(1299)Fried Rice (Two)

Once I smuggled a bowl of Asian student fried rice to our affable cafeteria manager. I didn't realise he shared it with four other cooks.

Thereafter before an Asian fare was attempted, someone would ask me about things that was not clear. Actually I knew nothing about Japanese and Korean food. They were not commonly available in the seventies in my country. Since I could hardly be called a cook, I rounded up my Chinese counterpart, my fellow Malaysian and a Pakistani senior to answer all of their queries.It was really funny to see professional cooks taking cooking tips from them about ethnic cuisines.

In my senior(4th) year, I had a floor mate who was 67 years old. She rallied a few Starkiens (students housed in a former infirmary) and we produced a special meal out of individual donations of food, money or labour. I remembered the cafeteria manager was invited and he was really impressed. It was a delicious meal, cooked by six students, representing Virginia, New England, Southern and Texas cuisine. It was a meal no single household could offer because of the diversity and authentic recipes used.

I was the vegetable washer and cutter for the 7-layered salad. I must say that it was the best salad I had ever tasted in my entire life because of the secret sauce made from the recipe of Betty's grandma.

Subsequent to that meal, I was asked to demonstrate the Asian way of slicing broccoli and cauliflower into bite-size twigs or florets. I had thought that commercial or mass cooking would not allow such a technique. Imagine that during one of the last meals I had in college, the cooking staff took the trouble to slice their cauliflower the Asian way for a side dish. It was beautiful and it tasted much better. Perhaps that was why a homogenously white college would offer finantial aid and scholarships to attract international students to be represented in its midst.