The Flavor of Layers

In the culinary world, layering flavors in just the right way is considered a talent and a skill. Flavors should be balanced, bold but not overpowering, complimentary, and appealing. This is especially true for dishes that take hours to cook like 24-hour braised short ribs; classic beef bourguignon or coq au vain; and slow-smoked ribs. The best chefs in the world have the technical skill as well as the artistry when it comes to layering flavors. A mish-mashed pot of leftovers can become a symphony of high notes, low notes, background chords, and spicy percussion when married in just the right way.

I have a flavor theory that goes beyond the contents of the pot, straight to the pot itself. Your ingredients can be good and your flavors spot on, but I believe that a well seasoned pot can be a dish’s crowning glory. I think about this every time I’m at my Popo’s house with her cast iron pots that sit on the stove day in and day out, always with a thin layer of oil from the previous use, and the larger-than-life pots that are dented and discolored and these days only used for Chinese specialties like joong and jai. Food never tastes as good as it does at Popo’s house, whether it’s leftovers that have been reheated, or a simple breakfast of canned corned beef hash fried with frozen corn, oyster sauce, and a cracked egg. Maybe it’s the cook? Perhaps; Popo does have 84 years under her belt which is more than 3 times what I have. However, I also know that my food taste better when cooked at Popo’s house in her pots and pans, and my dad’s oxtail stew tastes better out of an old, heavy cast-iron dutch oven than it does out of an electric crock pot.

On a side note, my first cooking lessons with Popo consisted of:
“It only needs about this much…” (as she showed me on her pinky)
“About 4 times of shoyu around the pan…”
“A couple spoonfuls…not too much”
“I just measure the water with my finger” (duh)
“Always put one pinch of sugar”
This leads me to believe that I will never attain her level of cookery because the quality of her food is largely related to an inherent instinct, something woven in her DNA, than the ingredients themselves or anything a book could teach you (so much for my $20,000 culinary education).

Maybe her pots and pans are like a fine brandy- they get better with age. Or is it magic? How else can dishes come out so perfect without measuring and the “just right” be judged by sight, smell, sound, and feel? Or maybe, just maybe, each time something is cooked, another layer of flavor is added to the pot or pan itself, and that is how a pan becomes “well seasoned”. This means after 60 years of use, you not only get a taste of the dish in front of you, but every delicious morsel that came before it. Talk about depth of flavor… And what if in addition to the layers and layers of flavor, you were also tasting the years of love, sacrifice, heart, personality, good intentions, hope, and physical blood, sweat, and tears that went into putting food on the table. I’m talking about food that goes beyond pleasing the palate and pierces the soul. This is the stuff that makes your mouth water and your insides warm. This is how Remy won over Anton Ego in Ratatouille.

Well I’m no Remy, and I am certainly not Popo. I do hope though that over the next 50 years, as my pots age, so will my competency as a chef. Maybe then, by the time I’m 84 the contents of what I’m cooking will finally be worthy of the vessel they are being cooked in, and the layers of my life will be apparent in the flavors that I layer. That reminds me, I need to buy some pots, or at least put a claim on my inheritance.

Why I Resolve

What’s your New Year’s Resolution? I’ve decided that there is a critical question is missing in follow up to response.

“Why are you resolving to…?”

I’m more interested in the WHY than the WHAT. It is the “why” that establishes the seriousness of the resolution and determines its success. It is the “why” that sheds light on how I can support you in your endeavor and gives me a glimpse into your soul. It is the “why” that gives meaning and purpose to my resolutions. It doesn’t matter what your “what” is; if you don’t have a good “why” to back it up, plan on failing very early on in the year. Here are my whys…

I resolve to dress my age (or at least my age as I would like it to be projected) and throw out any ill-fitting clothes and fashion faux pas. I still have a dresser in my room that at around 10 or 11 years of age my mom wrote on one drawer “At Home Only” and on another drawer “Going Out Okay”. So as you can see, I’ve been unable to dress myself appropriately for a very long time. I admit I have no style, I am not fashion-minded, and I often watch “What Not To Wear” and think to myself, “What’s wrong with wearing pajamas to the grocery store?”. Recently a friend gave me a gift card to a very trendy store and said I should go get some “fun” clothes because I don’t need to dress so “serious” all the time. Maybe I need to redo my drawers to read “Fun Allowed” and “Serious Occasions”?

I resolve to watch the news more and occasionally read the newspaper. I call my sister and brother-in-law the “Bad News Bears” because they are constantly watching the news and giving me updates about the various murders, hostages, killings, and violent crimes that are happening in the country and the world. I on the other hand try to avoid the news as much as possible because I enjoy being blissfully ignorant. No news is good news and good news makes me a more peaceful person. However, I am beginning to realize that as a citizen of the planet, it may in my duty to know what is happening in the world- good and bad. How can you begin to make changes if you are unaware of what needs to be changed and celebrate progress if you are unaware that any has been made?

I resolve to make myself available. This was my 2008 resolution, but I’ve decided to carry it into 2009 because it is applicable in every aspect of my life. Available to employment opportunities; travel and adventures; surprise relationships and unexpected friendships; new foods and cultural exchanges; spiritual awakenings and guidance from God; and personal growth. I don’t want my life to be a closed system…too easy to combust upon itself. Instead, I resolve to live a life that is open to the new and unfamiliar, although it maybe uncomfortable and scary, with the hope that new passages will lead me to THE greater, however that might be defined.

I resolve to live with less and give more. 2008 was a year of movement and as a result, I was forced to live with less STUFF; most of the time my “life” had to fit in a 50# suitcase and two carry-ons. I learned that I don’t need much. Sure it sucked and at times was a horrible inconvenience to not have my favorite things within useful distance, but I survived. I also got to witness first hand in China people who lived very simply in situations that could be labeled as “poverty” or “destitution”, but to them was just life. And then there were those who really were wanting. I passed them by- on the sidewalk, in front of a store, and even face to face- with the judgment and skepticism that I always do. Are they telling the truth? Are they responsible? Are they good people? The real truth is that I can afford to give of my money, time, talents, compassion, and convictions. The real truth is that I have too much stuff and I don’t need half of it. You can’t take it to heaven…

I resolve to read the Bible more. I’ve never gotten through a manual of any sort (TV, Cell Phone, Computer, etc…) and unfortunately, the Bible gets tossed in with the rest. I met some very intelligent and scientific students in China who were given Bibles. I could imagine them going line by line through each book as though they were reading an anatomy textbook. I could see them studying fervently, asking questions, and trying desperately to interpret and understand the principles and promises. They were curious and inquisitive, but more importantly, they were disciplined. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I haven’t seriously cracked open my bible in years, and sometimes even the Bible stories that I knew as a child seem to slip from my memory. I constantly ask myself what this life is all about and question how I will ever navigate through it, and yet I still ignore the one thing that could provide some clues…duh.

Finally, I resolve to pray and dialogue with God. The problems that exist in the world overwhelm me. I am slow to get involved (if I get involved at all) in part because the problems that the world struggles with- economic, political, social, religious, health, emotional, environmental- are so great that I don’t know where to start and I’m not sure that my mediocre efforts could actually make a difference. Excuse? Perhaps. But I’ve also come to the conclusion (as obvious as it may have been) that since I can’t solve the world’s pain and injustices, the only thing left for me to do is fall on my knees and pray, pray, pray. Pray for intercession; pray for grace; pray for God’s will; pray for salvation; pray for justice and peace; and pray for forgiveness. Sometimes all you can do is bow your head and then trust that God hears you and be patient while waiting for His plans to unfold.


My wish for this year is that our “whats” would be propelled by our “whys”. We need to remember the meaning behind our good intentions and let that be our fuel for the year. Your resolution might be stellar, but if you forget why you resolved it in the first place, consider it a lost cause.

Happy New Year! Cheers to the why.