When I read Harley Spiller’s experience of being “unable to identity even basic ingredients like ginger and scallion” in the markets of Mott Street in “Chow Fun City”, I was reminded of how I could not distinguish some green leafy vegetables from each other when they were uncooked or water cooked (133). I could not distinguish between mustard greens, spinach, and collard greens. Some produce have unique characteristics such as the green flower heads of broccoli, the yellow kernels of corn, and the curly green leaves of Shanghai bok choy.

Can you identify most of the ingredients of your food without making the food yourself or asking someone?
Are you sensitive to certain tastes?
How helpful are these sensitivities in identifying the ingredients?
How can these aspects of yourself affect your enjoyment of food?

-Virginia Lee