Re: Asian vegetables

**Debbie Leung dleung2@earthlink.net>**

I've been following this thread with interest because I grew up eating the stuff, have
grown many varieties commercially for a number of years, and wrote the Asian
Specialties entry in Rodale's Growing Fruits and Vegetables Organically a number of
years ago.  I'd like to respond to a few comments.

<Dai Gai Choi (meaning 'chicken vegetable'!)

Dai gai choi really means 'large mustard' (dai = large, gai choi = mustard).  I can see
how someone might have translated 'gai' as chicken but in this case, the vowel sounds
are different.

<There are more, like Giant Red mustard, tah tsai (spoon shaped like african violets)
and mizuna, but I never see Asian people eat that.

I've seen tah tsai for sale in Shanghai in large amounts and only rarely in U.S.
Chinatowns.  Mizuna is a Japanese green.

<Chrysanthemum - yes....but, ugh. It has a taste that is 'not for everybody'. Easy to
grow, however. But I don't know how popular that actually is with Asians.

The more delicate leaved variety of the chrysanthemums grown for food is quite popular
with Vietnamese people and some Chinese, mostly northerners.

<Perilla - wonderful, AKA 'shiso' - ...And it is only a garnish, not an actual
vegetable, with a very strong flavour.

Some Chinese people cook with perilla.  Its good in dishes like basil chicken but using
perilla instead of basil.  Somewhere I heard that it prevents people from getting
worms, perhaps a reason it was served (and eaten) with sushi.

<Lemon grass (cympho-whatever) is native to the tropics, and is a little like trying to
grow bamboo from seed.

I got lemongrass to grow by buying some in the market and sticking the 1/4 inch of root
still on it into a pot.  It tolerates no frost.  I have seen it grow huge outside in
southern California.

One last note, at risk of being accused of being politically correct, I ask that as
writers,  we refer to these vegetables as Asian, not Oriental.  Oriental has a
connotation of being exotic that I find offensive.  I'm just a human being like
everyone else.

Respectfully,
Debbie Leung

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