Around the World in the Hetzel Kitchen

Whew!  Day one is under out belts, so we should get to take a breather now, right?  Not-so-much.  I wanted to get more done the next day because it was Sunday and there would be some time. Clearly I do not write these things as quickly as I cook them... And no, Ryan, today's meat is not Panda. It is, in fact, duck!  As soon as I saw this recipe I wanted to try it.  Something new and exciting, and yet not so new that I was scared of it.  A great combination.  Additionally, I wasn't going to let the Buddah's Delight get the best of me forever.  So I was off on a cooking journey for fewer people, but no less grand, let me promise. Red-cooked duck is listed as being from Eastern China, which I hadn't hit yet.  The first thing I had to do was deal with the thing.  The directions on the duck told me to remove the neck and giblets - not my favorite activity.  Then I realized they were in a bag stuffed within the duck.  Woo!...

This is it, we have arrived.  (In my head this is being narrated by Ira Glass because I just watched  this.   It is only funny if you listen to This American Life regularly.)  I was both dreading and hoping for China.  Could I do it justice?  Would I fall into the trap of just doing Americanized Chinese food that doesn't resemble the real thing at all?  In an effort to get this right, I did not just one but three days of Chinese food.  My cookbook had four menus, highlighting separate foods for the North, South, East, and West.  I chose at least one from each and started my culinary journey. Our blog this time in three acts.  Act one continues after the break. (Sorry) China Area : Over 9.5 million sq km; 4th largest in the world          Slightly smaller than the US Borders : Borders 14 different countries, including three I have already cooked (Afghanistan, Bhutan, and Burma) Population : Over 1.3 bi...

Location : Southern South America Area : Over 750,000 sq km; 38th largest in the world          Slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana Religion : 70% Roman Catholic Population : Almost 17 million; 59th largest in the world Capital : Santiago Notes : Today, Chile is one of South America's most stable and prosperous nations [8]  and a recognized  middle power . [10]  It leads Latin American nations in  human development , competitiveness, income per capita, globalization, economic freedom, low perception of corruption and state of peace. [11]  It also ranks high regionally in  freedom of the press  and democratic development.   -   Wikipedia Source: CIA Factbook What a change after the African countries we have been doing the last few weeks.  It is nice.  I did a report on Chile in grade school, which meant that clearly I was already an expert.  All I needed was to find out some recipe...