We will be cooking and tasting a variety of different foods in this course. Students with food allergies (particularly nut/peanut allergies) or other diet-related health problems are advised not to enroll in this course.
Students will be required to sign appropriate release forms for cooking and travel off campus.
There are more Chinese restaurants in the US than MacDonald's, Burger Kings, and KFCs combined. And yet, much of the food in these restaurants, from fortune cookies to General Tso's chicken, are not found in China. In this project, we will look at two different Chinese cuisines-traditional or authentic Chinese cuisine, in its many forms, and Chinese-American cuisine. Each will be examined both from a cultural context and through a hands-on introduction to Chinese cooking.
Most mornings we will go into the kitchen to prepare a simple traditional Chinese meal for lunch. As this will be done in smaller groups, each student can expect to participate in the preparation (and eating) of about eight meals. In addition to the morning sessions, Monday through Thursday afternoons we will meet as a class to examine Chinese cuisine in a larger cultural context. By comparing traditional Chinese cuisine with Chinese- American cuisine, we hope to provide a greater understanding of each. While previous cooking experience is a plus, the course will include cooking basics such as safety, sanitation, knife skills, measurement, and basic kitchen science. The project will also include a trip to a Chinese market.
Last modified: October 29, 2008
Contact: Joe Sloan, sloanjd@wofford.edu