With all of the frustrations and difficulties of living in a small-ish city in China, I never thought I would miss it THIS MUCH. I miss it terribly. All the time. Most of all I miss our community and wonderful friends there. Friends who are still there and those who have moved on already. A community that felt like family almost instantly. Missing all of the wonderful Chinese food is largely about missing the double-table-squeezed-into-a-crowded-smoky-restaurant with friends. Kids and all. The quiet lunches of hand-stretched noodles after school with Milan and any friends we passed on the way with a craving for a big steamy bowl of noodles. Hot pot adventures where the soup is so hot you cry and eat with your coat and hat on in the winter. Long afternoons of preparing elaborate dinners, themed potlucks, and so many dishes it takes three rounds to wash them all.
So, in order to try to celebrate in our own way, over here on the other side of the planet, we came home and made shuǐ jiǎo (水餃) boiled dumplings. So much better than those greasy noodles I had for lunch. I even attempted shǒu sī bāo cài 手撕包菜 hand-torn cabbage. It was not half as good as Spicy restaurant, and missing a big helping of friends.
Happy Year of the Dragon, wherever you are!
3 comments:
Aww dear we miss you too!!! When we return from US to Shanghai we will slurp some noodles for YOU!
You capture the joy and sadness of making a community and having to leave - just know the community stays in our hearts for EVER
your legacy lives on in our little community still. we miss your family too and think of you often. you left us with SO many wonderful memories, recipes, bike rides and smiles. sometimes life is about being in the right place at the right time...and boy were we lucky to share the time we did with you all in china :) know there is always a room for you to stay (and a job at joe's) if you end up needing a real china fix :)
Awwww - in the spirit of sharing your pain, and helping you feel better (yeah right!) -- I had New Year's feast with Emma and her dad today. She had spring rolls (I found out why they're called that -- only time they used to have them was spring festival/new year's), octopus, three different kinds of fish, beef with carrots, chicken, snow peas, a veggie her dad grew AND . . . seafood rice noodles (or maybe they were glass noodles). She and her dad made EVERYTHING!
The only thing that would have made it better is if the whole "family" was here. At the risk of sounding redundant, you and all of yours are missed!
Happy Year of the Dragon! (Please bother the kid again!)
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