Believe it or not, my teaching engagement is up. I taught my last two classes this morning (consisting of little more than "Simon Says" -- mind you, these were 10-year olds).
What would an experience in China be without a farewell banquet? My co-teacher and I were kind enough to be feted last evening at the local hotel restaurant (hands-down the nicest establishment on the SINOPEC compound). We were definitely in for a treat.
Among the first dishes set out was crispy, spicy fried chicken bits with
crispy biscuits of fried rice. The rice biscuits were completely dry, with no
hint of oil.
The chicken was very crunchy and was so finely chopped, it was tough to discern the meat bits from the parts that were basically battered fried bone fragments caught up in the mix. The la jiao added predictable spice.
I'm recovering from a cold, so I had a bit of trouble discerning the subtle taste of the tea.
I was entranced by the glistening side of pork that was majestically brought to the table, surrounded by a transparent black bean sauce.
After we had sufficient opportunity to view the dish, the waitress took it away. Five minutes later, it reappeared, properly shredded and sliced for consumption.
I'm no cook, but I'm guessing the technique they used was braising. The pork was so soft and tender; the texture reminded me of proper Southern pulled pork, though the flavor was different.
I loved this dish. I kept spinning the Lazy Susan nearer to me to so I could have more of it.
In the middle of table was a steaming dish of meat and peppers. Being that it was a bit out of my reach, I paid it little mind until the end of the meal. After absently asking what it was, I found out it was tortoise shell with fatty pork. This I had to try.
Turns out tortoise shell isn't that exciting. I got more of the flavor from the pork than the tortoise. It was very hard and bony; you had to scrape the gummy meat of the hard shell with your teeth and spit the shell fragment out. It was a lot of work for not very much meat. A novelty nonetheless.
Ah, the requisite bok choy, served this time with mushrooms. Note that the green tips are hidden under the mushrooms... this was part of the artful arrangement of the dish.
Tofu with fish... this was very nice, and I've had it before many times. Soft, soothing (save for some bones that required expectorating) and mild, this dish was a nice contrast to the fiery chicken with peppers.
There were a few more dishes which I didn't capture, including a glorious
browned fish served wrapped in tin foil.
It was lovely sendoff from my school -- from the smiles and toasts around the table, I could tell that the work that my fellow teacher and I did were well appreciated. We also each received two silk scarves from Hangzhou. A lovely ending to an unbelievable experience, and scrumptious food to match.
Farewell Jiangxi food, Jiangxi people, and Jiangxi life!
Posted by Astrid at January 19, 2005 12:55 AM