Omnivore - Chinese Southern Belles demystify Asian markets
A mother-daughter team offers a unique class at Evening at Emory.
Okay, this is about the coolest thing I've heard about in quite a while.
Natalie Keng writes a blog called Chinese Southern Belle. She explains in her blog profile:
As a true “Chinese Southern Belle,” I was born a first-generation Chinese-American in Atlanta, Georgia, and grew up in what was then the small town of Smyrna, “Jonquil City.” My parents immigrated to the U.S. in 1961 on academic scholarships to graduate school. As the third girl in the family, my name is revealing and auspicious: “ti” means humanitarian and is composed of the characters for “heart” and “brother.”
Her blog is a fascinating read and that's no surprise. She attended Vassar as an undergrad and holds a master's degree from Harvard. Now, she and her mother, Margaret Keng, have teamed up to teach an Evening at Emory course called "Eggrolls 'n' Sweet Tea: Explore Chinese Cuisine and Demystify the Asian Grocery Store" on March 26 and 28. You can register and get full details on Emory's website:
Class includes: 1) An Asian grocery store fieldtrip and tour where you’ll learn to navigate Asian vegetables, meats, spices, noodles and more. 2) An interactive classroom session exploring the connection between Asian food, culture, and history; cooking strategies; and kitchen pointers. (While this is not a cooking class, samples of popular food items, recipe ideas, cookware, and creative shortcuts will be covered.) 3) A teaching tasting at a local restaurant where you’ll learn to order authentic dishes that may not be listed on the American menu.
Margaret Keng, besides working as a full-time teacher, also has an interesting background in food, according to Emory's profile of the duo:
Margaret taught the first adult education Chinese cooking class in Atlanta in 1978, “before soy sauce was available in a regular grocery.” She also co-owned and ran the first full-service Chinese restaurant opened in a mall. Her repertoire included “Ginger Beef with Rice-a-Roni,” “Braised Rutabaga with Black-eyed Peas” and “Hot Hunan Catfish.”
(Photo of Natalie and Maragret Keng courtesy of [http://cll.emory.edu/instructor.cfm?ins=1237595992.)]