Cream Cheese Wontons, What is Congee? And why is it in the news?

 

At the Farmer's Market

This weekend at the market: Cream Cheese Wontons!

⭐CREAM CHEESE WONTONS (8) 🔰 $7.00

We will be at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market on Lyndale, both Saturday & Sunday, July 24th & 25th. You can view the menu & order here: Our Online Farmer's Market Menu. Items are available on-site at the markets.  Free drink on us: Get a free Farmer's Market drink with 100 loyalty points. You must join the Rainbow Rewards program and make your purchase through Square. For each $10 you spend, you'll get 25 points. Feeling snappy? Take a picture or video with your Farmer's Market purchase from Rainbow, if we re-post it, we'll tag you for a free Farmer's Market drink on your next visit.

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What is congee?

Chicken Congee, from Made With Lau

Congee can be easily described as rice porridge. Considered a comfort food, it is popular in many Asian countries. Congee might be the first solid food you eat as a baby, and the last solid food you eat in old-age. It's the go-to food for an upset stomach or an easy-on-the-senses hangover cure. While it seems low on the gourmet scale, its value lies in the comfort it gives.  Here are a few names that congee goes by: China: Congee, jūk Kayu (粥) Japan: Kayu (粥), Zōsui (雑炊), Ochazuke (お茶漬け Korea: Juk (죽), ssaljuk (쌀죽; 'rice porridge') or huinjuk (흰죽; 'white porridge') Burma: hsan byoke or hsan pyoke Cambodia: babor (បបរ) Indonesia: Bubur ayam Laos: khao piak Philippines: Lugaw, Arroz Caldo, Champorado Singapore: Teochew porridge Thailand: Chok โจ๊ก Vietnam: cháo hoa India: kanji (கஞ்சி) Sri Lanka: kenda

Why is congee in the news?

The fire starts with the recent Tweet from Casey Ho @CaseyHo "So a group of colonizers decided to culturally appropriate congee. Good lord." Oregonian business woman and self-proclaimed “Queen of Congee", Karen Taylor, has been making the rounds in social media feeds as a spectacle of cultural appropriation. She explains on her business site Breakfast Cure, “How I discovered the miracle of congee and improved it.” You can easily read more about this online, or just watch memes and TikToks about it. But if you want to experience a deep-dive of what she is presenting and how it comes across to Asians, you can watch the video below. The podcast brings up good points and even mentions Twin Cities' own short-lived, Andrew Zimmern Asian-themed restaurant: Lucky Cricket, as another example of whitewashing Asian food and culture.

Episode 24: The Congee Queen  Today, we'll discuss Karen "The Congee Queen" Taylor, a yt woman who went viral on Asian twitter after claims that she "modernized" the thousand-year-old traditional Asian porridge dish, Congee. Watch video on YouTube

Thoughts on Breakfast Cure? It's a stretch. With all of its textures, grains, fruits, nuts, I can't help but think that congee isn't supposed to slap you in the face with all of the above options, making you wonder what you're chewing on, and if it's worth the $15 price tag.

Congee has some similarities across cultures- it's usually white rice, a flavorful broth and toppings, to your liking. The Filipino arroz caldo that my mom made is closer to looks and flavor to Chinese congee / Japanese Okayu /Korean Dakjuk than what is sold as Breakfast Cure "congee".  The rice is always the main ingredient and not overshadowed by fruit or nuts, or overly spiced. (Speaking of which— how does the introduction of so many ingredients to a simple rice porridge become a miracle to digestive health? When trying to pinpoint the cause of food sensitivities or allergies don't you usually try to narrow the selections as a process of elimination?)

5 % Get 5% this weekend, by using the coupon code below. Use the code below when you pay 012 345 The reward expires on July 25, 2021. No cash value. Not transferable. Valid in-store or via Square Online, if applicable. May be canceled at any time.

Picking up your order:

Our parking lot on the SOUTH side of the building is now open for pick up orders. If you opted in to Order Updates, you can let us know you've arrived by responding to your order confirmation. You can also call us to let us know you are here by calling us or ringing the doorbell. We often only have one person at the desk, so please have patience when you call us or pick up your order.