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We've been eating the leftovers from our Fiftieth Anniversary Party for too long now and are finally done. Both of us were starving for Asian food.
I don't even remember the last time I made the old-fashioned, American-style chow mein of my childhood. Sometimes I get hungry for the only Chinese food I ever had as a child which was made by nearly the only authentic Chinese family in southern MN in a restaurant in Albert Lea MN. It was Cantonese style.
I loved to go there. It was just about my only multi-culti experience in our very homogenous surroundings. Grandpa and grandma wore their traditional clothing and he took the payments near the door figuring out everyone's bill on an abacus. What an exotic delight!
The kids would come in to help after school and they were very much American kids. They went on to excel in their various endeavors in later life. One, Eleanor Wong Telemarque, wrote an amusing and informative book about the intergenerational family's experiences called, "It's Crazy to stay Chinese in Minnesota." And I only learned recently that a member of the family was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee for sending money back to China to support Chiang Kai-shek. Grandpa also marched in the annual Memorial Day Parade carrying the American flag in full Chinese regalia. What a wide bridge they straddled!
Sometime around the '80s trends in Asian food here switched over to Szechuan style and those bland Mandarin and Cantonese dishes disappeared from the restaurant scene except in the larger cities.
So, now I've digressed merrily down memory lane.
Back to my meal. I bought a couple of chicken breasts, diced them and marinated in soy sauce and grated ginger and stir-fried with mung bean sprouts, scallions, button mushrooms, celery and water chestnuts. (Celery! We even ate it in our chili.) I thickened it with soy sauce, chicken broth and cornstarch and served it with steamed white rice, Chung King crunchy noodles and blanched almonds.
A taste from our past, the product of a proud and industrious people with a foot in two cultures. In the process I learned that the Chung King brand was produced by another set of immigrants from the other side of the world - the Jeno Paulucci family from Italy.
I always think food is more interesting when it has some background to go along with it.
Happy Anniversary!! Fifty years is a goodish time, I think. DH and I had our 25th last year, and looking forward to 25 more.
I had to make a bunch of chicken salad for a work event so I think we'll have some of that with crackers along with a spring-mix salad and some cheese-crusted roasted cauliflower. And maybe I'll make some slaw.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lodestar
We've been eating the leftovers from our Fiftieth Anniversary Party for too long now and are finally done. Both of us were starving for Asian food.
I don't even remember the last time I made the old-fashioned, American-style chow mein of my childhood. Sometimes I get hungry for the only Chinese food I ever had as a child which was made by nearly the only authentic Chinese family in southern MN in a restaurant in Albert Lea MN. It was Cantonese style.
I loved to go there. It was just about my only multi-culti experience in our very homogenous surroundings. Grandpa and grandma wore their traditional clothing and he took the payments near the door figuring out everyone's bill on an abacus. What an exotic delight!
The kids would come in to help after school and they were very much American kids. They went on to excel in their various endeavors in later life. One, Eleanor Wong Telemarque, wrote an amusing and informative book about the intergenerational family's experiences called, "It's Crazy to stay Chinese in Minnesota." And I only learned recently that a member of the family was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee for sending money back to China to support Chiang Kai-shek. Grandpa also marched in the annual Memorial Day Parade carrying the American flag in full Chinese regalia. What a wide bridge they straddled!
Sometime around the '80s trends in Asian food here switched over to Szechuan style and those bland Mandarin and Cantonese dishes disappeared from the restaurant scene except in the larger cities.
So, now I've digressed merrily down memory lane.
Back to my meal. I bought a couple of chicken breasts, diced them and marinated in soy sauce and grated ginger and stir-fried with mung bean sprouts, scallions, button mushrooms, celery and water chestnuts. (Celery! We even ate it in our chili.) I thickened it with soy sauce, chicken broth and cornstarch and served it with steamed white rice, Chung King crunchy noodles and blanched almonds.
A taste from our past, the product of a proud and industrious people with a foot in two cultures. In the process I learned that the Chung King brand was produced by another set of immigrants from the other side of the world - the Jeno Paulucci family from Italy.
I always think food is more interesting when it has some background to go along with it.
What an absolutely FABULOUS tale you just told. I loved every word. Thank you for sharing that.
And congratulations, of course, on your 50th. Cheers to 50 more!
Found some stew in the freezer so I'm defrosting that. It already has tons of veggies, so it'll be a one-dish dinner tonight.
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DH and I had our 25th last year, and looking forward to 25 more.
