CHIN 11
Shanghai Cuisine Winter 2019

This is not the current course catalog

Food plays a quintessential role in Chinese culture. Approaching the foot ways in various regions in China provides a unique path to a better understanding of the richness and diversity of China’s regional cultures. Shanghai cuisine (benbang cai), originated in Shanghai and developed its cooking style under the profound influence of those surrounding regions, is a very popular branch of Chinese food. This hands-on course introduces the culinary tradition of many famous Shanghai dishes. The instructor will demonstrate how to turn those fresh raw ingredients and special seasonings into “color-aroma-tasty” Shanghai style dishes. (e.g. soup dumplings, wantons, eight-treasure rice puddings, red braised pork, sweet and sour spare ribs, crystal shrimp etc.) Through discussions of reading and videos, hands-on practices, as well as independently cooking of certain dishes, students will gain insight into the Shanghainese way of life. Students will be expected to complete assigned readings and videos outside class, participate discussions and cook with the instructor in class, make a few recipes of what they cook, and write a 10-12-page final essay. The final essay should include 5 to 6 finalized recipes of the dishes students cook and a conclusion. There is a mandatory field trip to a traditional Shanghai restaurant. Important reminder: for students who have food allergies and/or who are vegetarians please inform the instructor and consult your healthcare professional before the course starts on January 3rd, 2019. Adjunct Instructor Bio: Wendy Wan has extensive experience teaching Chinese language and culture at K-12 levels in the United States. She is a Shanghai native and a food enthusiast.