This weekend I was at home and a bit hungry and so I looked in the bare cubbard to see what I could whip up. I found some dry rice noodles and canned chicken broth and I made something that I have not had for a long time which is rice noodles(don phen) with chicken broth and Taiwan BBQ sauce flavoring.
It was pretty good but it made me think about my childhood. I was a growing boy with a huge appetite and I remember waking up at night maybe 12 or 1 AM and being hungry and my mom and dad would always have either rice already cooked to make egg fried rice or noodles in the fridge to make dry mix noodles. I would eat my midnight supper while they just watch me eat with pride and say what would happen if I didn't have this meal, I was already so skinny.
I think sometimes my brothers and sisters, me included, make fun of my mom and dad saying that they are both crazy but looking back I think we all had a pretty good up bringing. They were never too over bearing. They let me eat sweets anytime I want and now I don't like sweets. I never ever remember that saying, "David, you must do your homework or you must study" It was just an implied threat, "You better get good grades or else". I think a lot of things happened to my parents when I first came to the US and I think I was too young to fully understand everything that was going on, but I think they went through a lot and a lot of hardship during those years. I feel that my parents grew up and lived a life with nanny's and maids and when they first came to the US is when they really felt hardship (tse ku). They had to do everything by themselves in a foreign country while not even knowing the language. Well I think that they were the best parents and the proof? I think the four of us brothers and sisters turned out pretty good.
I make a lot of food but to this day, I still don't make egg fried rice or dried mix noodles and I wonder when I have my own children whether I will be as good as a dad as my dad was and make dried mix noodles at 1 AM for my son.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comments:
I have to agree with you 100%. They did the best they knew how and they are still very good to me and my kids. They had complete faith in us to take care of ourselves so they left us alone for the most part. I think that made us grow up quickly. I am going to treasure the years I can still have with them.
You will be a terrific dad, don't worry. Like Mike is a terrific dad, who would've thought...
Post a Comment