If I have any doubt at all about my Chinese heritage, I just have to remember my unreasonable dependence on rice and noodles in my daily diet. I have what I call a Chinese Mouth Syndrome (CMS)โI can go without rice and noodles for a maximum of three days before I become disoriented, and flustered!
These CMS attacks mostly occur when I travel to countries where rice and noodles are not commonly available, Europe for example. The most recent incident happened when I was at the French Riviera. After three days of indulging in some amazing French cuisine, I woke up with a craving for rice and noodles! I ended up walking around town searching madly for a Chinese or Asian restaurant. I finally found a Cambodian-Chinese cafe and ordered a helping of fried rice and chow mein. When my food came and I had the first bite, I was immediately transported to noodles and rice heaven.