Measuring Up: Chapters 1–11

by Lily LaMotte, Ann Xu
Cici enters a cooking contest in hopes of winning enough money to buy her grandmother a plane ticket from Taiwan to the U.S.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. lychee
    a fruit with a thin, brittle shell and sweet, jellylike pulp
    My favorite is mango flavor but Siu-Lian and Siu-Khing always get lychee.
  2. custom
    a specific practice of long standing
    They told me of this strange American custom.
  3. motto
    a favorite saying of a sect or political group
    Good grades, good college, good job, good life. That is our family motto.
  4. consent
    permission to do something
    Just bring back this parental consent form.
  5. pension
    regular payment to allow a person to subsist without working
    We send money to her every month, but even with that...And with the cuts to her pension, I don't think she has—
  6. toque
    a tall white hat worn by chefs
    I brought your toque and knife roll.
  7. platinum
    a heavy precious metallic element
    Welcome to Platinum Jr. Chef, because platinum is obviously better than iron.
  8. sophisticated
    complex or intricate
    Is it sophisticated?
  9. risotto
    rice cooked with broth and sprinkled with grated cheese
    I want to make porcini risotto.
  10. palate
    the ability to taste, judge, and appreciate food
    Refreshing! Nothing like a little citrus to wake the palate.
  11. frittata
    Italian omelet with diced vegetables and meats
    I can't tell if the judges like the frittata with rice and asparagus.
  12. culinary
    of or relating to or used in cooking
    I hope you brushed up on your culinary skills because we'll challenge you even more in Round 2.
  13. quintessential
    representing the perfect example of a class or quality
    Ground beef. The quintessential ingredient for hamburger.
  14. samurai
    Japanese warrior who was a member of the feudal aristocracy
    You're like a samurai.
  15. al dente
    cooked so as to still be firm when eaten
    You overcooked the pasta! It's not al dente.
  16. complexity
    the quality of being intricate and compounded
    It gives minerality. Elevates the complexity of the ragu.
  17. calico
    having patches colored differently and usually brightly
    Layla & Crystal's calico bean chili
  18. taboo
    excluded from use or mention
    Did you know that in Texas, beans are taboo?
  19. stellar
    distinguished from others in excellence
    Dad put in a stellar kitchen with anything we could want.
  20. queue
    a line of people or vehicles waiting for something
    It takes years. I'm still in the queue for mine.
  21. cleaver
    a butcher's knife having a large square blade
    Waste of money. Only need cleaver.
  22. apocalypse
    a cosmic cataclysm in which God destroys the powers of evil
    You have enough food to last through a zombie apocalypse.
  23. goatee
    a small chin beard trimmed to a point
    And he's trying to get his goatee out of his eyes. He's so silly and funny.
  24. complement
    something added to embellish or make perfect
    The smoke sea salt lends a salty, smoky crunch. It complements the chocolate.
Created on Mon Jul 12 15:12:49 EDT 2021 (updated Tue Jul 13 09:27:02 EDT 2021)

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