Stir-fry
Q: What's the difference between serving a steak and presenting a stir-fried meat dish?
A: You let everyone do his/her own cutting when you serve a steak whereas you do the cutting for everyone if you prepare a stir-fried dish.
Maybe in some way it represents feminine empowerment because the woman doing the cooking will only do so much. The rest is up to the diner. If you want to spear the whole slab of cow and chew, go ahead. But I guess that would appear too barbaric and not reflect very well on the diner and the community on the whole.
Not cutting up the meat beforehand lengthens the time needed to consume the meal considerably. There are several advantages to this effect:
(1) It is definitely more gratifying to the chef; the time taken partake the dish is more proportionate to the time taken to prepare it.
(2) It encourages family bonding because everyone stays at the table for a longer duration.
With regards to point (1), haven't you noticed that it takes just 10 to 15 minutes for a family to finish a home-cooked Chinese meal consisting of several dishes (meat, fish, veg, soup) when it had actually taken the matriach 2 hours of preparation+cooking? All everyone needs to do is wield his/her own pair of chopsticks and take what he/she wants. Then it's back to TV/studying/computer games while the poor Mum does the cleaning up.
So I say the Western Mother (ok, I'm generalising here) must have found the secret to letting everyone do their fair share of work in filling their tummies.
While I don't think you can persuade your mother to start grilling steaks and burgers anytime soon, I suggest that you:
(1) help out in preparing your meal;
(2) eat slower and enjoy the dishes;
(3) help clearing up... or at least clear your own plate and
(4) finish up the dishes and tell her that you do enjoy her cooking.
