Cooking Asian Style

I had some friends over yesterday because they offered to make me some Asian dishes for lunch. They cooked some of my favorite things like dan chao fan (fried rice), fried eggs and tomatoes, cucumber and garlic, soup, etc. They also made me some stuff I hadn't ever had before, like some leafy vegetable, and lotus root. I can't describe lotus root except that on the outside it looks like a potato and when you cut it open it looks like a bicycle wheel (circular with a bunch of spokes). It doesn't taste like anything I've ever had before, but they cooked it with ginger and garlic and some other stuff, so it was really good. They brought over a fruit too which is called Long Yian (Eye of Dragon), which I've decided I really like. Basically they're about the size of a grape or cherry, and they have a pit like cherries, but you have to peel the skin off the outside because it's tough. They look like brown crabapples. The fruit is a jell-o-y consistency and really sweet, and it's flesh is clear so you can see the dark pit in the middle, making it look like an eye (the name is pretty logical). We had an excellent time. I've made macaroni and cheese for a few of my friends too. The Asians love it! And I never knew how much I loved it until I got here! Well this was a quick post, but definitely notable.