Chinese Southern Belles demystify Asian markets
February 11th, 2009 by Cliff Bostock in Cooking, Events, Food & Life
OK, this is about the coolest thing I’ve heard about in quite a while.
Natalie Keng writes a blog called Chinese Southern Belle. She explains in her blog profile:
As a true “Chinese Southern Belle,” I was born a first-generation Chinese-American in Atlanta, Georgia, and grew up in what was then the small town of Smyrna, “Jonquil City.” My parents immigrated to the U.S. in 1961 on academic scholarships to graduate school. As the third girl in the family, my name is revealing and auspicious: “ti” means humanitarian and is composed of the characters for “heart” and “brother.”
Her blog is a fascinating read and that’s no surprise. She attended Vassar as an undergrad and holds a master’s degree from Harvard. Now she and her mother, Margaret Keng, have teamed up to teach an Evening at Emory course called “Eggrolls ‘n’ Sweet Tea: Explore Chinese Cuisine and Demystify the Asian Grocery Store” on March 26 and 28. You can register and get full details on Emory’s website:
Class includes: 1) An Asian grocery store fieldtrip and tour where you’ll learn to navigate Asian vegetables, meats, spices, noodles and more. 2) An interactive classroom session exploring the connection between Asian food, culture, and history; cooking strategies; and kitchen pointers. (While this is not a cooking class, samples of popular food items, recipe ideas, cookware, and creative shortcuts will be covered.) 3) A teaching tasting at a local restaurant where you’ll learn to order authentic dishes that may not be listed on the American menu.
Margaret Keng, besides working as a full-time teacher, also has an interesting background in food, according to Emory’s profile of the duo:
Margaret taught the first adult education Chinese cooking class in Atlanta in 1978, “before soy sauce was available in a regular grocery.” She also co-owned and ran the first full-service Chinese restaurant opened in a mall. Her repertoire included “Ginger Beef with Rice-a-Roni,” “Braised Rutabaga with Black-eyed Peas” and “Hot Hunan Catfish.”
(Photo of Natalie and Maragret Keng courtesy of Emory Center for Lifelong Learning.)
February 20th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Thanks so much for the positive comments and publicity. Since your posting, Cook’s Warehouse, Slow Food Atlanta, Oakhurst Community Garden and Whole Foods have called to schedule classes/events. We’re very excited! Our new web site is up: http://www.chinesesouthernbelle.com (still being polished but live)
April 1st, 2009 at 3:29 pm
UPDATE: Next Asian grocery tour & lunch – Saturday, April 18, 10am-1pm! Shop, learn and eat with us on a fun, interactive fieldtrip and full teaching lunch (Do you have the Americanized or authentic Chinese menu?). $40 includes teaching lunch. Space is limited. Register by Thur 4/16, 5pm through “Contact Me” form at http://www.chinesesouthernbelle.com, email info@chinesesouthernbelle.com or call 770-405-8826.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
“Country Asian Tapas” with Natalie & Margaret,Sunday, May 31, 6pm, Inman Park n’hood, Atlanta. An evening of socializing, fusion specialties, new friends and supporting “good, clean and fair food!” A portion of proceeds benefit Slow Food Atlanta. $40. Register at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/63011 or call 800-838-3006