About My Website
Hi, I am CC. I created this website because I want to share my love for food. Being Asian, specifically Chinese, food is in my blood. I love food and cooking. I cook a lot of Asian food, and I’m most familiar with Chinese cuisines. Every dish on this website is one that I actually serve to my family at home.
I was born in Beijing, China and came to the United States when I was in my teens, twenty-some years ago. When I first came to the States, I was surprised by how different Chinese food in the US is from China. The Americanized Chinese dishes, like General Tso’s chicken, Mongolian beef, and chicken broccoli that I never experienced in China, are served in almost every Chinese restaurant. I have heard that many of the dishes in those restaurants use so much oil and MSG. To me, many have a strong sweet and sour component that after a while tastes almost the same.
This is not how Chinese dishes are in China. In fact, due to China’s vastly different geography and climate, over centuries, many regions have developed their own unique cuisine styles by incorporating local ingredients, climate, and ethnic traditions. The difference between two of China’s regional cuisines can be so distinct that comparing them would be like comparing cuisines from two European nations.
At home, I tend to cook dishes not particularly based on regions, but rather based on taste, availability of raw materials, and convenience. I may cook one dish from Sichuan and another from Guangdong (Canton) for the same dinner table. I realize that it can be tough for non-Chinese readers to find authentic Chinese recipes. My goal is to use my bilingual skills to introduce fresh, yummy, simple, and authentic Chinese and other Asian recipes that I actually cook at home using ingredients that are widely available from grocery stores to people interested in learning Chinese and other Asian cuisines. Occasionally, I will also include non-Asian recipes that my family particularly enjoys.
Also as a selfish note, I want this website to serve as a go-to place for my boys to learn their mother’s homemade dishes when they grow up. I deeply regret not recording the recipes of my favorite dishes from my grandmother who has been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for years.
Lastly, I hope you enjoy the recipes and I’m all ears when it comes to feedback.