Earlier this week, I attended my first volunteer session for Cooking Matters, a program that teaches cooking skills and nutrition in low-income communities. To break the ice and to get to know the program’s participants, we went around the room and introduced ourselves and stated our favorite food.
Considering how much of my life is consumed by all things edible, I surprisingly can’t recall the last time I was asked about my favorite food. Even though I was a little rusty on the subject, my instincts kicked in as soon as it was my turn. “My favorite food is noodles!” I enthused. It was a spur-of-the-moment response, but even several days later, I still can’t think of a better response.
This past weekend, my mom and I enjoyed some really terrific ChineseĀ noodles at Kam Hong Garden in Monterey Park. Though I love noodles in all shapes and sizes, I must confess that the knife-cut variety ranks somewhere near the top. Barbara Hansen of Table Conversation pointed me here, and it’s my newest noodling obsession.
Before the slurping commenced, my mom suggested that we start with some protein. She chose the spicy beef and tripe ($2.95) from the long list of cold appetizers that also included “fried odor tofu” ($4.25) and “pig leg gel with cold sauce” ($2.50). I haven’t encountered a menu with this much Wessonality in a long time.
The fiery and tender plate of shank arrived marinating in chili oil along with bits of scallions and crushed peanuts. The amount of heat was just right, but sadly there was no tripe.
