Tarpon Springs Busboy
A 1" Gulf shrimp toast with ginger-scallion — the Chinese kitchen in Florida that taught a German teenager China speed
He learned what he now calls China speed — the efficiency, the positive agenda, the absolute commitment to quality.
Why this bite? The busboy from Wuppertal learned China speed in a Florida kitchen. This Gulf shrimp toast is where the Beijing office began.
The Story
At seventeen, the only establishment in Tarpon Springs willing to hire a German exchange student was a Chinese restaurant called Sun Yen, which took Colja on as a weekend busboy. He learned his English there, but he also learned what he calls China speed — the efficiency, the positive agenda, the absolute commitment to quality and service of people who had built something from nothing. Twenty-two years later VOK DAMS opened in Beijing; he traces the line directly. This Gulf shrimp toast with ginger and scallion is that kitchen made edible: a Florida coast and a Chinese kitchen on one crisp inch.
Ingredients
- Gulf shrimp
- White bread (cut into 1" rounds)
- Ginger
- Scallion
- Sesame seeds
- Soy glaze
Preparation
- 1.Mince shrimp with ginger and scallion into a paste.
- 2.Spread on 1" bread rounds and press sesame seeds on top.
- 3.Fry shrimp-side down until golden and crisp.
- 4.Finish with a brush of soy glaze and scallion.