Albert Oakland Park

Albert Oakland Park is a 81.5-acre park in Columbia, Missouri, in the United States. The park is located at 1900 Blue Ridge Road next to Oakland Junior High School.

Chinese Noodles to Enjoy

Ingredients

Nutrition
Servings 6

    1⁄2 lb spaghetti (regular or thin)
    4 tablespoons vegetable oil
    6 garlic cloves, finely chopped (do not mince the garlic finely)
    1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or adjust to heat level)
    1⁄4 cup low sodium soy sauce (or to taste)
    fresh ground black pepper (optional)
    1 large green onion, finely chopped

Cook the spaghetti in boiling water until al dente (it is best to slightly under cook) drain then rinse well under cold water, then drain again; transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until cold.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add in the chopped garlic and chili flakes, cook stirring for 2 minutes.

Add in the cold spaghetti and toss using long tongs until the pasta is hot.

Pour the soy sauce over the hot pasta and continue tossing with tongs adding in more soy sauce if needed until you have the desired flavor that you want.

Season with black pepper if desired.

Transfer to a bowl then toss with chopped green onions.

Pot Stickers

Pot stickers back to the Song Dynasty (960 – 1280 A.D.). They were initially regular boiled dumplings cooked in a wok (guo) – the go-to Chinese cooking pot. A chef who was boiling dumplings forgot about them and after the water had boiled away, the dumplings stuck (tie). Not knowing what to do, he pried the dumplings from the wok and served them.

His guests loved the contrasts between rich filling, tender skin, and crusty bottom. Thus the pot sticker was born.

Chinese Fried Rice

Delicious Chinese Fried Rice

Chinese Dumplings

Chinese dumplings (Jiaozi) are very popular during the Chinese New Year season.

Mighty Sycamore Tree

A mighty sycamore tree at Columbia's Grindstone Nature Area, photo by Mark Bosky

Chinese Food

Like other aspects of Chinese life, cuisine is heavily influenced by geography and ethnic diversity. Among the main styles of Chinese cooking are Cantonese, which features stir-fried dishes, and Szechuan, which relies heavily on use of peanuts, sesame paste and ginger and is known for its spiciness.

Rice is not only a major food source in China; it is also a major element that helped grow their society, according to "Pathways to Asian Civilizations: Tracing the Origins and Spread of Rice and Rice Cultures," an 2011 article in the journal Rice by Dorian Q. Fuller. The Chinese word for rice is fan, which also means "meal," and it is a staple of their diet, as are bean sprouts, cabbage and scallions. Because they do not consume a lot of meat — occasionally pork or chicken — tofu is a main source of protein for the Chinese.