Breakfast at a chinese table:

Everyone at Henry's place leaves to work early in the morning and returns after supper time. So, breakfast is the only meal we have together and it is nice how thay all sit together for a meal.
I have noticed that the chinese take their meals very seriously. students at the university, people at counters in offices, servicemen, shop keepers, sales people, traffic cops... everyone.
at 7 am, 11 am and 5 pm you can hear the continuous clicking of chopsticks all restaurants are in their busy hour and it is time for food!
What is also interesting is the one bowl concept.
This way everything goes into one bowl! rice, curry, gravy, meat, veggies and anything else you choose to eat all in one bowl. Saves the mothers so much of cleaning, doesnt it!

Coming to the topic of my blog, henry's family understands that I do not eat meat, not even egg very well. It is so nice how everyday they manage to get me something different without meat.
since everyone leaves home early they get bfast from outside and henry's mom usually cooks only dinner on weekdays.
***'doug-tse'
It is white looks like idly(indian breakfast dish) and tastes like bread. It is D-shaped and is made of wheat flour. It is nice but not if you have to eat it without anything else. But I had to, cos that's the way it is eaten. Apparently it is long and cylindrical peice of bread but is cut with a knife into D shapes and knife is called 'doug' and hence the name. (i am sure i am mispelling it, sorry about that)
***'bao-tse' . This is made of rice floor, stuffed with vegetables and steamed. It is huge and very filling.
****moon cakes
These are special cakes made from a buddhist monastery so it is purely vegetarian.
It is like Indian puffs with sweet stuffing inside. Stuffings are of cut flavored fruits like in cup cakes.
****flat round bread
I am giving it this name because I forgot to ask henry what it was called.
It looked and tasted just like stuffed chapati. To put it in better words, it was like kulcha(indian bread). It had some greens, onlins, spring beans , spring onions and was garnished with white sesame seeds. this could have been eaten as is. But in reality this was supposed to eaten with a bowl of sweetened bean curd(milk made from soya).
****porridge
This is plain boiled rice in a starchy state. I was supposed to eat this with boiled cucumber looking vegetable cooked in vinegar. Vinegar is a vital ingridient in cooking here. They use it for almost everything even boiling veggies.
So the porridge with the vegetable was actually nice. Except for the fact that I had to eat it with chop sticks. Now how am i supposed to eat a semi liquid thing with chopsticks?
It took me so long to eat grain by grain that henry finally said, " pavi i think you might be getting late for your internship, can i get you a spoon?"
:)

Well henry's parents always provide me an easy substitute every morning at breakfast. The easy substitute of bread and jam. But I insist on having some tradional chinese items. I can have bread and jam back home too...

Sometimes it s fun to mix and match.
Like today we were supposed to have the vegetable with porridge and jam with bread but henry said he tried jam with porridge and it was good.

obviously I dint believe him... common jam with rice does not even sound good.
BUT, since I was anyway trying new things, I gave it a shot.
Jam with porridge and eating it with chopsticks!!!
believe me it is not good for me.
may be for others but not for me, no, thank you.
;)