish, you’ll have to specially order fried rice or a stir-fried noodle dish. It’s a demonstration of wealth, respect and generosity to provide meat dishes (more expensive) than fill you up on rice (cheap) or like giving you a big basket of white rolls here.

Chinese fried rice is typically different than what you get in the U.S., so order “chao fan” if you want to try it. It should be white, not brown-colored, and tasty with Chinese sausage and egg. Normally, fried rice is the “last dish” that comes out, almost like a formality, in banquets or pre-set meals. By this course, everyone is usually (and expected to be) stuffed! I’m a peasant food and street food lover, especially noodles, so try to seek out a noodle house for inexpensive stir-fried or noodle soups! (mi fen–rice noodles, tang mian – soup & noodles). Noodles also represent longevity so definitely have some on your birthday!

Shanghai is famous for it’s “xiao long bao” –little steamer buns (bao), so be sure to order that and variations of “buns” (tang bao – soupy buns), they are delicious! A few other regional specialties include West Lake Fish, Sweet & Sour Spareribs, Stewed Whole Duck

Enjoy and eat for me!