On Food and Writing
When I have too much free time I dig through the pantry and fridge and challenge myself to make something to eat.
I made a cool, refreshing, iced grass jelly bowl — a street food dessert you might find in East Asia, Southern China especially — dressed in lemon juice, raw green tea leaves, sweet basil, dragon eyes (the translucent bits) and a touch of sugar, garnished with lemon zest.
I imagined the sweet tea leaves playing off the bitters of the grass jelly and melding into the sweet basil while the lemon flavor helped cut the sweetness of the dragon eyes. Together, the crunch of the dried tea leaves and dragon eyes would help the textureless jelly and marry Chinese and Italian flavors.
It was a fun bite.
I made a second bowl for my dad. But he gagged at the raw tea leaves and the disruption of the smooth texture grass jelly has. Remember your audience, right? My dad is a traditionalist when it comes to food.
