Jennifer J. Chow's Blog, page 54

Lucky Goldfish

“May you have abundance year after year.” –Chinese New Year saying

My daughter brought home home this art project from her Chinese school the other week:

In Chinese writing, the characters meaning “fish” and “abundance” sound alike. It’s lucky to have the fish motif displayed all around your home or business because it signifies wealth. During lunar new year celebrations, people often feast on whole fish (and if you eat it all during a meal, you get bonus points) for good luck for the incoming year.

When I was growing up, we also had paintings of fish framed all around our family restaurant. In fact, I have one of them in my kitchen now. Beyond statues and pictures, though, people also own live fish for good feng shui. Some folks have koi ponds right in their backyards (I first saw this in the sixth grade).

Do I own fish? Well, over the years, I’ve had my fair share of carnival wins. Actually, the people running the booths always took pity on me. Examples are:

In high school, we held a school carnival. My brother’s friend was manning the goldfish booth. This was the era where you could actually throw balls into cups with the goldfish swimming in them. Of course, I kept missing. After about ten tries, he actually gave me a fish, so that we could move the line along.
As an adult, I went to another festival. Same game (but now the goldfish were kept in a lovely tank area instead). I aimed and missed five times. The man gave me a fish anyway (probably because the carnival was closing down, and he wanted to get rid of them).
When I went to the 626 Night Market, I didn’t even try my luck. As I was lounging around with my kids, though, a passerby decided to give me her winnings. (See the full fairy tale version of the day here.)

Fun fact: I’ve now owned these donated fish for about 1.5 years. 

Any goldfish or carnival stories you want to share?

Foodie Friday First: Osmanthus Tea

I tried out a new drink…

Osmanthus tea: an earthy tea infused with the yellow flowers

I’m one of those people who order the same thing over and over again at a restaurant. What can I say? Usually when I venture out and order something new, I dislike it. My tried-and-true beverage of choice is jasmine green tea. On a recent trip to the local cafe, though, my hubby urged me to drink something different. I ended up ordering osmanthus tea.

Despite its floral origins, osmanthus tea didn’t taste very flowery to me. Instead, it had a very grainy flavor. It reminded me of Korean barley tea. Like its counterpart, this is an acquired taste. You have to be prepared for the earthy and bitter tones.

Osmanthus is a golden-yellow flower, renowned for its fragrance. In fact, it’s the “city flower” of a few places in China, including Hangzhou and Guilin. The plant is related to the olive family and is also known as “sweet olive”–this may account for its nutty taste. Consuming the flower tea is supposed to take away toxins and promote beautiful skin (but I didn’t notice any difference).

Fun fact: Since it symbolizes love and romance, osmanthus is a plant often used in traditional Taiwanese weddings. 

Booktrope Acceptance

“An important business venture may soon develop for you.”

It looks like this year will be very busy for me! I recently got a manuscript (it’s YA with intergenerational drama, like The 228 Legacy—but with paranormal elements) accepted by Booktrope.

Booktrope is a company looking to revolutionize the book industry by using team publishing. Here’s an overview of how the system works:

First readers look through all submitted materials and serve as gatekeepers (if selected, the author can then sign an agreement with the publisher)
The author builds her own team, comprised of:

-Project manager (assists with building team and meeting deadlines)

-Book manager (helps with book marketing and amplifying author’s voice)

-Editor (provides structural and line editing)

-Cover Designer (makes a stellar visual exterior)

-Proofreader (offers feedback on last-minute writing errors)
All members of the team share in the profits, giving everyone involved an incentive to promote the book

I’m in the second phase now, where I’m building my team. I have the editor on board, but now it’s time to find the rest of my tribe!

Foodie Friday: Peking Duck

Peking duck: renowned Chinese dish, consisting of roasted duck, served with pancakes

Turns out that my brother’s a big fan of Peking duck, so this post is for you, bro!

While I’ve debated the merits of roast duck and Peking duck before, I’m concentrating today on this imperial dish. Indeed, Peking duck was known to be served to the emperor during the Yuan Dynasty. And in the mid-20th century, it became a national symbol of China’s culinary delights to tourists and diplomats.

Peking duck features a very crisp skin. In fact, it’s often served with mostly the skin and only a little bit of meat. The duck itself can be cooked in either a closed oven or hung on hooks over an open fire. It’s usually served with pancakes (thin ones, traditionally) and garnished with sauce (hoisin, most likely) and scallions.

Fun fact: It was a favorite dish of Henry Kissinger. 

“Dear Me” from Seniors

“A letter full of cheer is coming from a loved one.”

It was International Women’s Day this past Sunday. As part of the celebration, people posted “Dear Me” videos on Youtube sharing the advice they would give to their younger selves. A tech-savvy retirement home in Seattle discovered #DearMe on Twitter and decided to join in on the fun. They uploaded encouraging videos to spread cheer to young women. Eighty-eight-year old Arleen Nelson said, “I would tell you not ever to get trapped into a five year plan. You don’t know what’s going to happen in four years or in ten minutes.”

In the senior year of my high school, we were instructed to write “Dear Me” letters to our future selves. This entailed a five-year plan of where we were going to end up. Besides graduating from college, I also wrote about starting a writing career. Although I had a few detours along the way in terms of the writing profession, here I am today.

What would you say to your younger self? 

Foodie Friday: Dragon Fruit

Dragon fruit: tropical fruit with a scaly red exterior and white flesh inside

I love the vibrant color of dragon fruit. It’s often a deep red, with scales that remind you of a dragon. Once you slice inside it, there’s a white flesh speckled with black seeds. Despite its showy nature, the actual fruit tastes very bland. It can be likened to a kiwi, with its similar look, but it’s not as sweet. It’s part of the cactus family and offers a boost of nutrients, including fiber, vitamin B, and vitamin C.

Fun fact: The plant only blooms at night and must be pollinated by moths and bats. 

Driver’s Ed for Older Adults

“A four-wheeled adventure will soon bring you happiness.”

There are now driving programs to educate older adults, to ensure their safety and provide reassurance to loved ones about a senior’s ability to drive. As people age, there are newer issues to take into account while they’re manning a vehicle. Health changes like poor nighttime vision and increased medications can limit driving ability and are addressed in the courses.

I remember when I took driver’s ed training myself. At sixteen, I was a whiz with answering all the driving safety questions on paper. When I did the actual training, though, I was super nervous. I kept thinking about my Atari game, Pole Position, imagining other cars racing down the street beside me. (I already had a little bit of practice with my parents in empty parking lots, but no real road experience.)

During my first drive on the streets, I remember these three things happening:

I pulled out of the driveway and immediately panicked. Where were the lines on the asphalt? So I started out driving in the middle of the neighborhood street until my instructor corrected me.
I had difficulty gauging the speed of my car, so I kept glancing at the speedometer. The instructor eventually covered the indicator with a piece of paper to make me focus on driving.
I went so very slow that people were often passing me by on the road. I was definitely cruising at least 10mph below the speed limit.

At least I didn’t have those huge cones that announced I was a “student driver” to the world. Fortunately, the company had transitioned to more discreet magnets on the sides and rear of their cars that year.

What are your driving education experiences?

Foodie Friday First: Hungarian Omelet

Recently, I tried my first…

Hungarian omelet: the usual egg dish, but with a tomato mixture inside 

(Please ignore the hash browns.)

I’ve had my fair share of breakfast dishes, but I just discovered the Hungarian omelet at a local diner. Some of these omelets come vegetarian-style, but the waitress described their concoction as egg with a “spaghetti meat type of sauce.” The dish came with a dollop of sour cream and did have a lot of tomatoes in it, but it wasn’t as sweet as the pasta version. I think the key to the Hungarian omelet is the use of sweet paprika. Hungarian paprika has a rich pepper flavor and ranges in heat level. Although I wasn’t super impressed by the omelet, I’m glad I tried something different from my usual fare.

Fun fact: Paprika is considered the national spice of Hungary and is used in their famous goulash dish. 

Be Part of my Street Team

“A friend asks only for your time not your money.”

So please, please be on my street team. What’s a street team? It’s a marketing term for people who are invested in a product and “hit the streets” to promote it. Here’s my official ask for folks to join Team Jen.

What does it involve (and what do you get out of it)?

The satisfaction of being part of the cool crowd
A free PDF copy of my new cozy mystery manuscript
Your name mentioned on the acknowledgements page of my book
The chance to choose the cover
Fun spending time reviewing and spreading the word during launch time

If you’re interested, please comment below or send me a private message. Many thanks! 

 

 

Foodie Friday: Penang Sizzling Chicken

Penang sizzling chicken: tender chicken flavored with belacan, served hot on the platter

I love sizzling platters because they give the meat a hearty grilled flavor and ensure that the food is quite hot. Also, the aesthetics of a bubbling sauce excites me. (Kind of like how I still enjoy those volcano shows made from onion mounds at the teppanyaki restaurants.) Anyway, the sauce is key to this dish. It’s actually not a proper Penang curry, which is spicy with ginger and cumin undertones. Instead, this dish offers the traditional creamy coconut consistency with a lot of belacan (a very common spice in Malaysia) flavor. Belacan is made from fermented ground shrimp and provides a heavy seafood taste. I enjoyed this mild dish, but next time I’m all for adding in the chilis.

Fun fact: Penang is the birthplace of Jimmy Choo (shoes, all you non-fashion people).