He remembers going to bed hungry many nights; there was not enough food for his two brothers and parents. During the Cultural Revolution, his father, a teacher, was very much looked down on.
She remembers eating leaves and shells of nuts; of being three or four and wanting a piece of candy so badly, but there was no money to buy anything like that. As a young girl, her family often could not afford to buy moon cakes for the mid-autumn festival.
Now, he is the Chairman of the English department, she is a devoted mother/wife. He has worked very hard to learn English and to be successful in his career.
They so kindly invited us over to share their moon cake festival dinner with them in their small, tidy apartment. Small, yes; large with laughter, love, and kindness, yes.
He rides bikes, she hikes the Baiyun mountain every morning, after going to the store to buy vegetables at the Xinghan market. Their lovely daughter, plays the piano expertly, and is also an incredible artist.
I will treasure forever this midafternoon spent in the home of Alan, Lily, and Frances Sun. (I wish I knew their Chinese names...it seems almost sad to be represented by a name picked out of a hat to please us Westerners.)
First, Lily showed us how to shape the moon cake. She had previously made the dough out of rice flour. The different colors came from green tea, chocolate, and lotus blossom seed. This was the first time she had actually made the moon cake, as she always buys them from the store. She did this just to show us the process...how very thoughtful and kind she was.
The dough is formed into a small cup-like shape, a small drop of jelly is put into the center, as well as an almond. That mixture is pressed into a mold, and pushed out onto the plate.
She told us that over the years, the moon cakes have become much more tasty. and they didn't used to taste as good at all. Now, with sugar, flour eggs, flavoring, they are much more pleasing to the taste.
While those were in the refrigerator, she brought out the ingredients for the dumplings. Both Lily and Allen worked quickly and knowingly, as they rolled the dough very thin, added the center filling of pork, cabbage, onion, shrimp. Lily expertly folded the tiny dumplings up and they were ready to drop in the boiling water.
The finished product was dipped in a delectable home-made garlic sauce, and then it was time to eat....
Oh, my goodness, so very very delicious!
Thank you, Allen, Lily, and Frances for a wonderful Mid-Autumn Festival! And for your generosity in inviting us to your apartment. I will long remember this afternoon!
She remembers eating leaves and shells of nuts; of being three or four and wanting a piece of candy so badly, but there was no money to buy anything like that. As a young girl, her family often could not afford to buy moon cakes for the mid-autumn festival.
Now, he is the Chairman of the English department, she is a devoted mother/wife. He has worked very hard to learn English and to be successful in his career.
They so kindly invited us over to share their moon cake festival dinner with them in their small, tidy apartment. Small, yes; large with laughter, love, and kindness, yes.
He rides bikes, she hikes the Baiyun mountain every morning, after going to the store to buy vegetables at the Xinghan market. Their lovely daughter, plays the piano expertly, and is also an incredible artist.
I will treasure forever this midafternoon spent in the home of Alan, Lily, and Frances Sun. (I wish I knew their Chinese names...it seems almost sad to be represented by a name picked out of a hat to please us Westerners.)
First, Lily showed us how to shape the moon cake. She had previously made the dough out of rice flour. The different colors came from green tea, chocolate, and lotus blossom seed. This was the first time she had actually made the moon cake, as she always buys them from the store. She did this just to show us the process...how very thoughtful and kind she was.
The dough is formed into a small cup-like shape, a small drop of jelly is put into the center, as well as an almond. That mixture is pressed into a mold, and pushed out onto the plate.
She told us that over the years, the moon cakes have become much more tasty. and they didn't used to taste as good at all. Now, with sugar, flour eggs, flavoring, they are much more pleasing to the taste.
While those were in the refrigerator, she brought out the ingredients for the dumplings. Both Lily and Allen worked quickly and knowingly, as they rolled the dough very thin, added the center filling of pork, cabbage, onion, shrimp. Lily expertly folded the tiny dumplings up and they were ready to drop in the boiling water.
The finished product was dipped in a delectable home-made garlic sauce, and then it was time to eat....
Oh, my goodness, so very very delicious!
Thank you, Allen, Lily, and Frances for a wonderful Mid-Autumn Festival! And for your generosity in inviting us to your apartment. I will long remember this afternoon!
We had a friend who was sent to the farm to work during the cultural revolution. He said he and his friends were so hungry, and they didn't give them much to eat during the day. They worked hard all day on very little food. So at night they would sneak out to hunt. They would eat whatever they could find; snake, possum, ....anything.
ReplyDeleteI have never been much of a moon cake fan, but I agree, they are getting better tasting. :)
You are meeting so many fantastic people. What a great experience!
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