mmmmm...

Friends Night Out!

No-raw-fish-veggie sushi!

NI HAO, Y’ALL!

Cooking & Cultural Classes with Chinese Southern Belle:

*Popular dishes made simple, healthy & home-style (e.g. veggie-friendly, low-fat, whole grains)

*Helpful Asian grocery shopping tips, cooking product and kitchenware recommendations

* Learn about Asian culture, food history, language and travel

*Fun, interactive, Buddha-to-Bubba family stories, tasting & gift card!

• Tuesday, Aug. 24, Wild About Rice!  (FULL/SOLD OUT)
• Wednesday, Aug. 25, HANDS-ON Sushi Night w/Harvard alumni,  7-9pm, $25. (FULL/SOLD OUT)

• Thursday, Sept. 9, HANDS-ON Creative Sushi, 7-9pm with Natalie!  Register

SUSHI FEARS OVERCOME!  Traditional, Cooked Fish and Veggie-Friendly:

–Primer on how to make sushi rice, fillings, rolls & cookware
–Creative variations on rice and fillings! Raw, cooked fish and veggie options

• Thursday, Sept. 16, HANDS-ON Asian Dumplings & Wontons! 7-9pm w/mother-daughter, Natalie & Margaret! Register

Have fun making and cooking your own healthy, tasty wontons & dumplings with ready-made and homemade wrappers, plus plenty of cooking tips and entertaining Buddha-to-Bubba family stories. Come wok and roll with us!

Coming up:

• Thursday, Oct. 7, CSB Cooking Class, Buford Hwy Farmers Market, more info soon
• Tuesday, Oct. 12,  CSB Cooking Class, Buford Hwy Farmers Market, more info soon

Unless noted, all classes and demos are at Buford Highway Farmers Market, 5600 Buford Hwy, Doraville, GA 30340. Cost: $15 includes class, tasting and store gift card–great deal and a lot of fun! Veggie-friendly options available.  To register, leave email and phone# with Bill, 678-873-7447, bill.bhfm@gmail.com. $15 pre-pay guarantees seat. Sign up early, classes fill up fast!

———————————————————–

*NEW* COOK’S WAREHOUSE CLASSES!

Features CW’s state-of-the art, professional demonstration kitchens with gourmet cookware and store products;  multi-course demo and tastings; smaller classes, more intimate setting for demo viewing and interaction with the instructors.

• Buddha’s Delight, Vegetarian Tour de Tofu! Thursday, Oct. 28, 7-9pm. Register Cook’s Warehouse (Midtown location, Ansley Mall), $40. Phone: 404-815-4993

Smoked Tofu. Braised Tofu. Fried Tofu. Fresh tofu…Did you know that there are 20+ varieties of tofu? If all you’ve had is “plain block tofu,” get ready for this wake-up ride through the Land of Tofu! Learn about some of the most popular tofu varieties and taste unique, home-style Chinese Southern Belle creations, not found in restaurants! More than a cooking class, you’ll get plenty of kitchen shortcuts, shopping pointers and funny “Buddha to Bubba” stories on growing up Asian the America’s Deep South for an entertaining night out. Sample dishes will highlight the best of Eastern and Western traditions and what’s seasonal and fresh like Garlic Chives, Red Pepper & Smoked Tofu Stir Fry; Purple Rice Beancurd Pockets; Fresh Tofu & Herb Tossed salad; Flower Tofu with Ginger Honey dessert! Register Cook’s Warehouse

• Asian Soups & Stews! Tuesday, Nov. 16, 7-9pm. Register Cook’s Warehouse (Decatur location), $40. Phone: 404-377-4005

Delicious authentic, home-style “comfort food” soups and stews to warm the hearth and your tummy. These creative dishes are adapted for busy schedules, popular for family holiday gatherings and not found in restaurants. More than a cooking class, join mother/daughter duo, Margaret and Natalie Keng, for  kitchen shortcuts, shopping pointers and funny “Buddha to Bubba” stories on growing up Asian the America’s Deep South. Sample dishes will highlight the best of Eastern and Western traditions and feature fresh meat and seasonal vegetable dishes: Margaret’s Chinese Braised Beef Stew and Preserved Radish and Shredded Pork Soup; Natalie’s kid-friendly Japanese Vegetable Curry Stew, healthy Miso Vegetable Soup with Soba Noodles! Come slurp and twirl with us!

———————————————————-

FREE Express Saturday Demos, 1-4pm at Buford Highway Farmers Market!

Get tips, recipe, shopping list, food sample–all in 10 minutes!  Various topics including EZ Sushi, Stir Fries, Asian Greens, Asian Noodles and more.  Drop in and say “Ni Hao, Y’All to Natalie.  5600 Buford Hwy, Doraville, GA 30340

Saturday, Aug. 28, 1-4pm

Saturday, Sept. 18, 1-4pm

Saturday, Oct. 2, 1-4pm

2 menus, one for Asians, one for others

Misnomer: "Water-Boiled Fish" is Spicy, Tongue-Numbing & Delicious!

Eating Out & Health Tips:

• Request no MSG, less oil (or steamed veggies) and low-sodium.
• Stick to fresh vegetables dishes like broccoli, snow peas and cabbage in stir-fries (straw mushrooms, baby corn and bamboo shoots are usually canned).
• Some restaurants have 2 menus: one for Asians, one for non-Asians. If you want more authentic or adventurous, ask for the menu for Asians, inquire about specials that may be written in another language on the wall or ask your server his/her recommendations.

More Eating Out and Authenticity Tips

Leverett Wing, a good friend and fellow Harvard Kennedy School of Government alumnus, is the Executive Director.

Roasted/Glazed corn-on-cob, Night Market, Taipei

My veggie sampler plate - A little bit of everything

I have a confession: I like to sneak peek at the food other people order and eat in restaurants. I have a hard time not rudely pointing at the food (especially when it looks good and I want the same thing), interrupting their meal to ask what they are eating, or tackling the server when he/she brings out a delectable, sizzling, steaming array of dishes…for another table. What was THAT dish?

And if you offer, I will take you up on a taste!

If you happen to be one of my victims, I apologize in advance.  My parents really did teach me manners. But they also bequeathed a love and passion for all sorts of wonderful food!

What’s on YOUR plate?? 

Hosting new SFA friends, Chinatown

Korean tofu hotpot-sizzling yum!

F

Natalie & Eddie Hernandez, Taqueria del Sol

Multigrain waffles at Waffle House? – Waffle House is a longtime family favorite and often the first stop on the way home from the airport. My mom loves their pork chops and for years, it was the only spot for my favorite–grits! So, when I saw the multigrain waffle poster, I was giddy! No more carrying wheat germ and embarrassing my family, right? I ordered one, to the astonishment of my server. Unfortunately, my joy was short-lived and they stopped selling it. I can see the market data now: “a single order from an enthusiastic short Asian woman in Smyrna.” Guess that didn’t carry enough ROI to launch it up there with the topped, covered, smothered hash browns.

Did you know–fried pork skins, a snack that we used to eat on fishing trips to Lake Allatoona, has fewer fat grams than some crackers? Try them dipped in Thai sweet chili sauce for a flavor overload.

BYOWG – I carry my own wheat germ in a little pouch in my purse and sprinkle it on WFF (white flour food) as needed. At which point my eating companions move to the next table like they don’t know me…

The Varsity –an Atlanta tradition since 1928, home of the chili cheese dog, fried pies and the Frosted Orange—had a sign that read “we use 100% vegetable oil with no transfats” and “whole wheat bread available on request.” Great, make mine a double order!

When we taught our first cooking class in the 1980’s, hot and sour soup was considered exotic. Now, we left the workshop feeling exonerated and glad that distinguished chefs and local palates had begun to expand beyond chicken breast, prime rib and lobster tail. Maybe cuttlefish jerky and red bean popsicles would be next!

Instead of sweating it out in a crowded parking lot or lawn to celebrate July 4th, I was invited by a friend to visit Haralson, Georgia, a former gin as in “cotton gin” town in Coweta County, about 60 miles southwest of Atlanta. We enjoyed ice cream, watermelon, picked blackberries around the old jail, met the neighbors and saw the town parade (2 police cars, 2 tractors and a hay bale wagon). It was a refreshing escape from the big city crowds and traffic and a reminder of our Southern roots. How many places in town can you play kick ball in the street anymore?