Most people would balk at the idea of working for three weeks in a country where they don't speak the language. But not Mike Tracy, executive chef for Aramark at the Boston Convention & Exposition Center (BCEC), who spent 21 days in Beijing, China in 2006 as the guest chef at the U.S. Embassy through Aramark's chef exchange program.
"I was very lucky that I had an interpreter with me every minute of the day," the Boston-area native said.
Spending time overseas helped Tracy learn about Chinese culture and perceptions of Americans.
"They lump us all in together as 'westerners,'" he said. "They would ask me for a 'western specialty' and would want goose liver. I had to explain it's more of a European standard than American."
Instead of delicacies like pate, Tracy taught his fellow chefs how to cook American standards, such as fried calamari, pulled pork and pizza - which they cut into small pieces and ate with chopsticks.
As much as he enjoyed his time in China, Tracy noticed a huge difference in cooking style between himself and his fellow chefs.
"They don't have much of a concept of slow cooking," he said. "The way they do everything is a thousand miles an hour in 'jet-fueled' wok stations." Continue to rest of story
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