I look forward to bringing educational and fun experiences in Asia to my granddaughter Mila, who lives in Oklahoma, USA. She can learn about the world through all my adventures. I got a flat stuffed toy to join me. She is reversible. One side is a little girl and the other is a ladybug. I call her LadyB. I sent the same toy to Mila, which she can name as she sees fit. My Chinese name is Gonggong, which means grandfather in Chinese.

I posted the first 15 on Facebook and got so many complaints from fans who hate or don’t use it, so I decided to start posting them on China Rising Radio Sinoland. Catching up with #4 here.

Story #4: our first meal in Puli Town: noodles and guotie.

Dear Mila,

What a celebration. LadyB and I tuck into our first meal in our new home in China!

Two of the most delicious Chinese foods are noodles and guotie (锅贴), which means pan stickers. Noodles go back to the times of the Romans and have been found in Chinese tombs from the same era. China, being very gracious, gives Italy credit for the invention. No matter, East or West, noodles are the best! Like Italy, there are SO many noodle and sauce varieties in China – all of them dee-leech!

Guotie are handmade raviolis filled with either seasoned ground pork and/or vegetables. LadyB and I got a serving of four of each. They are called pan stickers, because in the hot pan with vegetable oil, they stick together side-by-side. The cook puts a metal plate on top of them to catch the heat and grill the bottoms crisp and crunchy. Sometimes with chopsticks, it is not easy separating them.

Guotie can be dipped in soy sauce, vinegar and hot sauce. We used all three. LadyB struggled with the chopsticks, so I helped her eat.

Your grandmother Maflor loves both noodles and guotie. Both of them are T-U-M-M-Y  Y-U-M-M-Y!

Mila, what are you eating these days? Your mother is French, so you can’t go wrong!

Love, Grandfather Gonggong

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