The love expressed, in the foods that he'd made, and now, you'd, ordered the dish, to reminisce the love of your father, sharing it with your own, daughter too…a great way to pass this, heritage down to the next generation, translated…
I'd gone to the stewed food stands, bought some bean curds, seaweed, with a piece of pork skin, the owner handed me a bag of sauces. At supper, I'd, poured in all the foods into the pot, added in some water, and the sauces, and, a dish already, made. Tasted it, the pork scalp was a bit, salty, it had that scent of pork to it too. I'd originally thought that I can have the colloid from the pork, but it was, hard for me to, swallow, I'd stared at this plate of pork skin I wanted to toss, but felt a bit, lavish, then suddenly, I passed through time, returned back to, childhood.
the expression of the love of her father to her and her siblings through this...filled with collagen, and the taste is, salty and delicious! Photo from online
In my younger years, my parents were, pig farmers, and as the pig grew bigger, we'd had the butchers kill them off, and sold the meats, and only kept the parts that don't sell for much, the scalp, the ears, the pork fat, the pork blood, along with small amounts of bacon to share with the neighbors. When it came time for our neighbors to kill the pigs, our family also go something in return, that, is the connection between the neighbors in the countryside back in the, days.
The day we had extra foods, my father would cook the meat from the head of the pig, and, plucked the hairs off the scalp, the ears, then put it in broiling water to, cook, scoop the meat up, sliced them up, chopping up two leeks, put the meat into a bowl of white vinegar to soak for a bit, after the simple condiments, he'd called us for food, in those poverty stricken times, meat is a blessing.
The scalp with the white vinegar, the leek, it'd made it taste less greasy, and a bit, spicy, with multiple layers of tastes. The pigs which were raised with leftovers and the husks of the grains, sweet in the meat to taste, the cartilages were chewy and crisp, we'd started, chewing them down. At this time, pops would pour himself a glass of rice wine, with the meats, and started, enjoying the foods too. The way he looked, was the best form of advertisement, when he was high, he'd hum the tunes we can't understand, and only at this time, he can, let go of the heavy burdens of raising a family, and immersed himself in the temporary leisure he'd found.
My father also has a dish that he was agile in making, stir fry instant noodles. He'd hated the soup with the noodles, said that the instant noodles taste better when stir fried. Heating up the wok, pour in some oil, in goes the instant noodles, with small amounts of water in, the vegetables too, some condiments, turn the heat up, stir fry, a few short minutes, into the plates. This seemingly easy dish, because my father had the right amount of heat on the wok, it'd tasted, different. Every time he'd stir-fried the instant noodles, he'd had that look of satisfaction, smacked his lips, but actually he never ate that much, because, we the children, gulfed most of what's on the tables down. The noodles tasted salty and delicious, something we'd longed for again, and again, and again.
And now, I'd made the stir-fried instant noodles for my daughter every now and then too, as the scent of the food takes over the house, I'd, recalled my father's looks when he'd cooked, and my lips started, curling up at the corners then. My father had been gone a long time now, and every time I'd gone to the eatery to dine, I'd always, ordered up a plate of, pork scalp, with that taste, and my tastebuds awakened my memories, that was, the tastes of my father on my tongue.
So, this is how this man showed love for his young, by making the dishes for them, and this got passed down to the next generations, as the daughter who'd been showered with the father's love, she'd now, treated her own young the same way, by sharing her father's, favorite dishes, as a way of keeping her father's memories and love for his family, alive, passing it down.
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