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NAC: What sparked your interest
in the traditions of Chinese cuisine in the first
place, and what kept you interested after you began
your studies?
SIMONDS: As a young woman, I had loved languages
and food, and so originally I went away to college
for a year to the University of Wisconsin (this
was in the early 1970s). I wasn't really that excited
about school, and I decided instead that what I
wanted to do was pursue my interest in food, language,
and culture. I thought at first of going to France,
because I did speak French, and I thought it would
be wonderful to go to Paris. I wrote to Julia Child,
and she wrote back and said she felt that if I was
very serious about studying French cuisine, I should
go to a professional hotelier school.
I had taken some Mandarin in high school, and continued
in college, and I had always loved Chinese food
and culture, so I thought I should go to China.
My parents thought I was out of my mind. China was
in the middle of the Cultural Revolution, but I
was pretty determined. I happened to see an old
classmate from my Chinese class who had been to
live in Taiwan, She [gave me the name of] a person
there, who I wrote to, and she turned out to be
a famous cook who had a cooking school in Taipei.
It was amazing how it all connected. I went over
and started working with her. I studied at her school,
and I ended up spending three and a half years there,
studying Mandarin, living with her and her Chinese
family, learning about the culture and the food.
It was an extraordinary experience. Taiwan was thriving
because many of the chefs had fled China [during
the Cultural Revolution] and were coming to Taiwan
and Hong Kong. I was very lucky because the cooking
school where my surrogate Chinese mother was, she
had some of the best chefs who had come from all
over China, from Beijing, from Western China, from
Guanjo, Canton, Shanghai, Hunan... I was really privileged
and lucky to study with some of the most talented
chefs who had fled from China.
Classic Chinese cuisine was devastated during the
Cultural Revolution, except in certain places, where
the elite members of the Communist party wanted
to still enjoy classic cuisine, so in Beijing there
were a number of very good restaurants.
I left Taiwan in 1975 and came back to the U.S.
and then spent a year in Paris working in a cooking
school. And then I moved back to the U.S. and started
teaching and catering and writing. I also started
traveling back once a year to Taiwan or Hong Kong,
and then, in 1979, to China. It was extraordinary
to see the changes in China. As tourism and the
economy picked up it was extraordinary to see the
progress and the growth.
I loved Chinese food. You go to Asia, and food is
part of their culture. It's an integral part. When
I went to Taiwan, the greeting that everyone would
say translates-from Mandarin into English-- to "Have
you eaten yet?" When it was translated to me,
I thought, "Wow, have I come to the right place!"
I really realized how food is a part of their ritual
culture. You learn a lot from a culture using food
as a springboard.
NAC: This issue of New Asian Cuisine will focus
on the foods of Lunar New Year, with an emphasis
on dumplings (because they're our favorite!). Can
you talk a little bit about the traditions and history
of dumplings and why they're associated with the
New Year.
SIMONDS: Dumplings are a very important New Year's
food because when they're cooked, and pan fried,
and turned over, they resemble the shape of Chinese
money. It's traditional to eat, at this time of
the year, foods that symbolize or resemble auspicious
things; wealth, money, happiness, children, longevity.
Dumplings play a very important role, particularly
in the North. In the North, they have dumpling parties
pre new year where people get together to stuff
the dumplings and they're very careful not to say
anything bad, because it's believed that if you
do, you'll have bad luck. It's also not unusual
to put little things inside dumplings, like a piece
of string which means you'll have longevity, or
a little gold coin, which means that you'll have
prosperity and wealth for the New Year.
NAC: What are your favorite foods of the New Year?
SIMONDS: I love noodles, so I always make longevity
noodles for New Year. Everyone celebrates a birthday
on New Year [because you're a year older], and noodles
are a traditional birthday food instead of birthday
cake. You eat long noodles so you'll enjoy a long,
happy, healthy life. I love to make dumplings. I
like to make clams in black bean sauce, too, because
clams, when they open, indicate receptivity to good
fortune. For vegetables, I was taught a dish with
carrots, carved into the shape of a coin to resemble
golden coins. One of the most famous New Years foods
is the sticky rice cake. We used to eat it by dipping
it in a very light batter and then pan frying it.
It's gooey and yummy.
NAC: How do you put your own twist on traditional
fare?
SIMONDS: I definitely use my Western traditions
to simplify the cooking, and also to make it healthier.
I try to lighten up the food. I studied with traditional
chefs, who use a lot of oil, and I always reduce
the amount of oil. And I use olive oil instead of
peanut oil. When I'm stir-frying, it wouldn't be
unusual for me to grill the food and then slice
it, and then toss it with the sauce, rather than
cooking it with the oil. I want to preserve the
flavors, so I try to remain true to the traditions.
I try to make it easier to make food a little lighter
and healthier, but still have the same amount of
pleasure and flavor.
NAC: You've written so many books; on Asian wraps,
noodles, healthful recipes, classic recipes. What
do you think are the most important dishes for anyone
new to Chinese cuisine to get to know?
SIMONDS: I would learn a basic stir-fry, a basic
steamed dish. There are wonderful braised Chinese
dishes, where you make sauces with soy, star anise,
cinnamon. I think, in today's busy life, a stir-fry
might be the most convenient. I certainly condone
and encourage people to use what ingredients are
available, what's fresh, and what's seasonal.
Nina
Simond 's Favorite Restaurants & Grocery Stores
| Favorite
Restaurants |
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Imperial
Seafood House
70 Beach St, Boston, MA
617.426.8439 |
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| Grocery
Stores |
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Sun
Sun Company
18 Oxford St, Boston, MA
617.426.6494 |
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