Sugar And Spice And Everything Nice, Unless You're Chinese

Chinese Style Cake

Today is my son's birthday. Naturally there will be a party, red envelopes, and a big ole birthday cake. Good times is expected by all. Except the planning and preparation can get a little dicey. You see, my wife is very old school. She prefers the Chinese style cakes that are sold in the local Chinese bakeries. I, on the other hand, much prefer Western style birthday cakes with thick gooey layers of buttercream frosting and cake so moist they cling to your lips and cheeks when you bite into them.

I definitely don't understand the appeal of Chinese cakes. To me they are really unappetizing. The cakes are extremely dry and tasteless. The frosting is just as plain. They taste like whipped cream that somebody forgot to add the sugar. The only flavor in a typical Chinese style cake is derived from the fruit that typically serves as a topping. For my wife, even that is too sweet and she typically scrapes off the frosting and only eat the fruit and the cake. For me and the children, the frosting is just about the only thing we'll eat. We usually leave the cake behind.

She on the other hand find Western birthday cakes sweet to the point of gag-inducing. She can't understand how anybody can eat that much sugar in a single bite. Having been in the U.S. much longer than her, and having come over when I was much younger, when my taste preferences were still developing, I got used to Western cakes, the kinds you find in supermarkets and Costco. My kids are the same way. They would rather have Western style desserts like cakes, cookies, and ice cream than typical Chinese desserts like red bean soup and hot tapioca soup.

For awhile, these arguments over what type of cake to buy for a birthday party got quite heated. I usually let her get what she wants because it was usually she who was in charge of the party. But after awhile, should could see that most of the cake was wasted. The children usually took one bite of the cake and discarded the rest. So that got her realizing that it was just a waste of money to buy Chinese cakes for American children, no matter how much she adored them. Now she will buy a cake from Costco, but only the smallest one she can find. Because it is still horrible for children to eat that much sugar.

Noodlevore

My daughter is learning all about animals in her elementary school. She's reading about the differences between mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, etc.  She's also learning the difference between carnivores and herbivores. We play a little game to help her understand the different classifications. I'd give her an animal and she tells me the diet of the animal. Lion? Carnivore. Elephant? Herbivore. Rhinoceros? Herbivore. When I asked her which one she is, she thought for a minute and replied gleefully, "Noodlevore!"

I laughed out loud at that one. Then I thought for a minute and realized she is pretty much on the mark. As Chinese, we eat noodles all the time. We eat it at any time of day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, midnight snack, noodles are good at all hours. Like the scene in Forrest Gump where his friend Bubba lists off the ways to cook shrimp, noodles can be prepared in every imaginable way. You can have it hot or cold. It can be boiled, steamed, stewed, chilled, deep fried, or stir fried. You can have a choice of vegetarian preparation or meat lovers. It can be an appetizer, an entree, and even a dessert. Spicy, salty, sweet, tangy, or bitter, noodles can be enjoyed in every which way. They like it as noodle soup, stir fried noodles, cold boiled noodles, spaghetti with meatballs, or macaroni and cheese. It's all good. They enjoy eating noodles by far over rice.

Contrary to what many Westerners believe, noodles and pasta were invented in China, not Italy. The Chinese have had thousands of years to learn to make noodle based dishes. Walk down any street in Asia and there is bound to be a little noodle stand set up on the sidewalk surrounded by hungry customers slurping down bowls of piping hot noodles. It is ubiquitous.

When my wife is not up to preparing breakfast for the children, the easy way out is to boil some water and drop in a couple of packets of instant ramen noodles. It is never refused by the kids, unlike oatmeal or cold cereal. If even that is too much work, she'll boil small handfuls of Asian angel hair pasta or udon, cool them with a quick rinse of cold water, and pour some ponzu sauce on it. The kids will eat that too though I find it rather bland and one dimensional.

If we're out at a restaurant, whether Western or Asian, there is bound to be pasta on the menu. While they may turn their nose up at salads or stir fried eggplants, a couple of orders of spaghetti or noodle soup will keep the peace at the table.

Do I worry that they are becoming too much of a noodlevore? I've read all the health concerns about eating too much refined wheat products. This could potentially lead to obesity and diabetes in the future. Perhaps but for now I'm just glad there is something they will consistently eat without us parents tearing our hair out trying to figure out what will satisfy them. Besides, if the Chinese have been eating it for thousands of years and there are almost one and half billion of us it can't be that bad.

Chinese People And Food Allergies

I recently read a story in the newspaper about the tragic death of a little girl in Virginia because of her peanut allergy. The seven year old was given a peanut by a friend at school. She immediately went into cardiac arrest and was unable to be revived by the paramedics. Some reports state that about four percent of Americans, or over 12 million people, have severe anaphylactic reactions to specific foods. I've seen people who are allergic to nearly every food group known. The most common ones I've seen are peanuts and shellfish. But I've also known people who are allergic to milk, eggs, strawberries, watermelons, wheat, nuts, tomatoes, chocolates, and many other kinds of foods. Our school has very strict policies on what kinds of food can be brought for lunch. While peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were common snacks at school when I was growing up, it is strictly forbidden in our children's schools. Organizing birthday parties can be a minefield as parents bring lists of foods their children aren't allowed to eat. Cake? Does it have eggs? Is it gluten free? Ice cream? Can you have frozen yogurt instead? Cookies? Gluten free and chocolate free please.

Why are so many Americans allergic to foods? By contrast, why do so few Chinese people I know have food allergies, or allergies in general? I'm not talking about lactose intolerance, which is fairly common with Asians and doesn't cause anaphylaxis but instead produces abdominal cramps and gas in the affected. Most Chinese people can and will eat almost anything. Many foods are cooked in peanut oil. Peanuts are a favorite snack any time of day. I can't imagine a Chinese family who could get by without consuming eggs. Wheat products are ubiquitous, in everything from dim sum to Chinese bao. One time, my brother came back from school and announced to my mom that he was allergic to MSG. She summarily dismissed him by saying that was crazy talk. He'd been eating MSG all his life and it is ridiculous that he is now allergic to the quintissential Chinese seasoning. He never mentioned it again and she never cut back on her use of the substance.

I always wondered if Americans suffer so many food allergies because we have so many foods to choose from. I can't imagine some poor rural Chinese or African who are just on the verge of malnutrition turning down bread or peanuts because they have anaphyactic reactions to them. Are food allergies mainly a disease of the wealthy, like obesity and coronary artery disease? Since most Chinese in the U.S. are first or one and half generation, we are not yet affected as much by food allergies. But I've noticed that some second generation Chinese children are now afflicted with this condition. Will Chinese restaurants in the future have to offer wheat free and gluten free shau mai? Will all those seafood restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley have to stock up on EpiPens because their customers are having more allergies to shrimp and crab? Only time will tell.