what is your favorite food ? why ? what memories you have eating ? explain to the reader why these dishes are superior to others?
When I was fifteen years old, I left the Vietnam to begin a new life with my family in the United States. But my young heart has never stopped yearning for that one day when I would go back home. One peculiar thing about Vietnamese is that they associate homesickness with food, which is the first thing that comes to their minds when they think of home. They usually crave dried fish, small fermented shrimp or meat stewed in soy sauce and vinegar. Mine is a sweet tasting dish called pork stew, my grandmother's specialty. Perhaps food satisfies both the stomach and the heart. That is why I remember not only the distinct flavors but also, or most especially, the feelings of love-connections we attach to particular food. Pork stew has simple steps to prepare and brings a lot of memories about my family, friends and especially my hometown.
My childhood vacations were spent in the provincial home of my grandparents on my mother's side. When I was young, my other two sisters and I were finicky eaters. Until my grandmother discovered that the three of us had a "sweet tooth." She did not care why "sweetness" excited the taste buds of children, but my grandmother wanted to please us and started feeding us her preparation of that sweet, full-of-flavor stew. I instantly liked the dish. Later, when I was old enough to understand, I was lectured on how to cook stew. But I never learned how to cook the dish correctly, as done by my grandmother. Or simply, I did not have the talent to cook, only to eat, if that can be classified as talent.
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, beans, peppers and tomatoes, meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. My grandmother usually cooked pork stew. I don't remember exactly what that part is called but it is the slab that is used when cooking roast pork, including the thick fat and skin. The meat is cut in big squares and seasoned with equal amounts of soy sauce, vinegar and brown sugar. To add flavor and bring out that pleasant smell, oregano, peppercorns, aniseed, laurel leaves and cinnamon bark are included. The cooking begins by sautéing and browning generous amounts of crushed garlic and sliced onions, after which the marinated pork is blended and simmered slowly for more than one hour until the meat becomes very tender and the pork skin turns as soft as marshmallow. After it is done, what remains is the thick, rich, sweet sauce that glazes the succulent meat and the strong aromatic smell. If one is familiar with the scent of cinnamon rolls being baked, the smell of stew is similar, only it is five times more delicious with the oregano, laurel and all the other spices in it. When I eat stew, it is accompanied with hot fragrant white rice, a basic staple on the Vietnamese dining table. When I bite, the melt-in-your-mouth texture brings out a delectable sensation on my tongue.
Stew is the healthy type of food. It is nutritious and it is balance of vegetables and meat. it is low in fat, sodium, and cholesterol. Meat is soft and supple, it is easy to eat. Taste of pork stew is fragrant of onions; potatoes and carrots are tender and fully absorbed spices. Pork strew are full spices such as salty, spicy, sour, sweet and taste are very charming people eat. All ages can enjoy pork stew even they are picky eaters as I like to eat this dish.
Of the many summers and Christmases that I stayed in my grandparents' home, the one constant thing that was sure to be there waiting for us at the end of each journey was stew. Sometimes, we would arrive earlier than expected and would catch the mouth-watering smell of stew still cooking in my grandmother's kitchen. When I was in United State, I missed pork stew like a heartbroken girl missing her faraway lover. Every now and then, my mother cooks pork stew here in our home in California, although I must admit it is not as flavorful as my grandmother's. And each time, I remember my past life in the Vietnam with a smile and a small degree of heartache. Every bite of pork stew brings back memories of my fun childhood, of the many lazy summers and noisy Christmases, of the darling friends I left behind, of the laughter and affection of my grandparents.
When I was fifteen years old, I left the Vietnam to begin a new life with my family in the United States. But my young heart has never stopped yearning for that one day when I would go back home. One peculiar thing about Vietnamese is that they associate homesickness with food, which is the first thing that comes to their minds when they think of home. They usually crave dried fish, small fermented shrimp or meat stewed in soy sauce and vinegar. Mine is a sweet tasting dish called pork stew, my grandmother's specialty. Perhaps food satisfies both the stomach and the heart. That is why I remember not only the distinct flavors but also, or most especially, the feelings of love-connections we attach to particular food. Pork stew has simple steps to prepare and brings a lot of memories about my family, friends and especially my hometown.
My childhood vacations were spent in the provincial home of my grandparents on my mother's side. When I was young, my other two sisters and I were finicky eaters. Until my grandmother discovered that the three of us had a "sweet tooth." She did not care why "sweetness" excited the taste buds of children, but my grandmother wanted to please us and started feeding us her preparation of that sweet, full-of-flavor stew. I instantly liked the dish. Later, when I was old enough to understand, I was lectured on how to cook stew. But I never learned how to cook the dish correctly, as done by my grandmother. Or simply, I did not have the talent to cook, only to eat, if that can be classified as talent.
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, beans, peppers and tomatoes, meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. My grandmother usually cooked pork stew. I don't remember exactly what that part is called but it is the slab that is used when cooking roast pork, including the thick fat and skin. The meat is cut in big squares and seasoned with equal amounts of soy sauce, vinegar and brown sugar. To add flavor and bring out that pleasant smell, oregano, peppercorns, aniseed, laurel leaves and cinnamon bark are included. The cooking begins by sautéing and browning generous amounts of crushed garlic and sliced onions, after which the marinated pork is blended and simmered slowly for more than one hour until the meat becomes very tender and the pork skin turns as soft as marshmallow. After it is done, what remains is the thick, rich, sweet sauce that glazes the succulent meat and the strong aromatic smell. If one is familiar with the scent of cinnamon rolls being baked, the smell of stew is similar, only it is five times more delicious with the oregano, laurel and all the other spices in it. When I eat stew, it is accompanied with hot fragrant white rice, a basic staple on the Vietnamese dining table. When I bite, the melt-in-your-mouth texture brings out a delectable sensation on my tongue.
Stew is the healthy type of food. It is nutritious and it is balance of vegetables and meat. it is low in fat, sodium, and cholesterol. Meat is soft and supple, it is easy to eat. Taste of pork stew is fragrant of onions; potatoes and carrots are tender and fully absorbed spices. Pork strew are full spices such as salty, spicy, sour, sweet and taste are very charming people eat. All ages can enjoy pork stew even they are picky eaters as I like to eat this dish.
Of the many summers and Christmases that I stayed in my grandparents' home, the one constant thing that was sure to be there waiting for us at the end of each journey was stew. Sometimes, we would arrive earlier than expected and would catch the mouth-watering smell of stew still cooking in my grandmother's kitchen. When I was in United State, I missed pork stew like a heartbroken girl missing her faraway lover. Every now and then, my mother cooks pork stew here in our home in California, although I must admit it is not as flavorful as my grandmother's. And each time, I remember my past life in the Vietnam with a smile and a small degree of heartache. Every bite of pork stew brings back memories of my fun childhood, of the many lazy summers and noisy Christmases, of the darling friends I left behind, of the laughter and affection of my grandparents.
