Katie and I went to the Chinese Cultural Center with my mom, my sister and my niece Gracie. There was a woman there today making Chinese pancakes.
For each new pancake she brushed the inside of the molds with oil then put a scoop of pancake batter in each one.
The thing she was cooking on (like my technical vocabulary?) was gas powered and you could see the fire underneath.
When the pancakes were cooked on one side she put a dollup of filing on some of them - coconut, bean curd or custard. We all got custard.
Next she took the other pancakes out of their molds and placed them raw side down, on top of the filled pancakes. She cooked them a little longer, flipping them every once in a while, until all of the batter was cooked.
And then she gave them to us and we ate them.
These were so simple - just custard filled pancakes - but so good!
Inside the grocery store they sell pork brain for $1.99 each!
The only reason I’m pointing this out is so I can tell you a story.
My sister doesn’t speak Chinese so when she and my mom went to China to pick up Gracie they had to rely on their tour guides to interpret everything - including menus. They didn’t have any problems - the food was great and the people were friendly. One night in particular some really yummy looking dumplings were placed in front of them. My mom picked one up as their guide was telling them what it was.
“It is pig mind.” he said.
Pig mind. I love that.
My mom didn’t want to be rude so she ate it. She actually prayed that she would be able to eat it without gagging or making a face. It turned out to be surprisingly good and she was tempted to eat another one. She was afraid that it was only good because God was answering her prayer, though, and she didn’t want to press her luck.
My sister, on the other hand, hadn’t understood what the guide said and she and Gracie ate the rest of the plate - 11 in all! To this day she says she would probably eat more if they were put in front of here. They were that good.
Pig mind. It doesn’t sound as bad when you say it that way.
