shmalo

Being old and being awesome aren't mutually exclusive.

Hi Clarissa! Thank you so much for doing this AMA, I am a huge fan and I resonate very deeply with the mission to give a notion to Americans of how deep, diverse, cool and yet familiar Chinese food can be.

One of my favorite television shows in China is called 舌尖上的中国, or A Bite of China - I am sure you've heard of it. Some of the most gorgeous cinematography ever, incredibly beautiful, well-written voiceover narration - but something my friends and I notice about it when we watch is that some of the intention behind the show seems almost political in nature. The narrator seems sometimes to extol the virtues of the common rural worker, for example, or encourage citizens to take pleasure in simple things. And the show sometimes feels like it gives an image of China that's almost like a state-centered monolith - depicting ethnic minorities only if they are recognized by the government, etc. etc.

So I've got some questions about what you think about that. 1) Do you think my friends and I, specifically as it relates to A Bite of China, are reading into it a little too much? We still love the show, but I think as Chinese Americans, we get a dose of our parents' politics, which are government-skeptical. 2) During your travels, have you noticed instances where the government tries to use Chinese food as a political tool? Do you think that's influenced the evolution of Chinese food as it exists today, from a culinary/business perspective?

Is your dog's name really *******?

Shame your username isn't vchomer.

.... as absent