Non-Verbal
Contributor: Carolyn Marie Cross
Country: China
City: Shanghai
This is a picture from a cooking class we took in Shanghai. It was a really fun experience and we were able to follow along and cook with the chef even though he did not speak any english (we had some translator help but a lot was nonverbal too). This is a picture of a dish we made called "5 Lucky Packages." It was a great vegetarian version of dumplings but made with tofu and filled with 5 different ingredients. I also thought it was a beautiful presentation of chinese cuisine.
This class was very awesome and I did think it was interesting how well we were able to follow the chef even though he did not speak english.
Without any words this picture is making my stomach growl! I wonder if ya'll were better prepared to take this class sans English because you did so towards the end of the trip. I think we were all better at gestures and charades by the time we left China.
This was one of the best meals we had in China. After two weeks of heavily sauced, meat dishes, we made a surprisingly delicious, light vegetarian meal at our cooking class, which I think is rare in China.
I think that a lot of the effort that is taken when presenting food is a great example of non-verbals. Without words, it shows the value that the Chinese culture puts on presenting beautiful displays and taking pride in the meals they serve.
Alice and I also took a cooking class while we were in China. Like Carolyn mentions, the presentation of the food is very important to the Chinese. When we told Martha, our teacher, we preferred the carrots and potatoes in our braised duck dish, she was somewhat appalled. She said that the vegetables, which we cut into designs, were mostly to add color to the dish, not necessarily for taste.
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Non-Verbal