Includes: one recipe and one uncle joke
something new in Chengdu!
the best sort of good fortune is the kind you fall in to back assward
鱼香肉丝 “fish-flavored, but not fish”
Yuxiang 鱼香 literally means “fish taste,” which is a mystery because this style of cooking has neither fish, nor fish taste, nor any other fishy credentials
Egg foo young 芙蓉蛋 — no, seriously
In my memory, this dish is a greasy mess of overcooked eggs, watery bean sprouts, and sauce that can only be described as “brown”
Blood sacrifice–a happy story
Before I begin, let me assure everyone that the story does end well
Sichuan cooking school: school life
Cooking is hard and distinctly unglamorous work
Sichuan red oil 红油
Red oil – hongyou 红油 – is the heart of Sichuan cuisine
Sichuan picked peppers 泡椒
Once I got over my fear of barging into kitchens, I started making friends.
Cooking school–Sichuan edition
Every day, I leave class smelling like fish guts and chili oil. It’s heaven.
Tom’s big adventure
Would you like to hear about my daily trek to the coffee shop across the street? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
