Author: Jing

煮汤圆

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图注：元宵真难拍啊，尤其搁在白色的碗里头。

以为元宵节已经过去很久了，打开日历一看，原来今天才不过正月十八。不知是时间过得太慢，还是我终于走快了一些。今天打开「下厨房」就看到了我的上一篇文章，心里挺高兴的。若不是「下厨房」，我或许根本不会想到认真给自己的厨房生活一个交代。

言归正传，似乎越是人在国外，才越觉得传统佳节得过，像是在形式上给自己一个交代。父母也总会在这个时候关心：「节是怎么过的啊？有朋友在身边一块儿吗？」不论离家多远、多久，父母的那颗心总是挂着。中国的传统节日，当然只有中国人才过。节日的气氛只能在中国超市略窥一二。没有功夫买糯米粉，也没有功夫做芝麻馅儿，赶去买了两袋汤圆，一袋白糯米黑芝麻馅儿，一袋紫糯米白芝麻馅儿。

【此段含煮法】
邓艳早在元宵节前一个礼拜就买好了汤圆，白糯米花生馅儿。我俩决定一起过，正反也都只是个形式。在她来之前，我就先把一块儿黄糖（大概 1.5 个方糖大小）搁在锅里化了，加了些水烧开。发短信告诉她水已经备好了，就等下汤圆了。一个个白白胖胖的汤圆下进锅里（20个），想说他们像是找到家的孩子，但明明是下滚水啊，真不忍心。等到他们一个个飘在上头了，就可以出锅了。千万别煮太久，加州的阳阳妹就因为汤圆煮太久变成了她口中的「芝麻糊煮面疙瘩」。

速冻的元宵和饺子恐怕是最容易煮的食物，「速冻」技术的发明绝对是偷懒者的福音。过去煮饺子要有「三杯水」，现在买来的水饺，基本上煮一会儿就能熟，煮久了反倒会炸开或者被泡滂，面就不好吃了。记不清多久没吃手工的面食了。小时候在外婆家，外婆每天都会做面食，面擀好了，切成粗条就是宽面，切成细条就是细面，揪成片状就是面片。

汤圆还是爱吃芝麻馅儿的。可还是没吃几颗就腻了。果不出所料，爸妈晚上问起元宵节有没有吃汤圆，我说吃了呀，还吃了两种馅儿的呢。从 QQ 上把我下的汤圆图发给老妈看，她说：「哎呦，现在一看到汤圆就有点想吐。」她也是吃腻了。你不会知道我有多爱糯米，但唯独元宵是例外，原因不详。

厨房故事

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从来都不是一个好厨子，却偏要给一类文章取一个名字：「厨子」。就让我借着此片说说我的厨房情结也好。我的厨房情结就是：没有厨房情结。对于厨房，从来都没有一种别样的感情。从小到大，从来没有想过自己做饭，或许是我活得太优越？很小的时候吃爸爸炒的菜，记忆里没有好吃不好吃，只是不喜欢吃青菜，因为嗓子细，容易卡住。后来，他们说我长得不高，就是因为没好好吃青菜。

记忆里的第一个厨房在80年代末的筒子楼里，家里一室一厅，厨房在公用走廊的对面。一个烧煤的炉子、一架炒锅、一把锅铲，这就是全部。那时候我爸担任家里的大厨，做了些什么菜我都记不太清了，生活过得可以用清贫来形容。老爸是一个技术宅，用现在的网络语言说，是一款纯屌丝型男人，看起来很居家。我跟我妈都不挑他做的饭，也不挑他提供给我们的生活。

上图说明：据说拍食物的时候加双筷子会看起来好吃。

爸爸后来不做饭了，因为教会了妈妈。所以可想而知，我妈的厨艺也不是很精湛。对于食物的容忍度，想必是从小时候就培养起来的。尽管起步晚，但做了十多年也算熟能生巧。很难说是我的口味培养了我妈的厨艺，还是我妈的厨艺培养了我的口味。她的拿手菜排第一的是「红烧仔鸡」，我对鸡很挑，比如不吃肥到流油的洋鸡，也不吃土到没肉的土鸡，只吃介于中间的那种。我不吃白爪子的鸡，只吃黑爪子的鸡，不吃乌鸡。

我不管这叫挑食，暗暗觉得是老妈的手艺把我培养成了这个样子。第二道拿手菜是「红烧基围虾」。味道辣辣的，现在想起还流口水。每回同学来家做客，老妈都会上一道红烧基围虾，用好评如潮来形容一点不过分。老妈鱼做得不是很好，这跟我不爱吃鱼有很大的关系。像我说的，的确也很难讲清楚是我的口味造就了我妈，或是我妈的手艺造就了我对食物的品位。

第一次搬家，新房子两室一厅有单独的厨房，在单元楼里，那时我上三年级。厨房不大，四五平方米的样子，有锅有铲子。在这个家里住了十年，几乎每一天都是我妈在做饭。老爸作为男屌丝技术流终于逆袭，于是家里的伙食也变得好了许多。过去没见过的食材诸如海鲜之流也终于得以上桌。对了，我妈不爱吃怪动物，怪动物包括除了鸡、鱼、猪、虾、螃蟹之外的所有动物，这个习惯一直让我觉得我也不吃怪动物。直到有一天，我在外面吃饭，觉得牛肉和羊肉味道都不错。

第二次搬家，厨房大了一些，厨具先进了一些，食材倒是没怎么变，我妈依然不吃怪动物，偶尔为了我跟我爸做些牛肉、羊肉，带着施舍我们几天好日子的心态。上大学在家吃的日子变少了。我是在武汉上的大学，起初吃不惯食堂，后来觉得大锅煮的土豆真香，最常打的菜是香干肉丝和玉米鸡丁。所以玉米和鸡在我生命中，还挺重要的。再后来，就开始了在学校附近的小吃街混吃的生活。武汉好吃的的确不少，豆皮、热干面、酸辣粉、臭豆腐，小吃街有的基本都吃过。

今天听邓艳说，她看过一个理论，说一个人的口味取决于他七岁前所吃过的食物。回忆下我七岁前吃的，应该是姥姥做的面和馒头。看来对面食的喜爱也不是没来由的。今天的我，在佛州这个充满阳光，嗯，和海鲜的地方，有了自己的厨房。我不怎么做饭，总嚷嚷时间少，其实是自己太懒惰。看到「下厨房」上的人们po出的一张张美食，总想着有天我也应该拍几张，不枉费我花时间捯饬锅铲子。

另外，我有一个未完成的心愿，希望有一天把所有给我做过饭的人都聚在一张桌子上，比如我的爸爸妈妈外公外婆奶奶舅舅姑姑阿姨，所有这些把他们的爱放在食物里做给我吃的人，我也想好好做一顿好吃的饭给他们。姑且算作我最新的厨房情结吧。

Happy Valentine’s Day

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Sweet Strawberries

Sweet Strawberries

It has been a long time since the last time I updated this blog. I am sorry I was away for months. Luckily I’ve got the courage to come back and share my life with you again. I am not a good cook. I tend to mess things up just like what I’ve done with my life.

I was struggling with the idea of sticking around here or changing to somewhere else. The decision is still not made, but I become more certain of what I want.

I got invited to a Valentine’s party at an old couple’s house today. On the invitation card, it says “to bring something red.” Red? Out of nowhere, I think of strawberries. I am not a big strawberry fan, since few strawberries are actually sweet. Most of the time, they are sour. And Having what is called a trypophobia, I can’t stand staring at the seeds on its little body.

Fine, call me weird… But if you are with me, you will know the feeling. I developed my love for strawberries when I discovered that strawberries in Florida’s farms are mostly sweet, I mean really sweet. But to be 100 percent sure, I add chocolate covers on them like it’s shown in the above picture.

Strawberries in Refrigerator

Strawberries in Refrigerator

Here is a group photo. Aren’t they cute? I am not bragging about my cooking skill. As a matter of fact, I am never a good cook. What I usually do in cooking is trying not to ruin the original flavor of the material.

Speaking of Valentine’s Day, I see several couples break up last year which is sad because I’ve always thought they could end up together. Their stories seem like fairy tales to me. I was so happy for them and at the same time jealous of what they were having.

However, I still believe in love and still believe in “soul mate.” To end my rambling today, I want to thank Paul and Donna, who invited me for dinner and taught me so much things about love. I’m sorry to hear that their beloved dog Emma died of cancer yesterday. I used to play with her whenever I came to their house. She was a lovely, cute and indeed clever little dog. She was only five. May she rest in peace.

I wish you a late Happy Valentine’s Day no matter you have or not have a valentine.

Love,
Momo

[Business Report] Day 3 gathering information

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I gathered information for a local artist Jenn Garrett today at work. And I found several things of importance when gathering a person’s information through the internet.

1. From the person’s website, her bio is on the website, searching for her name using Google, which is a common choice for everybody

2. The thing I learned is that you have to learn how to put the information together in a reasonable and logic order

3. came up with questions that might be interested to ask

Remember, always be organized.

When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing. Enrique Jardiel Poncela quotes (Spanish writer, 1901-1952)

Keep going!

—Momo Jin

[Business Report] Talking to Rick Beardsley

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I went to Artisans’ Guild Gallery (AGG) today and luckily got a chance to talk to Rick Beardsley, one of the founder of AGG. He has been here for 45 years. He talked about how their committee vote to approve an artist to join their group. AGG is founded first to gather artists to decrease their costs in selling their art pieces.

Some of the artists eventually broke out with them to set up their own studios and some stuck with them and keep contributing to the gallery. I saw a bunch of interesting art pieces there and bought three greeting cards designed by Mandy. I first ran into Abe the wood artist and he recommended several artists that I could talk to. They are:

1. Pete Senesac jewelry
2. Anne Seraphine painting
3. Anne Gilroy painting
4. Harriet Huss painting
5. Candace McCaffery quilting
6. Sandra Matasick jewelry
7. Kana Handel painting
8. Eleanor Blair painting

As they told me, every artist likes to talk about their arts. Dick said probably sometime I could bring him a copy of Business Report.

I came up with some questions to ask about the artists in the AGG:

1. How they decide to join the group and what the process of it?
2. Do they sell art pieces at their studios also? What percentage of their arts has been contributed to the gallery?
3. How they cooperate with the gallery?
4. Do they use other agent? Do they contact other sources to promote their work?

According to Dick, artists in AGG only need to contribute 4 hours per month. They take shifts. Around holidays like Christmas, they have about 8 hours. Still, they get plenty of time to do the art.

Finish today’s work then, hoping for a better tomorrow.

—Momo Jin

[Business Report] Day 2: keep learning

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“There is no stupid question in journalism.” My supervisor Chris said to me today. There isn’t any time for me to get used to the environment and to the people. I have to adapt myself to the working status and prove that I am a qualified reporter.

Always find what to do instead of waiting for someone to tell you what to do. Everybody is busy doing their own tasks, you have to find your job. Doing some researches or finding some relevant materials are all good choices.

Speak louder with confidence. But that comes from being well-prepared. My colleagues are probably the nicest people in the world. They all love their jobs and treat me with patience. It’s truly being a pleasure working with them.

I have listed several artists I would like to interview today. I am planning to go down to the Artisans’ Guild Gallery tomorrow to find out what stories are lying there.

Looking back on Day 1, I watched how Scott, my boss, arrange the assignments and decide on advertising strategies. It’s hard to be a leader in a team. I have a lot to learn.

So, wish me luck then!

—Momo Jin

All Things Bright and Beautiful

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I am about to embark on a wonderful trip of finding myself by writing this personal blog.

With me getting older and older, memories start to fade and sometimes twist. Strangely, I remember things from ten years ago and cannot recall what I did two hours before I sit in front of my Poker. (yep, I decided to call my computer Poker, isn’t that a cool name?) I began to realize how much I love Poker when he was sent to be repaired. He lost his memories now. Woo, I used “he” before I knew it. Hum…that could mean something.

It’s hard not to enjoy your life when you are in a sunshine state and surrounded by cute animals and flowers. I blame myself for not going out in a fine weather. Yet what I did most in the past year was sitting at home, chatting with Poker. Yes, I am what people called the stay-at-home type. Memories are so important that you need to create bright ones instead of dark ones.

I like writing in different languages, that makes me feel like playing – playing with the words. Words are brilliant creatures. They know you like you know them. They help you express hatred and love. They play with you and sometimes destroys you. But if you play with them carefully and smartly, they would become lovely elves leading your way.

Each language has its own rules and characters. They are floating in my head. By grabbing some of them and putting them together in a new order, I establish a brand new world only meaningful to myself. Well, hopefully you can sense this kind of joy in any possible way.

All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful

Have you seen these books written by James Herriot. To tell you the truth, I have bought them all yet haven’t read any of them.

—Momo Jin