When She First Saw a Pancake

[Robert S.]

It is so enjoyable to watch my wife Ping in her experiences of something for the first time and even though her age is nearly as advanced as mine (she is 43 and I'm 49) sometimes she will have spontaneous reaction that is just like a kid and she will laugh in a very endearing way. For example, when we drove by the Chevy dealership one morning recently the car salesmen had apparently decided to try for some attention and they had lined up about a dozen new pickup trucks on the grassy shoulder of the road in front of the dealership, all with their hood raised all the way up. The way she laughed at that I could instantly appreciate her viewpoint the way they looked like they were gaping their mouth open or laughing. And then a couple days ago we drove by a roadside vegetable stand that had just put out their selection of pumpkins for Halloween and she really enjoyed seeing a display like this for the first time.

When it comes to food she is inclined to try to duplicate the unfamiliar American food. She can make a good hamburger now. She made her own special chili for hot dogs which was a very creditable effort. But at least one food duplication has not been so easy for her and that is pancakes.

I took her to the famous Majestic restaurant in Atlanta on the renowned Ponce de Leon Avenue at about 1:30 in the morning (which is prime time for them) and the cooks were of course working those grills as fast as they could, producing repeated examples of their classic dishes. Ping was not too impressed until the guy made a batch of pancakes, at which point she asked me what they were. I tried to tell her and she told me she understood. The next day she surprised me when she tried to duplicate what she had seen but instead of using flour she used self-rising cornmeal which I happened to have on the shelf for breading fish. She added water and egg and cooked it in the wok. What she did was independently discover the hoecake (it was tasty). That night she used flour with yeast and put egg and honey in that and then baked that and came out with a kind of sweet bread that is not really cake and not really bread. I tried to tell her if she wanted bread then she would not use something sweet but if she wanted to make cake then she would use a sweetener but not use yeast but use baking powder instead. At present she is sidetracked on some of her other cooking projects but I am sure she will master the pancake and the cake before long.

[Guest Se_Lang]

well as long as all her attempts are tasty then I woud say you are in heaven.

[Robert S.]

well as long as all her attempts are tasty then I woud say you are in heaven.

The sweet bread was not a problem in taste but was too moist and rubbery but I discovered it would go down okay eaten together with a banana. Things like this are not frightening like some of her Chinese delicacies are.

[Mick]

Great story Robert. Ping is a very creative lady it would seem.

[frank1538]

I took her to the famous Majestic restaurant in Atlanta on the renowned Ponce de Leon Avenue at about 1:30 in the morning (which is prime time for them) and the cooks were of course working those grills as fast as they could, producing repeated examples of their classic dishes.  Ping was not too impressed until the guy made a batch of pancakes, at which point she asked me what they were.  I tried to tell her and she told me she understood.  The next day she surprised me when she tried to duplicate what she had seen but instead of using flour she used self-rising cornmeal which I happened to have on the shelf for breading fish.  She added water and egg and cooked it in the wok.  What she did was independently discover the hoecake (it was tasty). That night she used flour with yeast and put egg and honey in that and then baked that and came out with a kind of sweet bread that is not really cake and not really bread.  I tried to tell her if she wanted bread then she would not use something sweet but if she wanted to make cake then she would use a sweetener but not use yeast but use baking powder instead.  At present she is sidetracked on some of her other cooking projects but I am sure she will master the pancake and the cake before long.      

Ah, the Majestic. Gotta take her there on Halloween night about the same time. Ping will get a kick watching the patrons decked out in some of the best costumes in Atlanta. You might even see me there.

 

I didn't realize that Ping was a true Southerner - hoecakes. Next on the list is grits, then fried chicken.

 

Thanks for sharing this.

[Mick]

Hoecakes, grits, and fried chicken. Now yer talkin!!!!

[Robert S.]

Yes, I am very proud for her to have discovered the hoecake, well really she re-invented it on her own, accidentally. As far as grits, I taught her to make them the first day she got here. I am sure she could make good fried chicken on her first try. But if she is going to become a Southern cook I would love to see her invent her own barbecue sauce recipe!!!!

[Mick]

Yes, I am very proud for her to have discovered the hoecake, well really she re-invented it on her own, accidentally.  As far as grits, I taught her to make them the first day she got here.  I am sure she could make good fried chicken on her first try.  But if she is going to become a Southern cook I would love to see her invent her own barbecue sauce recipe!!!!

OK Robert, time to break out the fat back and collard greens. :lol

 

Has she learned to toss beer cans into the back of the pickup yet? At eighty miles an hour on a dirt road? This is an essential talent for an Alabama belle.

[Robert S.]

She was examining the fat back just a couple of days ago!!!! But she put it back. I was ready to join in on fixin' a mess of collards. She has not displayed any curiosity towards the collards or turnip greens yet. I don't know about the beer cans in the pickup but I'll tell you this: she can drink an entire beer and only put it down one time and finish it the second time. She drinks whiskey like it was water. She'll get drunk in no time but I am just saying that it does not affect her and she will not make a face, will stay as stonefaced as Humphrey Bogart sipping his gin.

[MoonCarolCafe]

I've never been into beer, I'm more of a wine man. I don't know where she picked up the habit, but she can drink wine like it's grape juice. Well, you know what I mean. She too gets toasted like an english muffin, but you'd never know what was in the glass by the way she gulps it down.

 

Edit: I am envious over the fact your wife gets to discover pedestrian aspects of living in the USA. Hopefully I too will soon know the feeling of watching the woman dearest to me discover things I take for granted.

[Mick]

Your time will no doubt come MoonCarolCafe. It is very enjoyable to see our loved ones discover certain cultural things for the first time. Especially the food and drink.

[Robert S.]

Your time will no doubt come MoonCarolCafe. It is very enjoyable to see our loved ones discover certain cultural things for the first time. Especially the food and drink.

Hey guys, let me hear some cooking stories. We are such lucky guys to have a Chinese lady in our life.

[warpedbored]

Bing has discovered chips and salsa. I have heard that in general Chinese don't care for Mexican food but she does like this. She likes pot roast and and BBQ too. She pretty much sticks to Chinese cooking. Amost everything is cooked in a wok.

[frank1538]

Jingwen remains a purist. She refuses to cook any western foods, but I do take some delight in pointing out that just about everything she cooks is grown or raised or processed in America - even the rice from Arkansas.

 

Speaking of rice, Jingwen is very particular about her rice. Thai rice seems to be her favorite, but the Arkansas rice at 3 lbs for a dollar got her frugality hormones raging - had to buy 36 lbs (should last about a month)

 

She still has a hard time believing that her favorite vegetables are grown in the US, that her Chinese sausage is packed and processed in the US, and that her favorite hot sauces are packed in the US, and I'm still having a hard time getting her to balance meat with fat. Man, what I wouldn't do for a 16 oz. NY strip, cooked medium rare.

[Robert S.]

Carl, that is interesting that Bing did not like Mexican food. I took Ping to a Mexican restaurant and she did not like it too much, and this was one of the better ones in Atlanta. Maybe it is true that Chinese people don't like Mexican food. It must be the cheese that makes them dislike it. I am happy that she likes BBQ.

 

Frank, you have a grill don't you? You have got to assert your inherent male right to cook with fire, there's where your steak craving can be satisfied. I feel your pain. Chinese food is great but we Americans have learned to enjoy so many kinds of food. It would be a long list to write down all the different nationalities of food that I like. The Atlanta yellow pages is awesome in its number of different categories of restaurants.