The foods for the special occasions, and, now, it's time, for everybody to leave after the gathering of the families of the Memorial Holiday weekend…translated..
"They have it in the stands, if you want one, go out and buy one!", my daughter heard these responses from me over and over again, when she'd, wanted to have the spring roll wrap I make, she'd, found a very, delicate way of, requesting it.
Early the following morn, I'd headed off to the market early, first, I'd needed to make sure, that there are still, the wraps available after Memorial Day, if not, then, it ends everything. Thankful, there are still, the flour wraps sold, the following were series of, minor, tasks. I'd worried of forgetting something, called home to ask my mother-in-law, heard my father-in-law called out, "white chives, bean sprouts". No worries, already, purchased. I knew, that for my father-in-law, without these two ingredients, then, the spring wraps wouldn't be spring wraps anymore.
My mother-in-law's spring wrap ingredients were as follows: sliced bean curds, bean sprouts, yellow chives, sliced carrots, sliced cabbage, sliced eggs, sliced meat, with the peanut powders, sugar, seaweed powder. And, other than these fundamentals, it's all up to the makers to get "off the grid", see what we have cooked up in the meals that day. The boys who liked meats more, will put a few slices of grandma's famous stewed beef. The odd sixth grade boy can put some mini sausages in. This year, my older sister suggested some sliced cucumber, sure, makes everything tastes much, lighter! Added them all, into my, shopping, list.
Then, rushing home, picking the vegetables, cleaning them, julienning everything to slices. Chop, chop, chop, that rhythmic chopping sound, turned my excitement into, that calmer sort of, joy. At the very end, I'd, watched all of my chopped up ingredients, lain out, like the palettes of colors on a artist's palette, light yellow, translucent white, greens, reddish orange, brown, beautiful, just like the cosmetic counters in the malls.
Stir-frying the ingredients now, using the heated oil, turned the fire on medium to large, finally, a pinch of, salt. Do pay heed, no water, everything needs to be crisp, to taste perfect in the wraps.
the food item for the ocassion...photo from online
And it'd taken, at least two hours, to prepare these, five, to six, ingredients, and of these, the most time-consuming was the bean sprouts, needed to pluck the top and the bottom off by hand, and my three kids are at home, they were watching T.V., laughing loudly! My hands that were, leisure, can pluck the bean sprouts while I keep my attention on the T.V. and the kids. After that, I'd, spread open the wraps one by one, to get the heat evaporated, then, folding the pieces, gotten a plate, place the folded wraps on that, that way, when I start assembling later, they won't stuck together.
Finally, before the Memorial Holidays are over, I'd, gotten everybody to come home to have the spring wraps. The moist bean sprouts, the cucumber, the yellow chives, the crisp cabbage, and the peanut powder too, the scent from the sesame powder, one bite, and it'd made us all want to shout: this is the taste of, "Springtime!"
And, this reminded me, I'd needed one extra item for next year: asparagus. How can the taste of springtime be, without it?
Early the following morn, I'd sent my daughter off on the trains up north for work. The weather was just sunny and fine yesterday, and now, that light drizzle came down. Yeah, certainly, this is, Memorial Day weekend after all, so, the ingredients inside the wraps were, piece by piece too……….and, as I'd thought, my daughter hadn't even, gotten on the trains yet, and I'd begun, missing her already.
So, this is on how this is a sort of an holiday that the families get together, to worship, to remember the ones whom we'd, lost, and, this woman went out of her way, to prepare the foods that her families enjoyed, that's how she'd shown her care and love for them.
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