Posts tagged cooking
Cookin' Old School Fijian Style
It was my great pleasure to witness the incredible hospitality of the people in the Namosi Highlands of Fiji. Not only did they make sure we were properly fed and watered at all time of day, but they made every aspect of their village culture into a lesson learned by us sponge-like backpackers on a mission to absorb the true Fiji.
Only a couple hundred years ago, Fijians were picking their teeth with the bones of men, that is until cannibalism was wiped from their list of approved behavior. And with that outside influence also came luxurious items like pots and pans, which made cooking much easier than the techniques they used before.
My friend, Ambele (or Abel in English), was the first to jump at the opportunity to show us how it all used to be done here in the Highlands with two techniques: cooking in bamboo shoots and using an underground oven called a lovo.
Taking a young and fresh bamboo segment, Abel placed some cassava down nature’s pipe, filled it with water, and covered it with taro leaves. Putting this on the fire for about a half hour or more created an end product that tasted as smooth and luscious as a sweet potato.
The lovo consisted of a rolling fire that heated up stones sitting on top, after which the fire is put out and stones are covered with taro chunks and coconut shells filled with taro leaves and other jungle goodness. A little banana leave coverage makes this baby cook up a mean feast within an hour, one which we graciously enjoyed on our last night in the depths of the Fijian interior.
What made these cooking lessons that much sweeter were the kids who popped in and out of my video production, posing for the camera and teaching me phrases like “Au nakwati na tavioka.” (Gee golly, do I like cassava!).
Cooking in China
‘Culture immersion’ is something I take very seriously. That’s why I put my hardcore extreme on and decided to jump into the deep end. That’s right folks, I brought the “When in China…” attitude as I tried dog and snake. Oh boy, Lassie.
First let’s start with our good friend the snake. (Note to everyone: this just hit me – in China, they serve every food from the Zodiac. That’s pretty random. Sorry, I’ll continue). My good friend from the last tour Jono decided he wanted to order a delicious snake delicacy. Well, he got what he bargained for! As we learned, snake is a very special dish. When it’s ordered, the chef will be glad to cut off its head in front of you. (Unfortunately, he used scissors. I was hoping for some Ricki-Ticki-Tavi action.)
Then they will pour the blood into a shot of strong Chinese alcohol. Unfortunately, he was only able to pour one shot. (Shucks?) But Jono was nice enough to offer me bits of fried snake skin, snake flesh, and snake cartilage. (Hooray?) It tasted very rubbery – and the skin was almost like licking a pleather sofa in your grandmother’s living room until enough lint residue rolled off to form some type of congealed glop. (Yum?)
Now on to the dog. Sorry, sorry, sorry if you’re at all queasy, sad, or distraught by this. Remember, part of going to other countries is to observe, engage, and try to understand how people live. Especially in China, a land very different from home, I thought it was very important for me to try a food like this. No comments on taste, but I will say it’s only eaten on special occasions.
Take care guys!
(P.S. I totally won ‘The Iron Chef’ hands down…if by hands down you mean that not a single judge voted for me. Alas, alas.) It’s okay though! Oh, that reminds me! If you like any of the dishes in this video, I have typed up one for you to try. 
CHICKEN WITH CASHEW NUTS
50g thinly sliced chicken breast
1/3 cup roasted cashew nuts
1 tbsp of peanut oil
2 cloves of crushed garlic
½ sliced carrot
3 spring onions or garlic tops
1 tbsp of water
1 tsp of soy sauce
½ tsp of oyster sauce
¼ tsp of salt
Heat a wok and add ½ tbsp of peanut oil. Then, heat the oil and add chicken and garlic until the chicken is white and firm. Add in your soy sauce, then remove this from the wok. Then, add the remaining ½ tbsp of peanut oil with carrots and salt for 1 minute. After a minute, add the chicken and water until there is very little sauce left. Add the oyster sauce, spring onions, and cashew nuts. Heat and serve.