#ChineseFoodiesofIG: Yiming Wang, China Blue

 

This is part of an ongoing series of interviews I’m doing with my favourite Chinese foodies that I follow on Instagram. Come and follow the #ChineseFoodiesofIG hashtag on Instagram and leave a comment showing your support for these talented folk!

Where are you from? (Where are you really from?)

I'm from Harbin, China. I tell people I'm (really) from Bedstuy Brooklyn now because I live here and it feels like I have always belonged here. I like its grittiness, its gorgeous past, and those precious eateries with cute backyards.

How did you learn to cook?

By doing. My (tiger)mom made me work hard to be that capable daughter she wanted. I failed her for the most part but managed to please her with food.

Favourite Chinese vegetable?

Like panda, I love bamboo shoots, especially in springtime. They are sweet, crispy and tender.

Who’s your Chinese food legend?

Fuchsia Dunlop. I'm intrigued by her keen sense of curiosity and her enticing writing style. Her book "Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper" is a great read.

What does home taste like?

The Chinese character of home is "家", it's a mini drawing of a house with a pig in it. So the house by itself is not home, but with food it becomes one.

I connected martial art with food art and created my own style, it comes from nowhere but my own best sense ;-) I'm heavy on spices and I'm obsessed with cooking with the freshest ingredients. I'm a warrior when I cook.

Rice or noodles?

Both. But my real love is Chinese bread (bing). I'm one of those Northerners who's obsessed with the quality of bing.

What’s in your fridge at home?

Worldliness.

Sake, cheese, fermented bean curd, aka Chinese cheese, and the three staple Chinese spices: scallion, ginger, and garlic. Thanks to our own vegetable garden, this summer we have more space in the fridge for homemade drinks!

What does Chinese food mean to you?

The excitement of growing up. The best Chinese food can only be fully enjoyed when you develop a mature palate. When I was little, I couldn't appreciate the complex flavours and tend to love Western food more for its simplicity. When I grew up, left home and found freedom, my food sense opened up, just like all my other senses.

 
#ChineseFoodiesofIGJenny Lauchinese identity, foodies, chefs, new york, harbin, restaurantsComment