By Senhao Liu
To most Chinese people, at least from what I know, dumplings definitely is one of the most important foods in life. It is not only a delicious and juicy entrée, but it carries meaning.
On the Chinese New Year’s Eve, I gathered together with some of my Chinese friends at Columbia University, making dumplings to celebrate the new year. Photo: Senhao Liu.
To me, it means home – and when I am away, the thought of it makes me homesick. I can imagine my mother filling a fresh, home-made dumpling with a stuffing of shrimp and cucumber.
Having studied and lived in the United States for six years, I am getting used to everything in this country, from culture, to language, to food. But I am from a city 300 miles northeastern of Beijing, the only child in family. My parents are still there, and I miss them, and the meals my mother makes. She is an expert at dumplings.
Making dumplings does not require complicated procedures, but it takes time. Some people love meat dumplings. My mom likes shrimp dumplings because we are all seafood lovers. First, she cuts shrimps and cucumbers into small squares, then she mixes them with olive oil and salt. She covers the stuff with freshly-made dumpling wrappers and normally makes 60 dumplings a time, 20 for each of us. When they’re ready, she puts them into a pot of boiling soup and waits for about five minutes. Then she adds some cold water so that the dumplings do not stick together. After another five minutes’ boiling, the delicacy is ready to be enjoyed.
Mom’s dumplings, from my point of view, are the most delicious dumplings ever in the world. Surely they are juicy when you take a first bite, but what makes them more memorable to me is that mom’s love is transmitted through each one.
When I come back home from the States during summer vacation, dumplings are the first meal to greet me. You pick up a dumpling with a pair of chopsticks and dip it with a little vinegar. Then your taste buds sense the delicacy of the shrimps, cucumbers, and green onions. There is a little bit of fresh soup. In the first bite of this perfect combination, I know I am home.
Eating 20 dumplings really can make you full, but when I first come back home, I like to eat a couple more — partly because I cannot control myself, but mostly because I want to make my mom, sitting next to me and looking at me, feel pleased that her dumplings are always the best ones.
Before I leave for school, mom will again spend time making dumplings, though she is quite busy.
When I come back to the States, I only eat handmade dumplings on the Chinese New Year’s Eve. The Chinese have a tradition to gather together and celebrate the new year and to make dumplings with family and friends. This year, I made dumplings with my friends at Columbia University.
A team of eight ambitious dumpling makers aimed to make 200 that day, though you need more practice if you hope to make them in a beautiful shape. But we enjoyed the process as we talked about things happening in China. From our memories, our moms are all experts in making dumplings.
When I first came to the States, I was 19 years old. For me at that time, traveling abroad by myself and studying in a country that is so different from China, life was not easy, and my English was not sufficient. I did not have many friends in the first year. I sometimes missed home, missed mom and dad, and missed my friends in high school. When I ate dumplings for the first time apart from home, all these memories were evoked.
Now it is the sixth year that I have lived in this country. This dish is still indispensable to me on the Chinese New Year’s Eve. It takes me back to China.
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