Bret Hinsch on sat 12 may 01
After you chop down that pesky bamboo, there are lots of things you can do with it. Here in Taiwan the aborigines use bamboo tubes as cooking containers. You pack a length of bamboo with rice, meat, and vegetables, add some water, and seal it. Remember that the rice will expand considerably as it cooks, so don't add too much. Here they tie a banana leaf around the end with some vine, but aluminum foil and string would probably work just as well. Then just put the tube over or in a fire - this would be perfect for a raku party. The food absorbs the flavor of the bamboo and leaf while it cooks, which seasons it nicely. The result is quite tasty. This is probably what food was like before pottery was invented.
By the way - many many species of bamboo are very slow growing. I once visited a park in Sichuan that had 300 species of bamboo. The botanical garden in Taipei also has a large bamboo section. Bamboo comes in a mind-boggling array of different types. Some bamboo is indeed a pesky fast growing weed. But others are very slow growing. I have two species of miniature bamboo in my garden that are very slow growers - even though the local climate is sub-tropical, these are no problem at all. You don't have to avoid planting bamboo - just be sure to plant a slow growing species.
Bret in Taipei
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pammyam on thu 17 may 01
Bret, do you reuse the bamboo or cut a fresh piece
each time? Since my chances of even finding any
nearby large enough are slim, should it be quite
freshly cut?
Thanks.
Pam
After you chop down that pesky bamboo, there are
lots of things you can do with it. Here in Taiwan
the aborigines use bamboo tubes as cooking
containers. You pack a length of bamboo with
rice, meat, and vegetables, add some water, and
seal it. Remember that the rice will expand
considerably as it cooks, so don't add too much.
Here they tie a banana leaf around the end with
some vine, but aluminum foil and string would
probably work just as well. Then just put the
tube over or in a fire - this would be perfect for
a raku party. The food absorbs the flavor of the
bamboo and leaf while it cooks, which seasons it
nicely. The result is quite tasty. This is
probably what food was like before pottery was
invented.
(Snipped)
By the way - many Bret in Taipei
Bret Hinsch on thu 17 may 01
Some restaurants in Taiwan reuse the bamboo. As long as the bamboo tube hasn't split, you can use it as many times as you want. However, after the first use the bamboo doesn't flavor the food inside anymore, so it doesn't taste the same.
Bret
>From: pammyam
>Reply-To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: Re: Cook with your bamboo
>Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 09:05:26 -0400
>
>Bret, do you reuse the bamboo or cut a fresh piece
>each time? Since my chances of even finding any
>nearby large enough are slim, should it be quite
>freshly cut?
>Thanks.
>Pam
>
> After you chop down that pesky bamboo, there are
>lots of things you can do with it. Here in Taiwan
>the aborigines use bamboo tubes as cooking
>containers. You pack a length of bamboo with
>rice, meat, and vegetables, add some water, and
>seal it. Remember that the rice will expand
>considerably as it cooks, so don't add too much.
>Here they tie a banana leaf around the end with
>some vine, but aluminum foil and string would
>probably work just as well. Then just put the
>tube over or in a fire - this would be perfect for
>a raku party. The food absorbs the flavor of the
>bamboo and leaf while it cooks, which seasons it
>nicely. The result is quite tasty. This is
>probably what food was like before pottery was
>invented.
>
> (Snipped)
>
> By the way - many Bret in Taipei
>
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