Chinese Food Culture – Noodles

The first two postings have touched upon the vegetables and meat, completing only two sections on the nutrition pyramid.  What is the most common form of carbohydrate in the Chinese food culture then?  Rice, of course!  In fact, noodles are just as common as rice in the Chinese culture, if not any more.  Noodle dishes are found in daily meals for the locals in Northern China.  But they are also popular around other parts of the country, from East to West, in Southern as well as Middle China.

When people talk about noodles, Chinese food is probably not the first image that pops to their mind – Italian spaghetti, Japanese Ramen are way more well-known in the world of noodle cuisines.  Thus it is not surprising at all when more than one country had claimed to be the inventor of noodles.  China, however, has the first written account of noodle in world history, which can be dated between 25 AD and 220 AD in the East Han dynasty.  The oldest noodle was also found in China, in an archaeological site what was built at least 4,000 years ago.

Because of its long history in the Chinese food culture, noodles had developed into a large variety of forms.  The most common ingredients for noodle dough in China include wheat (called 麵, miàn), rice (called 粉, fěn), and mung bean.  Sometimes egg or lye is also added into the wheat noodles for flavor.  Similar to pasta, Chinese noodles also come in different shapes – long and short, wide and thin, flat and round, as well as in different colors such as yellow, white, and clear.

Similar to noodle dishes in other cultures, there is no way that one can finish talking about how Chinese people prepare their noodles in one posting.  Chinese noodle dishes can be served hot or cold, dry or wet (in soup), as well as soft or crunchy.  In YOUnique Café, we are proudly providing you noodle dishes prepared in all these different ways.

YOUnique Recommendations:  Wonton Noodle Soup, Rice Noodle Rolls, and Fried Rice Noodle with Sliced Beef & Soya Sauce (a.k.a. Beef Chow Fun).

Resource:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1012_051012_chinese_noodles.html

Chinese Food Culture - Chicken Wings

Honey Chicken Wings (YOUnique Cafe) 

One important difference between the Chinese food culture and the American food culture is the attitude toward white meat and red meat.

In the Chinese culture, red meat is undoubtedly preferred over white meat.  Chinese people believe that the meat around bones are more juicy and "bouncy" - a word that is constantly being used to describe food, which refers to the type of texture that is not too hard and not too mushy, but a bit chewy, and such texture is usually tied with freshness of the food being served.  White meat, on the other hand, is thought to be dry and hard.

Among all the red meat on a chicken, chicken wings and chicken legs are considered the best parts.  As a chicken moves around when it's alive, it moves its wings and legs much more frequently than the other parts on the body (i.e. the chest), thus the meat on wings and legs are mainly composed of muscles, and are more juicy and "bouncy" when cooked.

With this perspective in mind, it becomes logical that for hundreds of years in China, chicken wings and legs were usually served as something special and precious, and were given to the unique someone such as respectful guests and beloved children.

Have you being treated as a special someone yet?    O(^_^)O

YOUnique Recommendation:  Honey Chicken Wings, Garlic Chicken Wings

Garlic Chicken Wings (YOUnique Cafe)

Chinese Food Culture - Vegetable

Steamed Choy Sum (YOUnique Cafe)

"食不可無綠" is a popular Chinese saying that has been passed on from generations to generations.  It can be translated as "food without greenish is unacceptable", which indicates the importance of green ingredients in the Chinese food culture. 

According to a well-known newspaper in China, the People's Daily, the vegetable consumption per capita in China yields to an estimate of 311 kg, "well above the world average of 105 kg" in 2001.  Vegetable makes up a major part of Chinese people's daily diet, along with grains and other starchy products.  Meat is usually served in a relatively smaller amount.  This diet structure corresponds with WHO (World Health Organization)'s recommendation of "a minimum of 400 g of fruit and vegetables per day for the prevention of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity".

Nowadays, the importance of vegetables in daily diet has been a well-known concept.  In the Chinese food culture, steam and stir-fried are the two most common ways to cook vegetables.  The cooking process is done in a short period of time, thus preserving all the precious nutrients in our vegetables.

Did you have your vegetables today?      O(^_^)O

YOUnique Recommendation:  Steamed Choy Sum with Oyster Sauce, Chinese Broccoli with Cracknels

Chinese Broccoli with Cracknels (YOUnique Cafe)

Sources:

"China's Per Capita Vegetable Consumption Above World Average", Oct. 28, 2011, People's Daily.  http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200110/28/eng20011028_83348.html

"Promoting Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Around the World", http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/fruit/en/

YOUnique Cafe Interior

After opening for more than a week, we have received a lot of positive and helpful feedbacks on our service and food, but many also commented on our interior design.

Yes, at YOUnique Cafe, we are aiming to provide our friends, YOU, with a refreshing and comfortable environment while you relax and enjoy our food.  Though there's always space for improvements, we are proud of what we can provide to you now!  Here's our interior:

Hey friends, you need to come in and experience it yourself!  We are looking forward to meeting and serving you!  ^_^

!! GRAND OPENING !!

Hi friends,  YOUnique Cafe is finally opening on April 15, 2011 Friday! 

The Grand Opening Ceremony will start at 4:00 pm!

We are located at 220 Garvey Ave., Monterey Park, CA. 

If you are around this area, please come to join us with the excited ceremony!  We would LOVE to see everybody there!!