The first time I saw a measuring cup was in my chemistry class. The second time was in my friend’s kitchen in the United States. In traditional Chinese culture, measurement seems to be a relative concept. Even when you look at recipes nowadays, “a little”, “big fire”, or “moderate amount” are frequently used words. My Chinese family never uses measuring cups or scales. The only time my mom told me how to “measure” something was to use my finger to measure the right amount of water needed to cook rice. Last winter I wanted to make dumplings but the Chinese recipe I found only told me that the proportion of water and flour is 2:1, but I had no idea how many dumplings I could make from that dough. Sometimes I feel that Western kitchen is like a laboratory equipped with tools of precise measurement, which ensures the same result over and over again. A Chinese kitchen, on the contrary, is more like an artists’ workshop with paints throwing here and there, leading to a slightly different piece each time. #cooking #measurements #culturaldifferences #artvsscience #eastmeetswest #chineseculture #sliceoflife #tinyeyescomics https://www.instagram.com/p/B4zhnRgln5W/?igshid=1roi61bvmzzpa
