Authenticity

Flaunt your veggie side.

No, I am not a vegetarian. As much as I enjoy crunching through apples and romaine lettuce, I think I would be very sad if there was no meat on the side. Yes, I like my chicken on the side!

When it comes to looking for authentic Chinese food in America, I always find that I eat the best at home. I'm really blessed for having a nanny that can cook really good dumplings and 包子 during the weekdays. Can you believe that my family eats homemade dumplings every Fridays ever since I was in third grade? Yes, from scratch. It's amazing how my nanny works from the ground pork to the handmade flour in a matter of a few hours. Usually people get their "enjoyment" of dumplings from purchasing a few in the nearest grocery store or from those 50-packs in restaurants directly from their freezers. Bought it, tried it, didn't like it.

I'm beginning to feel that many Chinese restaurants are losing their essence as well. No, I'm not talking about the happy woks or Panda Expresses that are around the corner, I'm talking about restaurants that used to have a name in particular dishes. Today, my family and I decided to celebrate late Father's day since my parents came back from Taiwan a few days after the actual holiday. So, we decided to come back to 古月 in Life Plaza. The moment my sister and I took a step into the restaurant, we realized that there were a lot less people than we expected. We would usually see a full house, but there were only about 4 tables occupied. Now we know why. The food wasn't as great as the last time we came. The rice was mushy and all the dishes that we ordered were extremely greasy. Not only that, but the waiters had no class at all. Because my mom was really unsatisfied with the food, she didn't pay the full 15% tip. Before we left the restaurant, the waitress told my mom that she didn't pay enough for the tip. My mom said that the food was blatantly unappetizing and not as good as before. The waiter just said that we ate it all so they couldn't do anything about it. Wow, nice hospitality there lady.

This isn't the first time this thought came across my mind. I realized now that almost "authentic" Chinese restaurants that I've got to around my area is slowly losing what they had. It's so sad that restaurants are more worried about the money that they lose the taste return. I guess my family and I have to drive all the way to San Gabriel next time to have decent Chinese food.

After watching a recent 蔡依林 (Jolin Tsai) concert, I get the feeling that she's just another version of Britney Spears. I really don't understand how many people thinks she's the most beautiful and popular female artist in Taiwan. I disagree. Her costumes were a bit horrifying and her dances weren't as great as her MVs. What really annoyed me was that she copied the theme from Madonna in "Die Another Day" and the whole kissing controversy between Britney Spears and Madonna. Ugh, disgusting. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Jolin's album that came out last year, but I think she can do better than that. She's a great dancer and gymnast, but why copy ideas from other artists to make yourself look better?

It's pretty sad that many Chinese people are losing and forgetting the aspects of their culture. I look around and many Chinese people don't remember particular holidays and the traditional routines that each holidays does. I remember it was shocking that one day when Jono didn't know how to 拜年 to my mother before she would give him a red envelope. I realized that many Chinese families doesn't do that anymore, it's depressing witnessing how the culture is slowly atrophying away in the younger generations. I'm really thankful that my family goes through the trouble to still preserve our culture each year.

Well, even though 端午節 (Dragon Boat Festival) was last Tuesday (5/5 in the Lunar Calendar if you didn't know), my nanny is going to make homemade 粽子! I can't wait to take pictures of them! I love homemade Chinese food.