Turkey Day! W00t! W00t!

[Flickr/PlushOff]

“Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.”

—Gladys B. Stern

While you’re stuffing yourself with Turducken, candied yams and pie today, remember to say “thank you” to the person who cooked your meal. If you’re the cook, remember to say “thank you” to the person who taught you how to cook and boil water. If you’re a self-taught chef, then remember to say “thank you” to the dead bird on the table.

Basically, the point I’m trying to make is this — this Thanksgiving, don’t forget to say “thank you” to the people who helped you get where you are today, if you haven’t already done so ;)

Filed under: Crafts, Food, Holiday, Life, Thanksgiving

Chicken Feet May Save U.S. Exports

chicken feet at triple eight palace, originally uploaded by niznoz.

I heart dim sum. I especially heart “Phoenix Claws” (AKA chicken feet).  To those who may cringe at the thought of sucking the flesh off of a bony bird toe, you’re missing out. I’ve been eating them since I was a kid and my kids (unless they turn out to be really picky T_T) will also eat them.

So what’s with the ode to chicken feet? I just read a story by Clifford Krauss at the NYT – it suggested that China’s threat to cut its imports of U.S. poultry (in retaliation to President Obama’s tariffs on Chinese tires.) is an empty threat. He reasons that because Chinese people love their American chicken feet so much, there’s no way the government will actually go through with the ban.

Why do the Chinese prefer U.S. poultry? Since most Americans like chicken breast (IMHO: low calories = dry and no taste), American poultry is bred to be on the more voluptuous side. This means that our chickens’ feet are also bigger (e.g., has more skin to eat).

It’s an interesting story, but here’s what I’m wondering:

• I thought chicken feet are mainly eaten by Cantonese people (since us Southerners are known for eating anything with legs besides tables and chairs) – does the rest of China really care if they don’t get their chicken feet shipment?
• If China bans U.S. poultry, can any other country up their export of chicken parts to fill the void?

Yes, these are real questions that I have. No, I am not just playing devil’s advocate for fun. So with that, any thoughts?

Filed under: Food, Cantonese Food, Chicken Feet, China, Chinese Food, Dim Sum, Exports, Food, Politics, U.S.

To Be “An Expert In Chinese Desserts”

taro bubble tea, originally uploaded by stu_spivack.

 

I was pleasantly surprised this morning to learn that I was quoted in local Texas newspaper story about “Bubble Tea” as an “expert in Chinese desserts.” How fitting.

It’s interesting to note, that I am the only person that was quoted in the article. Clearly, none of the major corporate bubble tea/boba chains (i.e. Quickly or Tapioca Express) have a PR person or PR agency with a subscription to ProfNet. PR note to corporate boba marketing teams….it might be a good idea.

“Bubble Tea: Ever Drink A Pearl?”
By Miriam Ramirez, The Monitor
Thursday, May 22, 2008
To view the full article onine, click here.

Here’s a quick excerpt with my quotes:

Why bubble?
Several stories as to why its known as”bubble” tea continue to swirl around the world. Some of the most popular arguable factoids are that the tapioca pearls also looked like bubbles or that bubbles floated on the top and bottom of your drink or that in Chinese speaking countries, its called both “zhen zhu nai cha”(Pearl Milk Tea) while in the U.S. its called “Boba” (which is slang for a big breasted woman, said Daisy Kong, an expert in Chinese desserts. Other names include “tapioca milk tea” and “milk tea with pearls.”

“In the U.S. bubble tea can be found mainly in Chinese shopping centers at snack shops or specific milk tea shops that also sell snacks,” Kong said. “In Toronto, Canada, where there there is an even larger overseas Chinese community, boba cafes are incredible (looking more like a very hip and trendy bar then a snack shop.

One interesting find from this article was www.bobafind.com, a site that is surprisingly very accurate in locating the nearest bubble tea/boba shop near you.

Filed under: Food, Retail, Boba Tea, Bubble Tea, Drinks, Food, Milk Tea, Miriam Ramirez, Pearl Milk Tea, PR, Public Relations, Quickly, Tapioca, Tapioca Express, Tapioca Milk Tea