I love dumplings. Dumpling is an important symbol of Chinese culture. In North America, you can find them in Chinese restaurants and the freezers in the supermarket. To me, dumplings do not mean any kind of dumplings but my mum’s homemade dumplings. She knows how to make dumplings from scratch. From the dough to the dumpling wrappers, then the fillings, and finally, the final product.[JW1]
Back when I was living in China, my mum would spend hours making dumplings in the kitchen. She would then store them in the freezer so that the family could have dumplings as breakfast or lunch whenever we wanted to for a couple of weeks. My mum and I used to spend the Lunar New Year holiday with my grandparents. On the day before the Lunar New Year, my mum and her sisters would make dumplings together, and the family would have dumplings together once it reached midnight. My cousins and I would help to wrap the dumplings, but since we were young and inexperienced, we made the ugliest ones[JW2] .
Growing up, I have moved a couple of places. After living in Shanghai for 11 years, my family moved to Hong Kong for 2 years and Montreal for another 4 years. Since coming to Wesleyan, my family has again moved to Toronto. Life changes every time my family moves, but my mum’s homemade dumplings stay the same.
My family had never been the traditional Chinese family that celebrated all the traditional Chinese festivals when we were still living in China. After moving to Canada, it became even more difficult to celebrate Lunar New Year, the most important festival in Chinese culture. I went to a boarding school, and I would often be at school on the day of the festival. At times, I feel disconnected from my heritage culture, but my mum’s homemade dumplings always remind me of my heritage and have a prominent place in my heart[JW3] [JW4] .
[JW1]Impressive! I’ve always bought the prepared wrappers since I don’t have the skill/patience to make dough
[JW2]I thought this was a really great way to show the process of a generational tradition in your family. Making dumplings is something that (I’m assuming) has been done in your family before you were born and when you’re old as well. I thought this parallel between dumpling folding skill and age was really cool.
[JW3]This was a beautiful piece, I really enjoyed it! I have old family recipes that are very important to me. Food can be a connection across time and space, allowing us to relate with people who came before us and people who will come after us. I loved how this family tradition was related to generationality and the importance of family even when you’re physically separated.
[JW4]Were there any new/old traditions you found at boarding school? Might be an interesting development
