Arts & Entertainment
JEWISH BOOK FAIR
Lowdown On Lo Mein
Chinese food is
"safe treif,"
Author speaks on the Jewish love affair
with Chinese food.
Suzanne Chessler
Special to the Jewish News
D
onald Siegel has believed,
in grad school anyway,
that the way to a woman's
heart is through her stomach.
Taking tips from his mother,
who enjoyed experimenting
with Jewish-style recipes, Siegel
found that offering to prepare
dinner was a great way to get a
date.
Siegel, a professor of hydroge-
ology and geochemistry at
Syracuse University, took up
Chinese cooking while going for
his doctorate at the University of
Minnesota. Shopping in a hard-
ware store near campus, he
noticed a huge wok with a
steamer tray and cover and
decided the cookware offered a
variety of creative possibilities.
The recipes that developed
over many years of research and
experimentation have become
part of Siegel's new book, From
Lokshen to Lo Mein (Geffen
Books; $19.95). The author will
discuss the Jewish elements he's
brought to the Chinese cuisine
and offer Jewish-Chinese
kitchen comparisons when he
speaks 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, at
the Oak Park JCC.
"All the recipes are authentic,
with just a bit of my own spin;'
explains the 58-year-old Siegel,
who has cooked large kosher
Chinese meals for events in
Syracuse hosted by
Congregation Beth Sholom-
Chevra Shas, the Syracuse
Hebrew Day School, Syracuse
Jewish Family Service and other
Jewish organizations. "I don't
cook in a Chinese-American
style because that has evolved
into thicker sauces and sweeter
flavors."
Siegel's main dishes include
steamed fish with ginger and
scallions, rock sugar-ginger
chicken with tofu and chestnuts
as well as roast duck in a bag.
There also are plenty of soups,
appetizers and desserts.
Ever the professor, Siegel
devotes part of the book to
explanations of Chinese culture,
the Jewish experience in China
and kosher cooking. The con-
nection between Chinese and
Jewish components led to the
title, which points out noodle
similarities. Of course, if there's
a Jewish chef, there has to be
some Jewish humor.
"Because both of my parents
were great kosher cooks, we had
lots of matzah ball soup, latkes
and blintzes," says Siegel, who
will detour some from his liter-
ary tour by participating in an
earth science program in Ann
Arbor as a guest of an academic
colleague.
In Siegel's household, cooking
has become a family commit-
ment. The professor's wife,
Bette, lived in France for five
years and brings those flavors to
the dessert table. The couple's
three grown children have their
own specialties.
"My wife and I have been
cooking large dinner parties for-
ever:' explains Siegel, proud of
family culinary awards won at
the New York State Fair. "We all
watch our weight by avoiding
starch and serving smaller por-
tions." ❑
The kosher Chinese Cookbook
Donald Siegel speaks at
the Jewish Book Fair
1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7,
at the Oak Park JCC.
(248) 432-5577.
Donald Siegel
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