Food, Fun, and a Familiar Face
It had been a little while since my last call with Jingwen. Over the past couple weeks we had kept in touch and sent the occasional Snapchat. I was looking forward to getting to see her face and having a real conversation. This meeting felt different than the first. I was not nervous like last time. I was excited! As soon as Jingwen popped up on the screen, we sang our hellos and picked up right where we left off. There was no awkwardness or uncertainty. We began by catching up and asking how each other were doing. I was pleased to hear she was doing well. I could tell by her voice and behavior that she seemed like she was in a better place than she was last meeting.
Jingwen was eager to talk about food and told me about all the regional differences. China is a very large country and should not be generalized. In South China people eat a lot of rice, but in North China there is a larger focus on noodles. Jingwen is from South China, but she ironically hates rice. She says she eats it all the time despite her loathing of it. I thought about my disdain for tuna and could not imagine eating it every day. Chicken is Jingwen's favorite food. She tries to eat it as often as she can convince her mom to make it.
I was surprised to find out that back in China Jingwen ate almost every meal with her parents and grandparents in their home. My family consistently has Sunday supper together, but other than that sometimes we struggle to sync our schedules. Oftentimes my family finds ourselves eating at different times, although we try to eat together most days. About once a week Jingwen is allowed to eat in a restaurant with her friends. They normally watch movies, then grab food after. Hearing her describe her typical day with friends reminded me of my friends back home.
November is not far away, and I could not help myself from thinking about Thanksgiving. I assumed Jingwen had heard of the holiday before. Regardless, I shared my family's specific traditions. My aunts, cousins, grandparents, and friends all meet at my grandparents house. From there we catch up on what we miss throughout the year and eat wonderful food. We give thanks and make sure we appreciate everything around us. I asked Jingwen if China has similar holidays or traditions. She told me about the Mid Autumn Festival in China. This holiday commemorates a man who fought for freedom. On this day, everyone gathers together to celebrate, watch the gala, and eat moon cake. I wondered if moon cake was similar to moon pie. I went to Mobile, Alabama for Mardi Gras last year and caught countless moon pies. Jingwen described the moon cake as a smores type dessert. They come in many different flavors. She claims the best is strawberry. I respected her opinion, but I did challenge her. My curious sweet tooth almost always discovers that chocolate is the best!
Chinese Mid Autumn Festival
There are many foods that Jingwen misses from her home. One food she cannot find in Auburn is traditional Chinese porridge. It contains sweet potatoes, rice, and red beans. In addition to this, there are many produce and fresh items that she cannot find here in Auburn. Jingwen shared her screen with me and tried to show me all of the food only found in China. Most of the foods I had never heard of before!
Next, I shared my favorite foods. I have a deep love for avocados, and Jingwen did not know what they were! I guess avocados are not so popular in China. Jingwen had not even eaten turkey until she came to America. She said it is one of her favorite foods now. I wondered if there were any foods in America that grossed her out or that she did not understand. She said that Chinese people eat everything, so it is very hard to disgust them. This was her opinion until I brought up fried food. Then she admitted that it was gross how unhealthy it was. I also found out that she despises hot dogs and cannot stand the taste of them.
It made me feel nostalgic to hear Jingwen talk about her childhood, and how she linked it with food. Her mom taught her how to cook when she was little. The first dish she could make on her own was pasta. I recall being able to cook pasta at an early age as well. Boiling water and dumping noodles in must be pretty universal. I enjoyed hearing what foods Jingwen ate growing up. She said she hated carrots and would have to be forced by her parents to eat them. I couldn't help but remember all the times I sat at my kitchen table as a child unable to leave my seat until I finished all the brussels sprouts on my plate. I find it ironic that now in college, I would kill for a home cooked meal-- even if it did include brussels sprouts.
It is easy to forget that food is such a big part of life. Relationships are kindled and sustained around shared meals. Eating and cooking together creates lasting bonds and memories in every culture. Although Jingwen and I both admitted our cooking skills were not the best, food has a way of enriching our lives. I hope to one day be able to share a meal with Jingwen.
