Through the years, Chen has witnessed embassies and representative offices in Taiwan shut down.
Many of her friends have come and gone. When Malawi unexpectedly cut ties with Taiwan last January after 42 years of friendship, Chen held no bitter feelings for the family of the Malawi ambassador and even rounded up carloads of clothes for Madame Edna Maloya to take back to her impoverished country.
At the cooking session on Oct. 24, Sieglinde Spanlang, the head of the Austrian Tourism Office, said her office was delighted to participate in the program because “there is a story behind every Austrian dish.”
Take kaiserschmarrn for example, she said, which literally translates to “emperor’s rubbish.” It gained its name when Empress Elisabeth, who was mindful of her waistline, demanded that the royal cook make food that would keep her slim.
However, his pancake-like creation met with her disgust, but won the approval of her husband Emperor Francis Joseph.
This month, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce will present Daniel Negreira, the chef of El Toro, to demonstrate how to make stuffed chicken with caramelized pine nuts and black squid risotto with parmesano reggianno.
Next month an American professor will make delicious fudge brownies using three types of chocolate and a French dessert, clauffuti.
For more information on the upcoming cooking demonstrations, see www.eslitebooks.com or call the cookbook section of the bookstore.
All classes are free and open to the public.
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