By the time dinner was over - the one I went to on Friday evening - I was so tired from my long travel the day before that I could not walk a straight line down the sidewalk to the car. As we drove home I realized we were not going home, but to the new home of one of the dinner guest. This will take some effort, but it will be a good experience.
The home was not in a high rise but in a building of about four stories. It definitely was upper end living by its location and layout. As I walked through its rooms I looked at things a builder would at to see how it compared to an American home. It definitely was equal, but different. For example the kitchen was very small, each room had a separate air conditioner and a hot water radiator, and plastic trim in place of wood. It had a commercial feel to it and the smell of chemicals. The living room had a very large flat panel TV, with a smaller one in each of the three bedrooms.
I didn't realize we were going to visit this home or I would have brought my camera. Pictures would add much to this blog entry, especially of the kitchen. As already mentioned it was very small according to western standards, but there is a reason for this. I didn't understand that until I watched how Chinese food is prepared. I think of Connie preparing a meal at home. If it is a big meal with family and friends, there are many pots and pans required. At the same time food may be cooking in the microwave, backing in the oven, frying or boiling on the range top, not to mention food already prepared and stored in the refrigerator or sitting on the counter. We prepare our food and when it is all ready we lay it out on a large counter in the kitchen with a pile of plates as the starting point. You pick up a plate and select the food you want and place it on your plate. You may even have a smaller plate or bowl for a salad. You will have a glass for something to drink. You take all of this and go find your place at a large rectangular table. There is normally no food on the table to add to your plate. If you need or want more you would return to the kitchen and select what you want. After your main meal you would return to the kitchen and select a smaller plate or bowl and select what you want for your sweet taste and return to the table with it.
After eating, leftover food on the counter is put into containers and put in the refrigerator for another meal. We do a lot of baking in America, which require mixing bowls and cooking trays and pans. In America we boil, broil, bake, fry, microwave, and ways I can't think of at the moment. As a result American kitchens contain many cabinets to store all the things we use. When our family was growing up we had a large garden and would prepare food to can or freeze to eat during an off growing season. Kitchens were big production centers in earlier America and required a lot of space. The trend is to prepare much less now and instead obtain food already prepared.
When Jiajing stayed with my younger sister for awhile, she asked why she had so many things in her kitchen. As we prepare food she is gradually coming to understand why, just as I am beginning to understand why so little is needed here in China. Both cooking methods produce good food and each culture has its particular method. I sure enjoy food that is prepared in both cultures.
