A Short Treatise on Food
I'm not by any means a champion of America or American cuisine, but sometimes you just need a break. From Chinese food, that is. That could be one of the best features of living in America: you can get pretty much any kind of food you want, any time you want it. No so here. The most international the food gets is Japanese or Korean, save for the two "western" restaurants in town, which require a relatively expensive taxi ride ($1.50) to reach. The first is one I have previously mentioned
and features a mediocre pizza buffet and even more mediocre Chinese buffet. The seond is KFC, but its name is about all it has in common with its American stepfather. The menu has been altered for the Asian taste buds, and any pleasure that normally would have been derived from eating at such a restaurant has in the process been squashed.
The pictures below were taken from a traditional tea house a couple of nights ago. The xiaojie, or young ladies that serve the tea, train and study for two years in a special school before they take a one-year apprenticeship in a tea house. With all of that education, they could almost have a bachelor's degree. Instead, they learn how to serve tea in a very inefficient yet delicate manner.
A woman playing a traditional Chinese instrument at the same tea house:
At the tea house we visited, one can also take time to practice calligraphy. Or, draw a picture of bamboo, as my friend from New Zealand is doing.
The picture below was taken at a Korean restaurant. It's sort of a mix between a hibachi experience and a home fondu pot. Much of the food is grilled as desired on the table skillet and then wrapped in lettuce leaves or other leafy vegetables. All in all it's pretty delicious.
and features a mediocre pizza buffet and even more mediocre Chinese buffet. The seond is KFC, but its name is about all it has in common with its American stepfather. The menu has been altered for the Asian taste buds, and any pleasure that normally would have been derived from eating at such a restaurant has in the process been squashed.
The pictures below were taken from a traditional tea house a couple of nights ago. The xiaojie, or young ladies that serve the tea, train and study for two years in a special school before they take a one-year apprenticeship in a tea house. With all of that education, they could almost have a bachelor's degree. Instead, they learn how to serve tea in a very inefficient yet delicate manner.
A woman playing a traditional Chinese instrument at the same tea house:
At the tea house we visited, one can also take time to practice calligraphy. Or, draw a picture of bamboo, as my friend from New Zealand is doing.
The picture below was taken at a Korean restaurant. It's sort of a mix between a hibachi experience and a home fondu pot. Much of the food is grilled as desired on the table skillet and then wrapped in lettuce leaves or other leafy vegetables. All in all it's pretty delicious.
posted by Mysteries of The Orient at 8:37 PM
1 Comments:
I ate at a korean bbq place like that in Australia. It was a lot of fun! That's where I had my first octopus and prawns. There's just something strange about placing the tiny octopus on the grill and watching his tenticles curl up and then eating him. Yum.
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