Jennifer J. Chow's Blog, page 55

What is the Lantern Festival?

“You will have many bright days soon.”

Right at the end of the Chinese New Year celebration is the Lantern Festival. This happens the 15th day of the first month in the lunar year. It happens to fall on March 5, 2015 this year. It marks the last day of the Spring Festival. People go out at night and watch brilliantly lit lanterns in the sky. Sometimes riddles are placed on these lanterns. Participants of the festivities who can guess the right answer win a prize. Tang yuan (sticky rice balls with fillings) are often eaten on this occasion and, because of their roundness, signify reunion and harmony.

I once brought a Chinese lantern to show-and-tell time at school. It was resplendent with pictures of ancient Chinese scenes depicted on the screens of the lantern. I even got to incorporate history and culture into my presentation. My teacher was pretty excited about learning something new, but the other kids longed to share about the toys that they had brought instead.

Fun fact: The Lantern Festival is is sometimes known as Chinese Valentine’s Day.

 

Foodie Friday: Deep-Fried Ghost

Deep-fried ghost: you zha gui (Cantonese) is basically a long Chinese doughnut

Legend has it that during the Song Dynasty, patriotic hero General Yue Fei was persecuted by the wicked Qin Hui and his wife. The traitorous couple even had the general executed. In anger, a baker decided to make two dough sticks, which represented the cruel husband and wife, and fried them up.

Traditionally, the doughnut is made from two-foot long rolls joined in the middle. Bland by itself, you zha gui is eaten with another food, like congee or soy milk. The doughnuts are slightly salted, but their culinary magic comes from the contrast between the slightly crusty exterior and soft interior. They’re best eaten right out of the oven.

Fun fact: You zha gui was originally human-shaped and two separate long pieces.

Chickens as Companions

“Today is a good day for being with a companion.”

Chickens rule the coop nursing home. In England, they’re implementing a poultry program to help seniors stave off loneliness. (I talked about this a little in my recent newsletter. If you missed out, you can go to the right-hand side of my home page to sign up for it!) There’s an arts group named HenPower that is turning pensioners into “hensioners.” Animal therapy has always proven to be helpful in the elderly population, and now it seems that chickens can also be desirable companions.

In fact, I grew up with chickens. Our family bought three little chicks from a nearby farm and raised them as our own. I remember chasing my poultry pets around the backyard, squealing with glee. Whenever one got injured (sometimes the chicken wire at the bottom of the cage was quite sharp), I would monitor their wounds and put little Band-Aids on them. I even sang them to sleep in my arms.

Later on, though, the chicks grew up. I still loved them, but unfortunately, our rooster started crowing–at the moon. In the middle of the night, you could hear him serenading that great white sphere. Not too long after that, I found a notice on the door. It turns out that although we lived near the county area where livestock could be kept, we were actually residing within city boundaries. The chickens had to go, and I wept that day.

How could we give my precious pets away? Where would they go? One day, they disappeared. My parents had decided to take action. They had taken my chickens to my grandfather who owned a grocery store (and meat market).

“You did what?” I asked. “You sold them?”

“No, we ate them,” they said. “Too skinny,” they added. “Not enough meat on their bones.”

So very sad. But now I feel redeemed. Chickens are great pets, companions…and therapy, it seems.

Any pet stories out there?

Foodie Friday: Sitaphal Ice Cream

Over Christmas break, I tried my first…

Sitaphal ice cream: custard apple-flavored creamy deliciousness

Yes, it’s winter, but hey, ice cream can be eaten indoors, right? First off, how did I not know that there was such a thing as Indian ice cream? It’s amazingly smooth and comes in so many unique flavors. One of these new trial tastes, for me, was sitaphal.

Sitaphal is also known as custard apple and is a heart-shaped tropical fruit (it could work as a Valentine’s treat). The outside is conical in structure and segmented (think: pineapple bumps). The inside flesh, though, is very creamy. You could almost describe it as custard-like, which is probably how it got its name. Watch out while eating the custard apple, though, because it has seeds inside, like a pomegranate. The flavor from a custard apple is not overpowering. Instead, there’s a subtle sweetness to the fruit–and it’s not surprising that another moniker for sitaphal is “sugar apple.”

Fun fact: Sitaphal is known for maintaining healthy eyesight (maybe I should eat some more!).

Preparing for A Mother’s Day Launch

“You have an important new business development shaping up.”

Note: None of these answers are actually accurate.

Mark this date on your calendars: May 9, 2015. That’s right. I’ll be launching my self-published book out into the world right before Mother’s Day this year. The impetus for doing this is to honor my mom because she first introduced me to mystery books. (Thanks, Mom!)

Here’s an update on what I’ve been doing to prepare the manuscript:

Editing: I’ve decided to go with a developmental edit to identify issues with the storyline and to make sure it retains the proper structure and suspense of a mystery. I’ll also be getting my manuscript copyedited to ensure that sentence structure and grammar errors will be fixed. All the rewriting and revising will take place during this short month, so February will be very busy!
Cover design: I’ve also hired a cover designer to create a layout for both the e-book and print versions. I looked on Amazon and provided her with samples of covers I enjoyed and to give her an idea of the quirky images that often grace cozy mysteries. She’ll be providing me with potential designs over the next few months that I’ll get to comment on.

For writers, what’s the latest on your writing journey? For everyone, what are your plans this coming Mother’s Day?

 

Foodie Friday: Water Spinach

Water spinach: also known as ong choy; recognizable for its hollow stalks

In Mandarin, it’s even called “hollow vegetable.” This plant grows alongside waterways and enjoys moist soil. Although related to the sweet potato family, it’s considered a leafy vegetable because of the way it can be cooked. Water spinach requires little preparation and can be stir-fried with a few cloves of garlic and some salt to taste. It has a high amount of nutrients, including phenolic compounds, which provide antioxidants. The hollow stems add a slight crunch, while the triangle-shaped leaves are tender and sweet.

Fun fact: It’s classified as a “noxious weed” by the FDA.

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival?

“The Chinese ancient civilization attracts you.”

Writing “spring” using a calligraphy brush

This year Chinese New Year lands on February 19, 2015. Since it’s based on the lunar calendar, the start date of CNY shifts annually. The celebration typically lasts about fifteen days. A “Wood Goat” year is slotted for 2015, an event that only happens every 60 years.

Since the 20th century, this festive time period has also been known as the Spring Festival in China. This is because when the Chinese adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1912, “new year” became associated with January 1. Chinese New Year was then known as lichun or the “start of spring” (the shift in seasons usually occurs on February 4th or 5th in the Chinese calendar).

Interesting fact: While it’s common to have a week-long vacation for Chinese nowadays, during Mao Zedong’s rule, festivities were banned.

Which name do you prefer: Chinese New Year or Spring Festival?

Foodie Friday: Taiwanese Meatball

Taiwanese meatball (ba wan): steamed gelatinous dumpling

My husband loves these meatballs, but I still think they’re an acquired taste. They have a savory filling (usually of pork, bamboo, and mushrooms) that’s wrapped in a steamed outer shell. Unlike the firm texture of wonton skins, the outer covering yields a gooey texture (because it’s made from sweet potato and rice flour). Think: mochi, but with a saltier inside.

The meatballs are quite big, larger than their Italian counterparts, and too hard to consume in a few bites. Eating ba wan requires a knife and fork, particularly since they can float in a chili sauce. A garnish of parsley completes this food of interesting contrasts (firm meat with chewy outside).

Any oversized foods (meatballs or otherwise) that you’ve tried?

 

Roomba and Beyond

“The near future holds a fine gift of contentment.”

According to my husband, I’ve been remiss by not highlighting the “geriatric twist” part of my above tagline, so I’m here to remedy that today.

Confession: I still use an old-fashioned vacuum cleaner, but I’ve thought about the advantages of owning a Roomba.

Thanks to innovative minds, there are so many devices out there to make life easier. This idea is doubly true for seniors. An amazing machine might be a perk for us now, but a necessity as we age. Newer inventions for older adults include telehealth monitoring systems, medication-dispensing units, and automatic turn-off appliances.

Companies like Honda and Toyota are even working on robots that will help with our daily activities of living. (Reminds me of the delightful film, Robot & Frank.) I, for one, am waiting for the mass production of self-driving cars.

What new invention are you looking forward to?

p.s. If you’d like more tidbits about aging and older adults, sign up for my newsletter! (Look for the box on the right side of my home page.)

Foodie Friday: Tofu Toast

My first…

Tofu toast: bread made out of tofu

I was invited by Veronica Roth to do her toast challenge, which is about combining a photo or sketch with “an ode to your breakfast.” Since I already blogged about Taiwan toast before, I thought I’d do something more innovative.

In the aisles of my local Japanese market, I found a different kind of bread. Made from tofu, it’s got the smoothness of white bread. However, it also exhibits a nice firmness that reveals its true origins. The bread provides a hearty flavor (like a lighter wheat), and extra flax seeds add to this impression.

Fun fact of the day: Tofu means bean curd, but the fu can be translated as “rotten.”

But this tofu toast is delicious, and I give it a thumb’s up!