'Dancers Disco' Oatmeal Cookies

Yesterday my cousin, her boys and I flew to her sister (yes, another cousin) and her family up in San Francisco. When I told my little niece (aka my mini me), she told her sisters and brother: "Auntie Mai Linh is going to Dancers Disco!" It took me some time to understand what she was saying and what she meant. But after saying it out loud, I heard what she was talking about. Dancers Disco almost looks like San Francisco!

up: View on the Golden Gate and Downtown from Alcatraz Island, today

down: Christmas tree on Fisherman's Wharf, today

For Christmas I was planning on making boxes of baked goods to give to my aunties, uncles and my grandma. So I figured to make some test batches. After baking for hours and hours I made a lot of cookies! A double batch of oatmeal cookies from scratch and  a batch of snickerdoodles from a box. I ended baking with making some plain and cranberry scones. After seeing the dozens of cookies and scones I choose to bring some to Dancers Disco aka San Francisco, to share with my cousins and their families.

The Snickerdoodle cookies went to my nieces Christmas party at school, with frosting and sprinkles. And half of the cookie and scone batches I left at home. For my 姐姐(big sister aka older cousin) and the kids to enjoy. The scones are just my normal sweetened scone recipe, with some added cranberries. And the Oatmeal cookies, they are fabulous! Maybe if you read my other oatmeal cookie recipe (Going bananas for Oatmeal cookies), you've heard about my obsession with these cookies.

"Ever since I visited my family in Callie in the summer of 2012 I'm hooked on oatmeal cookies. But I never had the guts to try it myself. I remember the sweet sugary tasty delights I ate during my months in CA." 

So here they are, the recipe to this divine yummy! So staying true to my little niece, I name this recipe after her idea of San Francisco.

Dancers Disco Oatmeal Cookies
(San Francisco Oatmeal Cookies)
About 4 dozen cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened
1 1/2 cups of light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup of all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of rolled oats
1 1/3 cup (half the package) of Heath Bits 'O Brickle Toffee Bits
1 cup of Sweetened Coconut Flakes
1 cup of dried cranberries (or dried cherries)

Note: For all your Dutchies (and other non-Americans), I'm not sure if you can find all the ingredients at your local market. So the moment I get home I'll try to look for substitutes! And also for a healthier variation on this beloved cookie! Just stay tuned....

Heat oven to 375°F/ 190°C. Lightly grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Beat butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; beat until blended.

Stir in oats, toffee bits and coconut, if desired, with spoon. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto prepared sheet. The dough can be pretty thick, so press the dough a bit down. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove to wire rack.

I brought my cousin 1 1/2 box of cookies and 1/2 a box of scones. Now, not even 24 hours later, there is 1 scone left and around 1/2 a box of cookies. That's how good they are! Enjoy! 

人人乐 Market

Asian Market is Asian Market, where ever I am they will always look the same. The only difference; outside China, the signs have English (or Dutch, or French, Korean, etc etc) translation. I've been to many Asian markets in my life. Holland, France, America and China, almost everywhere I stay for a longer time I end up in a Asian Market. I always wonder around, be amazed with all the products, produce and other nicknacks. Take my time to find familiar things and be astonished by new things. Reading labels, finding out that every sauce in the Chinese kitchen is made from soybeans. That curry pastes are not always vegetarian. That the Asian taste is enhanced with E-numbers and MSG.

For many years my family and I go to this big warehouse on a industrial site. There is a huge (for Dutch scale) Asian Market/Warehouse 'Tai Pan'. As a child (and even now) I spend most of my time there along the freezers. They leave all the crazy goodies there. Frog legs, durian, all kinds of frozen fish and seafood, ducks. I can still wonder along the freezer and the aisles. 

人人乐 (ren ren le) was my daily supermarket I went to in China.
Ren Ren Le or translated Everyone Happy (translated word by word meaning people people happy). And I guess everybody was happy with this supermarket. They will catering to all your needs. Close by the university campus, great hours, with a fresh produce dept, fish, meat, deli, bakery, toiletries, kitchenware, clothes, you name it! They had a crazy candy department. With flavors I never imagined, durian, jackfruit, red date and more craziness. Like dried meats and tofu and seasoned spicy chicken feet!

But most of my wondering along Asian market aisles happens in LA. From Delmar market, to Hawaii market, Korean markets, Hong Kong Plaza, and many, many many more! Duck tongs, intestines and organs, turtles, seaweeds, fishheads, octopus and roots I never saw before and all kinds of kitchenware and utensils. 

Made you curious? Look up your local Asian Market and take some time to take a look! If you're an Asian food lover, these markets would definitely make 人人乐 (everybody happy, pinyin: ren ren le)

up: I found this picture in the stacks and boxes of pictures we have. My dad is an amateur photographer, always taking pictures, analog and digital. So I guess this is one of his pictures.
Asian market around Rosemead, LA County, Januari 1990

middle: Emy and I in the Korean supermarket, astonished by it's products and seafood department.
Greenlang, Rowland Haight, California, June 2012

down: Fresh food department of the Ren Ren Le, Na'nan District, Chongqing, Februari 2013

Here are some of my favorite Asian Markets:

Tai Pan Oriental Foods
Laagraven 2B

3439 LG Nieuwegein

THE NETHERLANDS

Toko Tjiau Jiang

Croeselaan 199-203

3521 BM Utrecht

THE NETHERLANDS

Dun Yong

Stormsteeg 9

1021 BD Amsterdam

THE NETHERLANDS

Ren Ren Le

Located next to the CTBU (Chongqing Technologie & Business University,
重庆工商大学) entrance & 五工里 lightrail (wugongli) station

No. 19 Xuefu Ave. Nan'an District

400067 Chongqing

CHINA

Hawaii Supermarket

120 E Valley Boulevard

San Gabriel, CA 91776

USA

San Gabriel Superstore

1635 S San Gabriel Boulevard

San Gabriel, CA 91776

USA

Hong Kong Plaza

989 S Glendora Avenue

West Covina, CA 91790

USA

168 Market

1421 E Valley Boulevard

Alhambra, CA 91801

USA

The Battle of the rolls; Eggrolls vs. Springrolls

up: Sheet from Artist book Los Angeles #3, September 2012

With infographics on how to make Eggrolls and Springrolls, idea's and thoughts on food and cooking

down: Springrolls and Eggrolls, West Covina, LA County, summer 2012

Ching·rish

Wikipedia's defintition: Chinglish (sometimes spelled as Chingrish) refers to spoken or written English language that is influenced by the Chinese language. 

The term "Chinglish" is commonly applied to ungrammatical or nonsensical English in Chinese contexts, and may have pejorative or deprecating connotations. Other terms uses to descrive the phenomenon include "Chinese English", "China English" and "Sinicezed English". The degree to which a Chinese variety of English exists or can be considered legitimate to dispute. Or maybe a little different.  

In the end English and Chinese are two totally different languages. Even if they create a Chinatown in LA, making a part of America a little bit of China. Chinese is still Chinese and English is still English. No resembles, in sounds, speaking, movement and writing. 

Although it may not always look different. So now and then the differences become incredibly clear. For example when you go grocery shopping. The stores look the same, smells the same and still nobody will speak a word of English. And then you end up in a Chinese poulterer. Endless rows of chickens, in almost every color possible. Big signs with many pictures of poulty, all the different varieties. Chinese chicken, corn chicken, purple chicken, Peking duck, quail, etc etc.

up: Chinese Chicken in LA County, december 2013

down: Chinese Chicken in Chongqing province, april 2013

The amount of meat on the chicken is incredible. Chicken almost start to look like turkeys. No matter how the chicken is prepared, there will always be a lot of meat. It made me think back, to my time in Chongqing, when food was flowing but meat was always sort of scarce. With scarce I don't mean that meat was hard to come by. But somehow, everytime I'd order chicken or a chicken dish, I ended up with more bones than meat. Like they cut off all the meat for other uses and only give you bones, with a skin of meat. 

Maybe it is not that weird. Although both countries are huge and thrive on mass production.

America is still the king of 'Big, Bigger, Biggest', XL McDonald's menu's and the American dream. Where money rolls and food overflows. And China, rumored to take over the world, is still a county that is developing and battling to feed all their people. Making their take on chicken (maybe) slightly different?

Ching·lish

Being in Chongqing or Los Angeles isn't all that different. In a way I think the Chinese or even Asian community in Los Angeles are still living in their home country. Although they adopted the American Dream and his citizenship, they can still live in the Asian community they grew up in.

Before I left for China, some people advised me to take a cultural course. So the difference in culture wouldn't be so big. Many people warned me for cultural shock and having problems fitting in. Arriving in China, I had no problem with the culture. No shock, but fitting in was an other problem.

Now being back in Los Angeles, again surrounded by Chinese. It doesn't look that different. They have the same problems with traffic, the same kind of markets, the same language. Most Chinese speak Chinese, most Americans speak English. The few some in the overlapping area speak both. And some think they speak the other language.
Mai's definition:  Ching·lish Chinese English, when a native Chinese speaker thinks they're speaking English.
In the end, still nobody understand each other. There are still to many dialects. Where the people in Chongqing don't understand the Beijing dialect. Here in-laws can't communicate, or grandparents with their grandkids.

up: Bowl, cups and teapots in Tongren, Chongqing, China - June 2013

down: Bowls and tongs in Rosemead, Los Angeles County, California, USA - December 2013

Everywhere I look I still find the same kind of scenes. It is in the way they hang their laundry, arrange their kitchen, stack their shelves, their kitchenware, their movements.

The biggest difference between LA and CQ is not the culture, not the language barrier. The difference lies in the fitting in. China is a country build on family and connections. I think this strong believe in family and bounds is rooted in all raised Asians. So the difference between LA and CQ isn't something visible, it is family. The key element of fitting into an Asian community, something that wasn't there in Chongqing. But will always be here in Los Angeles.

Baked Catfish

Yesterday we had baked catfish for lunch and dinner! Last year when I visited my family, my friend Emy and I were treated to this feast. While Emy and I rolled eggrolls, my cousin baked fish and prepared all the sides. Because it was summer, we cleared out the front yard and had ourselves a nice front yard dinner.

My cousin's husband is a fishing fanatic! So last year our catfish meal was triggered by his large catch of catfish. I remember, walking to the bathroom and seeing the mother-in-law rubbing a fish. I got intrigued and stayed in the kitchen for over an hour. In her best Chinglish she explained what she was doing.

Apparently the catfish is a very interesting fish. It has no scales but a this slimy skin. It looks more like a mammal then a fish, it is very meaty and less bones then a normal fish. The mother-in-law showed me how to clean the fish. By putting it in hot boiling water, the slimy skin will be easier to clean. Rubbing it down with a scourer until the skin goes from dark to white. Then chopping off the fins and whiskers. Getting rid of the guts inside and as a final blow, off with his head!

 

top 4 picture: Last years catfish catch. Cleaning catfish in the kitchen, West Covina, July 2012

down: Four of the eight catfish from the Asian market, cleaned and all, West Covina, December 2013

December is already here and with that the cold is coming in. So this time no yard, just a cozy inside meal. Apparently for baked catfish, you need fresh catfish. All the frozen self caught catfish in the garage where out of bounce. My cousin and I had a early morning, went to the Asian market and bought 8(!) life catfish. Again I went through the whole cleaning process.

At home, we quickly started prepping for lunch. Cutting veggies, picking mints, chopping peanuts, setting up the table. With the fishheads my cousin made a sweet and sour soup.

Sweet and Sour soup, on top the bowl, below the preps

Baked catfish itself is not so much work. But all the sides make it very time consuming. It is just like Banh Trang or springrolls. Eating baked catfish is just like Banh Trang. The table is filled with food. Steaming bowls of water and rice paper. Wrap, roll and dip!

Mouthwatering? Well Catfish is not easy to come by in Holland, definitely fresh ones. But now worries, it looks a lot like Banh Trang with a big fish! So If you want to eat something similar, with meats or vegetarian or vegan, with all the sides, check out my DIY Springroll-rollfeast chapter! Enjoy!

Kickin'off December

Since my arrival in America I've been so busy. If I'm not helping out with the kids, or visiting grandma, my cousin will sweep me away for a trip to Mexico or Vegas. My days are filled with yelling kids, Chinese and great food, self made and in restaurants.

It is not that I want to keep it to myself, but I just never seem to have the time to sit down and write. So as a small teaser I show some of my food experiences here and I will tell you what is coming for this holiday month.

Breakfast on our stateroom balcony, on our cruise to Ensenada Mexico

Santaclaus is coming to town. Slowly the sunshine state is turning itself to a winter wonder land. Huge christmas trees and decorated palmtrees. Such a weird difference. Tomorrow my cousin and I will pick out a Christmas tree, my dad and I will hang the lights and it will be the start of the annual food tree!

Normally featuring Twinkies, Candy canes and all other delights and snacks. This year I will add to this feast tree with some homemade cookies and perhaps some other baked goods.

The first christmas tree of the year. This huge tree at The Grove in LA is complete with flying Santa and his reindeers.

After Thanksgiving last month, I think my cousins are planning a more Asian style Christmas dinner. I'll get my hands on the Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup) recipe, Shrimp rolls and my favorite spring rolls. And best of all, I will get the vegetarian versions from my aunt!

For my grandma, aunts and uncles I will make a Christmas Baked goods basket. I will fill you in on my Christmas themed baked goods, like cranberry scones and cookies. Stay tuned, no recipes for now. Just some pictures of the Christmas trees and some food pics!

up: Family dinner at Grandma's, my aunt made Banh Xeo

down: Out for dinner at my dads favorite restaurant, Japanese surasi bowl, Sashimi covering sushi rice

down: Supposedly a real and tallest Christmas tree, located in Citadel Outlets
up: Christmas tree in Vegas