What was your family food culture when you were growing up? My family is originally from Taiwan, but we moved around every few years, so my mom picked up different recipes and adapted them to her taste--light French (less cream) from when we lived in England (she didn't like British cuisine as much), mild versions of Malaysian curries from when we lived in Singapore. But mainly she cooked Taiwanese food that she learned from cookbooks (her mother didn't cook). We didn't have a legacy of recipes, so it was just her experimenting! My mom hated canned food or anything with preservatives, so we always ate fresh vegetables (she's always been big on vegetables and all of us grew up loving them!) and meat. She wasn't big on red meat though, so we had a lot of chicken and pork. Was meal time important? Yes. My dad often worked late and we'd wait for him until about 7:45 pm. This was a constant worry for my mom since she wanted the entire family to sit down together, with hot food on the table. She hated it if my dad was late and the food would get cold. I think she enjoyed cooking but the stress of keeping food warm and anticipating my dad's return turned it into a chore for her. He knew how important it was to her so he would try to give her an honest estimate, but as i found out when i started working myself, things come up. So a lot of the time we kids would just eat on our own and my mom would wait for my dad. Was cooking important? I would say my mom didn't LOVE to eat (she has a very small appetite), but she felt that it was really vital that all three of us children grew up eating well, for health's sake. She put a lot of effort into all of our meals! She would wake up every morning to make us breakfast because she thought it was the most important meal of the day-- and not just toast or cereal-- we had eggs, bacon, ham, oatmeal, hashbrown, etc. She made sure we all had fresh vegetables everyday, and she packed us hearty lunches too. I truly did not appreciate all this effort when I was younger, and didn't really realize how much effort she put into food until I went away to college. What were the penalties for putting elbows on the table? We didn't have any standards for table manners, other than not spitting out one's food, etc. Who cooked in the family? My mom, always. But sometimes my dad would step in with his ketchup fried rice wrapped in an omelet. We loved that because he'd write our initials in ketchup on top of the omelet. That's the only thing I can remember him cooking, even though when I went home for Thanksgiving he made curry from a mix and heated up frozen roti canai that he found in an Asian grocery store. While my mom lovingly prepared, my dad was the one who inspired that love of food. He'd introduce us to street foods in Taiwan and rich desserts in America. He loves to eat, and though he's not one for preparing food, he always seeks out special dishes. We were never rich so we didn't eat out at fine restaurants, but he had to travel a lot for business, and when I was little I used to love listening to him talk about the food he ate on his business trips and be so envious, anticipating a future for myself full of such meals! Were restaurant meals common, or for special occasions? When we first moved to a city, we'd eat out because we were living in hotels. So that was a big treat for us. When we were young we were very intrigued by popular American cuisine-- TGI Friday's, Ruby Tuesday's. After we settled down in a city, we knew it was a special occasion if our parents let us go to a place like Friday's, because they preferred eating Chinese food. Also, since my mom is not a big fan of restaurant food (she thinks it is unhealthy), it's usually a special occasion like a birthday or holiday. However, my dad loved eating out at Chinese restaurants because he was able to get greasier, spicier fare than my mom's cooking. He tried to convince my mom to go out to eat every weekend by telling her she should take a 'day off' from cooking, but my mom knew his true intent. To this day she tries to cook him healthy food and he tries to sneak away for the fried stuff. Did children have a "kiddy table" when guests were over? Yes, we never had a big table, so the kids would sit around the TV. Actually I love the kiddy table and given a choice this Thanksgiving (I'm 24 now), I still chose to sit at the kiddy table with my siblings and cousins. When did you get that first sip of wine? Maybe 8 or 9? I tried my dad's at dinner and didn't like it at all. Was there a pre-meal prayer? No, my family is Buddhist. Was there a rotating menu (e.g., meatloaf every Thursday)? Not really. We knew that when my dad went on business trips my mom would cook American food, like pasta or fish sticks or mashed potatoes. How much of your family culture is being replicated in your present-day family life? Well, I don't have to cook for anyone since I am single, but I love to cook for myself and find new recipes, try out new cuisines. At the same time, when I need some comfort I cook meals that remind me of my mother-- light (not too salty or greasy) but hearty fare like lions' heads with cabbage, meat pancakes, tofu with tomatoes and scrambled egg. When I was growing up I always thought my family was so 'different' since we ate homestyle Chinese food most of the time. So I thought maybe I was missing out on something, not having hamburgers and potatoes like my friends. I always thought my friends would not like my mom's simple cooking, so different from the moo shoo and etc. in Chinese restaurants. But now, it's nice to have that legacy, and i believe as a child, i definitely received the message that food is love, with all of my mother's efforts.
