Confucius Was A Foodie Bitter

The taste of Chinese medicinal herbs, bitter flavor is said to clear ""heat"", strengthen the stomach, and promote salivation. Bitterness in often found in Chinese cooking, but rarely used alone. Christine cooks a popular local bitter ingredient with Asian Food TV star Ili Sulaiman in Kuala Lumpur and makes a less than delicious visit to a Traditional Chinese Medicine shop, experiencing firsthand the power of bitter herbs. Christine is presented with a Chinese philosophy around bitter and learns how this philosophy applies to keeping Chinese heritage alive in Malaysia. The Chinese concept of "in bitter there is sweetness" is applied to immigration and restoration as Christine makes a memorial visit to Penang island where she meets the engaging and eccentric hotelier Christopher Ong.