Exploring Cultures: A Beginner’s Guide to Asian Eating

For most Americans, cultural cuisine can be daunting. Most large cities have great outside cultural influences, but it is hard to dine at restaurants when you have no clue what the restaurant is serving or how to order the food. I have found that most people are open to new experiences if they feel comfortable. More often than not, though, we humans can let fear override our emotions, and we miss out.

Recently, my friend Lizzie, who is Vietnamese-American, gave me a priceless opportunity. She took me on an Asian food tour of Atlanta. Well, part one of an Asian food tour. We did not finish, so we will participate in part two very soon. Although my tour was in Atlanta, the food and ways to serve it can be applied to any city.

It is so hard to say what my favorite part of my tour was; I absolutely loved every stop. Asian cuisine has some of the most vibrant flavors that I have ever experienced. However, without education on culture and food, I would have never known. I want to give you insight into my experience and some explanations of the food in case you would like to try, but are like me… afraid of what to order.

Dim Sum

When we began our trip, I told Lizzie that I was at her mercy for the entire day. I had no clue what I was ordering, so she ordered for both of us. First on Lizzie’s agenda was to teach me about Dim Sum. Dim Sum is a Chinese cuisine typically served as a brunch. The meal consists of individual portions of food served in small steamer baskets or on small plates. Traditionally, Dim Sum is served with tea. We ate Dim Sum at the Canton House in Chamblee. When we arrived, Lizzie ordered chrysanthemum tea. I am still marveling at the tea’s smoothness. It was also the most beautiful tea I have ever seen with the actual flowers seeping in the pitcher. When the tea came, I asked Lizzie how to drink it. She explained to me that traditional Asian teacups do not have handles and that handles are an invention of western civilization.

After the tea, we were given a chili sauce. The sauce included chili flakes and oil. I was taught that you put a little of this mixture on your plate, and then pour soy sauce on top and mix it. This mixture creates a traditional dipping sauce for all the savory foods that are served with Dim Sum. Next, a cart comes around, and you pick the foods a la carte that you would like to eat.

Lizzie picked the following for us:

Haukau– steamed shrimp dumplings

Shumai– pork and shrimp dumplings

Chicken Feet– Why did the chicken cross the road? He didn’t, because we ate his feet! I am going to leave this one right here!

Char Siu Bao– steamed buns stuffed with BBQ pork

Lo Mai Gai– Sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves. Sticky rice consists of rice filled with variations of chicken, shrimp, pork, sausage, mushrooms, and scallions.

Later in the meal, an additional cart came around, and Lizzie picked:

Wu Gok– a fried taro dumpling comprised of ground pork covered with a taro outer shell

Lo Bak Go- a sweet cake made of radishes and rice flour

I don’t know how to sum up the Dim Sum experience except unbelievable! Don’t worry; we did not eat all of the food in those pictures and then venture to another restaurant. We sampled those foods and then took a good bit to go so that we could enjoy the amazingness later as well. Oh, and I was able to ask for a fork to use. However, I am happy to report that by the end of the day, I actually used chopsticks pretty well!

Hot Pot

As much as I love Dim Sum, I also loved our next experience, hot pot. A hot pot is like an Asian Melting Pot restaurant dining experience, but less expensive. The proper term for the way that the food is served is called shabu-shabu, which means a meal consisting of thinly sliced meats, veggies boiled in broth or water, and served with dipping sauces. We ate our hot pots at J’s Mini Hot Pot Deluxe in Chamblee. At J’s, all of the ingredients are served farm to table. The owner told us that there were no preservatives in the sauces.

When we arrived, I noticed that there were individual burners for each person in the party and a lot of tools on the table. There was a bowl, small plate, a bowl to keep the ladles in, a slotted ladle, a non-slotted ladle, and a set of chopsticks. I was a little overwhelmed, but after Lizzie taught me the process, it all began to make sense.

The process is really like an amazing fondue that you make individually at the table. First, you pick your broth, and the type of meat you would like. We picked beef broth and requested spices to be added to the broths. Our meat choice was Angus beef. After the waitress took our order, Lizzie told me that it was time to go to the sauce bar. I was very puzzled by it all, but I followed as an eager student.

We each took a small bowl and made a spice mixture. I won’t lie, I was a little scared of the spice mixture, but after tasting it, I was smitten with the sauce! Our sauce was composed of garlic, chives, jalapenos, chili sauce, chili oil, Chinese BBQ sauce, Ponzu sauce, soybean sauce, sesame sauce, and yummy sauce. The Chinese BBQ sauce and the soybean sauce scared me the most, but they ended up being so delicious!

After we returned to the table, we stirred our sauce mixture together, and the waitress brought out our ingredients for the broth. I was definitely shocked when I saw the vegetable bowl. Lizzie explained that when our broth comes out, we place the vegetable items that we want to flavor in our broth and also cook the items from our vegetable bowl that we want to eat.

The vegetable bowl included: Lettuce, spinach, sprouts, a mini-hot dog, potato, taro root, three types of tofu, carrots, a mushroom, tomato, a fish log, a fish ball, corn, and an egg (the egg comes to you raw, boil it for about eight minutes). On the very bottom of the bowl were the rice noodles that we would boil for a very short period of time in the broth.

When the broth came, it was in the most beautiful Le Creuset cast iron pots. The waitress turned on our individual burners, and the broth began to heat. Lizzie instructed me to pour half of my sauce mixture into the broth for simmering. Then we placed our vegetable bowl items into the broth. We left the rice noodles in the broth for a maximum of 30-45 seconds because the noodles cook very quickly. As we were adding the items, the waiter brought out our meat. It was the most magnificently sliced Angus beef wrapped in cylinders. Now it was time for eating.

I ate my hot pot slightly different than Lizzie. She ate more of the contents separately, such as the cooked meat, the noodles, and the items cooked within the broth. I am a broth lover, so although I ate my meat separately, and I tried different items from the vegetable bowl, I poured my broth over the rice noodles and enjoyed every sip of the mixture! Lizzie instructed me to cook my meat (it was cut so thin that the meat cooked very quickly), and then dip the meat into that amazing sauce that we created earlier. Then the rest was up to me. I tried all of the unique items such as the fishball and the tofus, but I was downing so much of the broth with noodles, that I had a hard time finishing many of the vegetables.

Oh, and I want to mention that we also had an order of quail eggs. You boil the eggs in the broth. I had never eaten quail eggs before, but they were very good. This meal was absolutely magnificent… and by this time, I wanted to pop!!!

Buford Highway Farmer’s Market

After Lizzie and I finished our hot pots, we were about to bust! We needed some time to digest our food to gear up for the next adventure. We took a pit stop at the Buford Highway Farmer’s Market.

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The Buford Highway Farmer’s Market is a 100,000 square foot produce/grocery extravaganza that opened in 1974. The market was Korean based when it began, but as ethnic diversity increased in the area, so did the market’s selection of food. They have a phenomenal variety of produce, packaged goods, meats, seafood, baked goods, and dairy.

I really like the way that the store is organized. There are large produce and seafood sections, and then separate meat, dairy, baked goods, and packaged goods sections for Latino, Asian, and European cooking. While at the market, I picked up many unique food items, including a Buddha hand, a Korean melon, Thai bananas, and candied kiwi.

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Dragon’s Breath

After our visit to the farmer’s market, it was time for dessert. Lizzie had told me that she had not visited the place we were going to, so it would be an adventure for both of us. We went to a bubble tea shop, but not for tea… for dragon’s breath! Dragon’s breath is a cereal, or in this case, a wafer, dipped in liquid nitrogen. The shop we visited, Eat Tea, had swings to sit on and was beautifully decorated.

When the dragon’s breath arrived, we were given specific instructions… because the dessert contains liquid nitrogen, we were not allowed to touch the cup it was served in. We were also told to chew fast and to not leave the wafer sitting in our mouths.

We obliged by the rules of the waitress and gave the wafers a taste. They were really cool, especially when cold nitrogen was flowing out of our mouths and noses!

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After we experienced the scientific marvel of dragon’s breath, it was time for our last stop of the day, Korean BBQ.

Korean BBQ

I thought I was full, but somehow, I made room for some delectable Korean BBQ. Thanks to Lizzie, I had tried Korean BBQ on my birthday over an electric flame, but today she wanted me to try Korean BBQ over charcoal.

When we arrived at 678 Korean BBQ, we were given a side salad with a ginger dressing, a bowl of shredded green onions with Go Chu Jang sauce (a sauce made from chili peppers, sticky rice, soybeans, and salt), and long leafed kimchi. Kimchi has so many health benefits. It is loaded with vitamins and healthy bacteria called lactobacilli, which aids in digestion and improving your immune system.  

A gentleman came from the back with a large bucket of hot charcoal. He placed the charcoal in the section of the table designed for cooking. Then we were served a large circular platter with a hole in the middle so that the heat from the charcoals could cook our meats. Surrounding the charcoal was kimchi grated two ways, corn and cheese, and an egg souffle.

For our meats, Lizzie chose pork belly and beef rib finger. These were two meats that I don’t know if I would have ever picked, but that is what made this trip so amazing… I was coloring outside of my lines, stepping out of my comfort zone. The meats just so happened to be spectacular. The waiter would trade out different grill grates based on the meats grease content. Lizzie asked the waiter for lettuce wraps. The wraps were used to roll the meat and other toppings, and they were just exquisite. I could have eaten the long-leafed kimchi until I was blue in the face, and that was not so far away!

For a small sweet treat after the meal, we were served these tiny yogurt drinks that were the perfect end to a day of adventurous and delicious eating.

After the Food Tour

I was so very impressed with our food tour, and I was craving broth for the next few days. This morning I took a pastry class with my friend Jan. After the class was finished, we were discussing grabbing a bite to eat for lunch. I asked Jan if she wanted to try a hot pot, and I was able to expose her to this wonderful world which I had recently learned. It is interesting how opportunities lead to education, and education leads to opportunities for teaching others. Learning doesn’t have to only take place in the classroom, learning culture through food is one of the strongest ways to become educated. You are using all of your senses… smell, sight, hearing, taste, and touch.  When Jan and I finished our hot pots, we walked next door to become exposed to just a few more Asian inspired items!

Mist

Mist is a poke and dessert bar located next to J’s Mini Hot Pot Deluxe. I purchased a matcha tea with Boba, and ice cream rolls. Jan purchased coconut milk and fruit sago. The descriptions are as follows:

Bubble Tea– a drink made from tea, sweetened milk, and tapioca pearls.  

Boba– tapioca pearls… Boba tea is another name for bubble tea.

Ice Cream Rolls- Sometimes referred to as stir-fried ice cream, ice cream rolls are made from a milk base that is poured onto a cooling pad along with various mix-ins, and then rolled. The ice cream rolls are usually placed into a cup vertically with your favorite toppings.

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Sago– little balls made from the pith of the sago palm tree

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Lessons I Learned

My food tour was absolutely amazing. Thanks to Lizzie, my experience had an Asian focus. However, I have thought about my experience, appreciating Lizzie’s kindness, and how powerful her gift was. Not only did I learn about different Asian foods, but I also learned about her culture as well. Then I was able to take Jan and expose her to a little bit of the culture. I can’t wait to take Sean, Jackson, and Lucy to teach them. This really has me thinking, we all have gifts, cultures, and experiences that we can educate others with if we are just willing to do so. The opportunities for us to share and educate others are really endless. It just takes willingness and kindness like Lizzie displayed by taking me on this food tour.

“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.”      

-Amelia Earhart

Click here to learn about our other Asian cusine adventures!

The Canton House
4825 Buford Highway
Chamblee, Georgia 30341  

J’s Mini Hot Pot Deluxe
4897 Buford Hwy NE #160
Chamblee, GA 30341  

Buford Highway Farmer’s Market
5600 Buford Hwy NE
Atlanta, GA 30340  

Eat Tea
2180 Pleasant Hill Rd Suite B4
Duluth, GA 30096  

678 Korean Barbeque
3880 Satellite Blvd
Duluth, GA 30096  

Mist Poke and Dessert Bar
4897 Buford Hwy NE Ste 162
Chamblee, GA 30341  

What are your gifts that you can share with others? We would love to hear about them. Please drop us a line in the comment section below!