Subject: Re: Tomatoes in Sinic cuisine

From: [email-masked] (Steve Miller)
Date: 12 Mar 1994 03:23:13 -0500

[email-masked] (Wing Ng) wrote:

>tomato arrived in China late, its name, fan qie, means 
>"foreign  egg-plant" :-)

Kinda cool, since they are cousins - I guess the similarity is 
obvious.

I've had several overly oily dishes that include tomatos at 
fairly bad Chinese restaurants.  I've never seen one at the 
high class Hong Kong places, though.  I've also had them in 
Thai dishes, also in an excessively (to my admittedly 
ethnocentric) palate.

Steve Miller      -     I am a Famous Rock Star!

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From: [email-masked] (Barry Shein)
Date: Sat, 12 Mar 1994 23:33:46 GMT

Well, here's a related question: Chinese foods seem to rarely include
any dairy products (e.g. milk, cheese, etc.) Well, I know that cows
aren't New World, I suppose the pat answer is some prevalence of
lactose intolerance (is it that high in Chinese?), but what's the
explanation if any? Lactose intolerance would have to be quite high,
percentage-wise, to (by itself) exclude such an obvious food source,
I'd guess around 80% or more which I think is only that prevalent in
some Mediterranean populations (perhaps I am wrong.)

About the only explanation I've ever heard which makes some sense is
something like ``we just don't eat gland juice any more than you
round-eyes are likely to eat bull sperm'' which makes sense; different
cultures consider different things food (or not.) But is that the
reason or perhaps some ex post facto rationalization?

-- 
        -Barry Shein

Software Tool & Die    | [email-masked]          | uunet!world!bzs
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From: [email-masked] (Laurel Halbany)
Date: 14 Mar 94 23:09:00 GMT

-=> Quoting Barry Shein to All <=-

BS> Lactose intolerance would have to be quite high,
BS> percentage-wise, to (by itself) exclude such an obvious food source,
BS> I'd guess around 80% or more which I think is only that prevalent in
BS> some Mediterranean populations (perhaps I am wrong.)

I think 80%-90% is about right. Much of the white American population
is descended from lactose-tolerant European ethnic groups, so we
have a dairy-intensive cuisine.

BS> About the only explanation I've ever heard which makes some sense is
BS> something like ``we just don't eat gland juice any more than you
BS> round-eyes are likely to eat bull sperm'' which makes sense; different
BS> cultures consider different things food (or not.) But is that the
BS> reason or perhaps some ex post facto rationalization?

I'd guess it's probably really the reason; many cultures have taboos
or dislikes that are unrelated to health. After all, we've always
had chicken feet available, but I've rarely met non-Chinese who'll
eat them....

... The great enemy of clear language is insincerity.
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From: [email-masked] (Barry Shein)
Date: Wed, 16 Mar 1994 08:52:41 GMT

From: [email-masked] (Laurel Halbany) 
>had chicken feet available, but I've rarely met non-Chinese who'll

Ashkenazi Jews (E. European, Russian, German) put them into chicken
soup and eat them (trust me on this one.)

But you're right, they're not real popular in general.

-- 
        -Barry Shein

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From: [email-masked] (John S. Watson - FSC)
Date: 16 Mar 1994 17:19:33 GMT

> had chicken feet available, but I've rarely met non-Chinese who'll

How is one supposed to eat chicken feet?  A couple of years ago
I was at a Dim Sum in S. SF, which served them.
As I recall, they were sort of deep fried in a batter.
After eating the batter off, I wasn't sure what to eat.
Do people just munch down the whole foot?

John S. Watson                               [email-masked]
NASA Ames Research Center
#include <stddsclm.h>

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From: [email-masked] (Jane Beckman)
Date: 17 Mar 94 00:26:27 GMT

>lactose intolerance (is it that high in Chinese?)

I've heard that lactose intolerance is particularily high in
Asia--not just in China, but India, SE Asia, etc.  The Mongols
(different racial stock), however, ate milk-products, but
those were from mare's milk, not cow milk.  Different skew--look
at what the primary animal in their culture was.  Ate/drank 
fermented milk beverages, cheeses, things like that.

So I'd suspect a combination of cultural and genetic traits.

Me, I'm mostly Celtic and Northern European
(Finn-Swede-Russian), so I could *live* on dairy products and
pickled fish...  ;-)

--
  Jilara   [[email-masked]]
That's how freedom will end: not with a bang, but with a rustle of file
folders.  If you love any of your rights, defend all of them!
-Joe Chew, on the net

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From: [email-masked] (Barry Shein)
Date: Thu, 17 Mar 1994 01:56:49 GMT

From: [email-masked] (John S. Watson - FSC)
>Do people just munch down the whole foot?

Nah, you just kinda suck the fatty stuff off around the bones, it's
not a pretty sight. I guess like marrow (ever see someone break open
chicken bones and suck out the marrow? I have) it's an acquired taste.

-- 
        -Barry Shein

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From: [email-masked] (Peter Renzland)
Date: Thu, 17 Mar 1994 10:25:50 GMT

[email-masked] (Barry Shein) writes:
(about chick-toes, not at all about toma-toes)

>chicken bones and suck out the marrow? I have) it's an acquired taste.

Not quite.  Chicken feet have cartilage which is a good source of
collagen.  Chinese folks believe it's important to eat enough of this.
Some folks insist that vegetarians don't get this stuff.  So, you see,
it's not just fatty stuff and skin, it's actually *very* good for you,
as any Chinese mother will tell 'ya, Barry :-)

-- 
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From: [email-masked] (Shana Walton)
Date: 18 Mar 1994 00:53:10 GMT

Barry Shein ([email-masked]) wrote:

[stuff deleted]
: From: [email-masked] (Laurel Halbany) 
: >or dislikes that are unrelated to health. After all, we've always
: >had chicken feet available, but I've rarely met non-Chinese who'll
: >eat them....

: Ashkenazi Jews (E. European, Russian, German) put them into chicken
: soup and eat them (trust me on this one.)

: But you're right, they're not real popular in general.

Chicken feet and pigs feet are used in Southern U.S. cooking, especially
among the poorer populations, both Anglo and African, but perhaps
more common among African Americans. Growing up, we didn't know it was
"soul" food, ethnic food.  We thought it was poverty food! And we
certainly never thought of it as Chinese.
shana walton

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From: [email-masked] (C R Pennell)
Date: 23 Mar 1994 01:13:22 GMT

Shana Walton ([email-masked]) wrote:

: Chicken feet and pigs feet are used in Southern U.S. cooking, especially
: among the poorer populations, both Anglo and African, but perhaps
: more common among African Americans. Growing up, we didn't know it was
: "soul" food, ethnic food.  We thought it was poverty food! And we
: certainly never thought of it as Chinese.

There is a recipe for chicken feet with rice on p.36 of Ernest mathew 
Mickler WHITE TRASH COOKING (Berkley: Ten Speed Press, 1986). AMong other 
things it recommends removing the outer skin by dropping the feet in 
boiling water
"Make sure you get it all off because there's no telling where that 
chicken's been walkin'.  . . . The Only way to eat a chicken foot is to 
gnaw on it. The round ball of the foot is the best part. They are a 
gristly kind of thing . . . . Serve with potato salad, greens, and 
biscuits . . ."

WHTE TRASH COOKING is a great book BTW.

Richard Pennell History Nat Univ of SIngapore
NUS might be horrified by WHITE TRASH COOKING, but I like it (that was a 
disclaimer)