Rice Triangle and Five Five Festival

端午节

两种粽子，一甜一咸。端午要吃青色，虽然黄瓜和韭菜也是端午传统菜，可惜周围没有艾草。觉得艾草才是端午节最正宗的青色。

Duanwu Festival （端午节）, the 5th of 5th Month on Lunar Calendar, is never complete without Zongzi (粽子）， the triangle shaped sticky rice wrapped in large reed leaves. Reed is a water or wetland grass—-no it is NOT bamboo leaves!

In some Southern Provinces a wide type of lily leaves are used too.

The origin of Duanwu Festival (you can call Five Five Festival) is actually quite sad. Dream shattered, a kingdom lost, abandonment, betrayal and at last, suicide. Opera stuff except it all really happened…

At the end of the tragedy, this triangle rice wrap was invented to express love and mourning for the betrayed and suicided. Then the cute rice triangle went on to live for more than two thousand years. Much like turkey for American Thanksgiving, Zongzi is a mandatory participation for every single person.

Thus on this day, easily 0.2-0.4 billion triangles are consumed on planet Earth. This number is estimated based on public traded food companies’ sales today).

Easier for everyone to participate than turkey eating, make varieties of Zongzi are mostly vegan. I love its biodegradable packing too. The efficiency in design is also a piece of science.

Perhaps the whole Chinese history can be summarized into one line, “Turn Sadness and Frustration into A Good Appetite” (化悲愤为饭量).

When I watch the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding where the Greeks are always cooking and eating, together, through epic wars, big revolutions, medium size family turmoils and small personal frustration, I slowly nod my (imaginary) silver-haired head.

When I watch Godfather, again same endearing observation of the Roman-Italiano.

When I watch Star Wars, the American mythology (ripped off Japanese creativity FYI), “where is the food?! How come nobody never eats nothing? For several hundred years?!”

Ancient civilizations understand one another.

Turn your sadness into something delicious. Then eat it up. Not only it will look like nothing ever happened, it will also turn into nutrition.

6/14/2021

Bigger triangles are savory. Small triangles are sweet.

Vegan: Baby Abalone Mushroom & Pine nuts

You won’t believe how easy this dish is. A vegan dish that even meat lovers will appreciate.

Prepare time: 2 minutes

Cooking time: 5-8 minutes

Heat up cast iron pan at medium heat, meanwhile Slice baby abalone mushroom into thin pieces ; smash and mince 2-3 cloves of garlic.

Add a tiny drizzle of oil, sauté minced garlic until fragrance (10-20 seconds); add mushroom slice, sauté on medium to low heat, so we can evaporate the water in mushroom slowly without burning the mushroom. Use chopsticks to flip mushroom pieces every 1-2 minutes, until both sides are golden.

Add pine nuts, increase heat to medium to toast the nuts. Mix mushroom and nuts (about 2 minutes).

At last, turn off heat because cast iron can hold heat for a long time so ingredients will continue to cook with heat off; add fine salt and mix for 10 seconds. Add green onion and mix for 10 seconds.

Baby abalone mushroom is the best. Second best is abalone mushroom. They are naturally clean and easy to slice. The mixed flavor is subtle and exquisite. Vegan, high protein, gluten free, no sugar, low salt, low fat, immune system booster, low carbon footprint—-mushrooms are the perfect food. Two to three times a week, mushroom prevents Alzheimer’s disease too. (Yes I better write down this recipe before I forget!)

“But my grocery store doesn’t carry abalone mushroom!”

“Then ask your store for it. Email or call. When they hear from 3 customers they may start to carry it. Demand creates supply.”

6/11/2021