Two 'foodies' find treats

To celebrate Jessie earning an A on her oral English exam on Saturday, I invited her to pick a special place for us to have lunch. She knew exactly where to go! Jessie took me on a big food adventure of street vendors lined up along two small roads in an area that's become known as the place to munch.

On our bus ride to our destination--Bus #804, two stops past Thanksgiving Church--she asked me to tell her about two favorite books I had listed on my blog profile: Through Gates of Splendor and Gift from the Sea. Apparently she had done some Internet research to learn more about me based upon the types of books I had chosen. Talk about a critical thinking example! As part of this research, she found and quoted one of my five most influential quotes, this one by Jim Elliott and taken from Through Gates of Splendor: "He is no fool who is willing to give what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." I had the opportunity to explain the context of that quote and why it is important to me.

Arriving at the city street we hopped off the bus and walked a few blocks--don't ask me to retrace my steps--and we arrived at an entrance to a specific place at Wuhan. Similar to the entrance to Portland's Chinatown with lions on either side and Chinese characters written on the sign bridging both ends of the street, Jessie told me it said something to the effect that here is where you'll get good food. (I'm butchering the actual verbiage.) And boy did we!

Our first food treat were Chinese donuts. They're about half the thickness of a traditional American doughnut, but like the ones I'm familiar with they are round and golden after being fried in a wok's oil. Made of soy flower with black sesame embedded in them they are removed from the oil and then plunged on a stick. Not very sweet, I didn't really think of them being doughnuts until Jessie advised me differently.

We walked further and Jessie spied a treat she introduced me to and now I'm a real fan: pumpkin cakes. And the owner of this little stand had an interesting collection of lotus root made in various ways. We opted for lotus root rolled into round, grey balls, the size of quarters, and stuck on a foot long wooden stick.

Next, we strolled on and found other types of treats--my memory is failing me suffice to say--we had a lot and then we had our main meal. Jessie selected two types of steamed buns--shrimp/corn and pork/pineapple--right on the street using coal from the vendors who frequent the streets here. We consumed a total of 10 buns inside a little covered area with tables. Remembering how to eat these from Shanghai, I expertly picked them up with my chopsticks, dunked them in the vinegar and thinly sliced ginger in the tiny bowls before us. Then, I bit a small hole on the white, rice dough and sucked the juice out first. Next you bit into them, otherwise you'd have a small mess on yourself.

Then there's doupee. I can't think of anything like it, except maybe a distant cousin of a quiche. Made, like all other foods here, in a hug wok, it's quite amazing to see the cook walk through the process. First, he makes a paper-thin, round egg topping. This is removed from the wok and a 1/4 inch layer of sticky rice is applied and returned to the wok. Than, ingredients like tofu and veggies are added. Cooking on both sides is quite an art. As I chronicled the events of this cooking show, I was quite impressed by what he has to do to turn and then cut this circle of food that breaks down into about 15 two inch squares.

On our way out Jessie pointed to what she called "our apple pie." Intrigued, I stepped closer to find apples cut cross-wise so they are circles, cored, and about l/4 inch in thickness. Rolled in rice material it's then deep fried and chocolate is applied to the finished product.

It's about this time together I told Jess she is a "foodie". This cracked her up. I explained that a good friend of mine, Peggy, and I had been called this by someone. Since then it's been a fun term to refer to when we find new food treats. And like Peggy, Jessie is able to pull out all the different ingredients--this isn't my talent--and assess their flavors and context of the dining experience. (Yes, culinary arts and "foodie" experts translate well cross-culturally!)

Whew! By the time we finished our hour and a half troll of all the food shops I was about to burst. Thank you Jessie! I so much appreciated you introducing me to this wonderful time she shared together so I could learn more about your wonderful congratulations on your A! :)