My sister worked as a waitress at the Ho-Ho Inn, a Chinese restaurant, on Cass Street in Detroit. She sat a plate of Egg Foo Yung in front of five-year-old me. I had a way with words and quickly renamed this Egg Foo "Yuck." Tears ran down my cheeks as I thought about eating this worm-like mess of food. The Chinese waiter called George came in and looked at me. He took the Egg Foo "Yuck" and threw it in the garbage. Then he went to the freezer and got me one of those ice cream treats that Chinese restaurants serve; a coconut flavored outer shell of ice cream surrounding a mango core. My sister came in and glared at me. George said, "She ate everything, so I gave her an ice cream." I smiled sweetly at George. My love for the Chinese, if not their food, began at that instant. -The Edible Tao
Ruth Pennington Paget?a freelance food writer living in Monterey, California?began her gastronomic adventures when her mother?s favorite thing to make for dinner was reservations. Ruth learned to cook in Europe and Asia and has traveled extensively via her cooking of ethnic cuisines.