liuzhou

I don't agree that entertaining guests at home is because of the kitchens. If there is a connection, it's the other way round. The main reason for not entertaining non-family members at home in Asia is that it is considered inhospitable and you're being stingy and unwilling to spend money on your guests, instead cooking at home to save expense. As for your comments on Europe, in my experience, entertaining at home is not uncommon in most places.

Delia is somewhat out of fashion, but still reliable and British. https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/collections/waist-watchers/low-fat-moist-carrot-cake

Living without water in the kitchen was fraught, yes. There was water in the adjacent bathroom (including hot water for the shower if I remembered to turn on the heater 20 minutes before needing it.) Of course, that raised hygiene issues. I was living on delivery for the last year, but that was more to do with my back than anything else. I'd describe the kitchen (and the whole apartment) as middle to upper middle class. I have seen some worse kitchens than my waterless example. Some places don't even have anything we'd recognise as a kitchen. I saw one young couple cooking every day on their balcony in the rain. Also, I posted before this picture of an old woman cooking her lunch over a bucket of burning firewood in a sort of outhouse in the countryside. I do love the new place so far, especially the kitchen and will love it more when I get all these boxes unpacked. Apartment hunting wasn't so bad. First, I had an excellent property agent who actually listened to my requirements and didn't waste my time or energy viewing inappropriate choices. This was the second place I saw on the same day, minutes apart as she had arranged for my convenience. Also we have an excellent Uber-like ride hire service here to take me to the sites and back. (Actual Uber got kicked out of China for some alleged unethical practices.)

I anticipated someone asking this. First, I must say my kitchen and the average Chinese family's kitchen probably differ. I cook western food about 25% of the time which my neighbours don't. Different cuisines; different techniques; different tools. For example, the most used tools, maybe the only tools in a Chinese kitchen are a cleaver, a wok scoop/spatula, a ladle and a strainer which normally hang on the wall beside the burner unit. Mine hang there, too for easy access, but my collection of 'essentials' is wider. Here is my kitchen wall in the rental before last. The strainer on the left, the wok scoop on the right and the ladle right of centre would be enough for my neighbours. Most wouldn't even know what the others are for, especially the microplane. One tool is missing, I notice. My fish descaler. Must have been a fish night. Smaller items usually sit on countertops in containers like this. This one is about 8 inches tall. It usually contains large spoons, a meat mallet, poultry shears etc. I also have a smaller one for teaspoons etc. I have three of the larger ones, but my neighbours probably just the one. I'm a bit of a gadget addict. Chopsticks live in dedicated boxes, either wall mounted or free-standing. Image from online shopping site, Taobao Knives and one of my sharpening steels are in a couple of knife blocks like this. The other steel is hanging on the wall. Image from online shopping site, Taobao OK. I'm a kitchen knife fetishist, too. My neighbours make do with a cleaver and maybe a paring knife. I like this system My tools are always to hand* and I don't need to go rummaging in drawers when I need something. At the same time, I see some advantages to drawers. I guess it's what you get used to that matters in the end. * They aren't to hand at the moment. Emptying boxes with a (healing) broken back is a slow process. A friend is coming tomorrow to help.

I'm not sure what I'd want to put in drawers. I don't recall ever seeing drawers in Chinese kitchens. Underneath the counter are regular cupboards apart from that under the sink which holds the drainage system, just like everywhere else. It still has space for storing cleaning stuff etc. And a fire extinguisher. One side of the cupboards under the stove holds the gas meters and again has additional storage space.

Thanks. The Yunnan coffee is very similar to the Vietnamese.

Yunnan Province (云南省 - yún nán shěng) is in southern China bordering Myanmar/Burma, Laos and Vietnam and like the latter grows decent to excellent coffee. It also borders Guangzhou, so I can source their coffee, easily. 云南咖啡 (yún nán kā fēi) is smooth and extremely low in bitterness. I've no idea how widely it is exported, if at all. Any coffee aficionados out here who have come across it?

Finally found my coffee machine in a box of home office stuff. It is now in new kitchen and now it smells like I'm home.

Could have. Next I time I see them, I'll ask. Out of curiosity, I searched Taobao, China's largest online shopping portal and only found one source for dishwashers - in Shanghai. It just doesn't seem to be something people are interested in. Also, the usual small size of Chinese kitchens is not supportive.

What you're seeing there is this cutting board. In the picture you mention, it's standing on its edge in a rack. Here's an enlargement. with a couple other tool racks. These chopping boards, slices of trees, are the norm here. There are now two as I brought my own.

Almost unheard of. The ony one I've ever seen in China in the 28 years I've been here belongs to a Chinese returnee after some time in America, with her American husband and his wallet in tow. None of the white goods stores have dishwashers. I guess they imported it from Hong Kong.

@FauxPas Another thing, the worst thing, about the old kitchen was that I didn't realise until I moved in that the kitchen had no water supply. There was a tap* but it was seized closed. Not so uncommon in China. Plumbing is not their forte. I attempted to have it repaired but was told the whole system needed replacing. I wasn't willing to foot the bill for making the rental more lucrative for the owner. The new place has both hot and cold water on demand. Hot water is still unusual in domestic kitchens other than the newest. My country home had no hot water anywhere until I had it installed. Neighbours visited to see this miracle. * Sorry, I can't bring myself to use the American term, f*** it.

2nd home cooked meal of the Renaissance. Chicken stir fried with fermented black beans, garlic, 'facing heaven' red chilli, garlic chives, coriander leaf/cilantro, Shaoxing wine and soy sauce Topped with okra Chinese style as described here, but without the dressing. Served with couscous as I couldn't find the cable for the rice cooker. Damned boxes!

鸡汤小馄炖+蛋黄烧麦 Small wontons in chicken soup + egg yolk shaomai

The old one was tiny. Zero storage. Dark and miserable. The toilet was bigger! I don't think I'll modify anything. Maybe something will become apparent as I use it more. One thing I forgot to mention. It has numerous power points, something most Chinese kitchens sorely lack. The old place only had one and it was temperamental.

No mistake. That decoration is on the fridge. Only the one on the outside of the front door is traditionally hung upside down. It is dying custom though. Most are right way up now.

Having been asked about the kitchen in my new apartment in China which I mentioned in the Dinner 2024 topic and not wanting to derail that topic, I have started this new one. This is how I found it on my arrival. It has long intrigued me that despite the importance most Chinese people place upon their food culture, their favourite topic of conversation (along with money), their domestic kitchens seem almost an afterthought. This one is, shall I say, compact. It is however, larger than the one I just left. I loathed that kitchen. So, to answer some of your questions. @dcarch asked That is a serious exhaust hood above the stove for two burners, or is that also a microwave inside there? It that also an exhaust fan on the window wall? Looks like a very functional and bright kitchen. I assume the refrigerator is behind you where the picture was taken. That is a standard exhaust hood in these parts. Stir frying requires powerful hoods. No microwaves involved. Yes, the hood is supplemented by an exhaust fan. The fridge is, as almost all fridges are here, located in the sitting room and by the front door @Katie Meadow asked Looks very nice and serviceable. Great to have big windows over the sink and counter. Just curious, it seems to me that your last move wasn't very long ago, but my sense of time is getting less reliable. And I've been living in the same house since 1986, so moving is something I barely remember how to do. Why did you move again? And so happy you are back to cooking! Yes, I too like the windows but the view isn't very inspiring. I last moved three years ago almost to the day and, at that time, my health was beginning to go awry, leading me to make a bad decision. I hated almost everything about the dump from day one but was tied into a three year contract. I am delighted to have moved, despite the inevitable stress. Right now, I have to get all these boxes emptied and the contents put in their appropriate places. The kitchen is the priority, of course. I'll post another photo when it is to my liking. Right now, it looks like a war zone.

I fully intend to! We'll see how it goes. Thanks. New kitchen. Small, like most Chinese kitchens, but more than usually has lots of storage space.

An evening of firsts. 1. First meal cooked in new apartment. 2. First meal cooked anywhere in a year. Since I got sick and broke my back, I've been relying on delivery meals. Although I was happy with most of them and found things I'd never had before, I was aching to get back to the stove. 3. I set out to make my usual 'rou jia mo' but quickly realized I didn't have the large green chilli peppers I use for them. I had everything else. All I had in the vegetable drawer was okra, so I used it, livened it up with fresh red 'facing heaven' chillies, garlic, garlic chives and coriander / cilantro, Shaoxing wine and a splash of soy sauce. Thinly sliced beef tenderloin made up the protein. Slapped into the appropriate bread and it's done. I made and ate three. I think I invented a keeper!

Neither is a banana!

No. it isn't. The packaging ( which I have since binned) described it exactly as I did, except in Chinese.

I see a difference between 'melted cheese', my preference and 'melty cheese'. The latter, for me, describes cheese that can be melted but may not have been melted. Meltable may be better.

... never again set he timer on my phone to two hours when I mean two minutes. Fortunately, I realized in time and guesstimated perfectly!

I have no thoughts on luosifen shops in the USA. I've never been. I have concerns about how they obtain certain ingredients or whether they are using substitutes. I'd love to hear your impressions should you fall into luosifen temptation.

First meal in new home. Not home cooked, though - kitchen equipment is in one of those boxes. 手撕鸡 (shǒu sī jī) is hand torn chicken, one of the few dishes usually served cold. It is basically a chicken salad, but nothing like a normal western chicken salad. A whole chicken is gently poached until just cooked and left to cool. It is then torn apart by hand into chopstick weildable pieces, skin, bones et al. Then it dressed with a cold sauce made from chilli, spices, scallion, peanut and sesame oil. There any many recipes online of varying appeal and 'authenticity'. Here, prepared versions are sold in larger supermarkets, which is where I got this version.