User Comments - matt_c

Posted on: I want coffee!

Thankfully the office is now stocked with coffee...

It should be noted that the body's vitamin C absorbtion is limited by the intake of caffeine - so there's no point eating a mandarin orange after your coffee. :-o

我刚喝完咖啡。  wǒ gāng hēwán kāfēi.  :)

Posted on: 普通人的慈善

Changye

            你讲的有道理，这些企业与名人捐钱的原因肯定很现实，各种原因都有，不一定为了爱心，可能别有用心。

Posted on: Food Regions of China

illyria1013,

                If I may answer the question you asked Pete - think there is a definite difference between restaurant food and home style cooking, of course there are the main dishes like 红烧肉 (hóngshāoròu) ，  辣子鸡  (làzijī)，宫保鸡丁 (gōngbǎojīdīng) etc. that are popular in restaurants and homes alike, which are taught in both culinary schools and/or down through the generations. Many small restaurants in China are run by untrained chefs who learned to cook at home and decided to start a business. Of course if you were to go to a finer establishment the cooking staff will either have had some sort of formal training, or enough experience in the kitchen under a formally trained head chef to say that they were trained. There are many possiblities so in answer to your question; yes, yes and yes :)

At our house we have meals that we purchase defiite ingredients to make, but then more often that not we look at what vegetables and meat are available in the fridge and make what we can - then it's just a matter of deciding the type of flavour to create using the herbs and spices at our disposal.

农家菜 (nóngjiācài) is often used in restaurnt names that offer 'authentic' regional/rural flavours, but in my opinion eating 家常菜 (jiāchángcài) in people's homes is the best way to sample the most authentic food any where in the world.

:)

Posted on: Food Regions of China

tvan

pàocài 泡菜 is the correct putonghua pronunciation for Sichuanese pickled vegetables, not sure if they are fermented like Kimchi but they do hold their own as a good 冷盘 lěngpán （cold dish). :-)

Posted on: Food Regions of China

leslie2009  - Regardless of whether you are eating the old style coal hotpot or a modern hotpot, I'm aware that one can order a 鸳鸯火锅 (yuānyang huǒguō) which will be half spicy hot and half non spicy.  Enjoy!

Posted on: Food Regions of China

Bababardwan, If you find yourself in Suzhou, ask some locals about the 哑巴生煎(Yaba Shengjian) near 观前街(guānqiánjiē) . Although you'll most likely have to queue up when the fresh batches are ready, they are worth the wait.

I must say that when done well, 毛血旺 (máoxuěwàng) has to be one of my favourite Sichuanese dishes (but with duck's blood rather than pig's)

Here's a pic of what it should look like, this one was disappointing - the blood pieces were made from reconstituted duck's blood.

Here's a picture of some goodies from THE BEST      毛血旺 (máoxuěwàng) I've ever had.

Those wonderful 花椒 (huājiāo) Sichuan peppercorns are also less widely known as Chinese Prickly Ash.

Yum!