Intro
“For many Chinese families, making dumplings isn’t just about enjoying good food; it’s a way to preserve intergenerational bonds. ”
When I was a child, I often lay on the kitchen table and watched my mother roll out the dumpling skin carefully. The flour gently flies in the air, and the fragrance of onions, ginger, and garlic mixes together, making the whole kitchen full of the smell of home. Each dumpling is made of a mother's skillful techniques, both regular and warm. At that time, our home was far away from our hometown, but whenever I made dumplings, I felt like I was back at my grandma's house and felt a rare sense of stability. Nowadays, whenever I take my first bite of dumplings, I can recall those young dinners - busy and lively, but always warm.
--Childhood memories
Cross-border perspective--
When I first arrived overseas, everything seemed unfamiliar: language, culture, and diet all took time to adapt. I accidentally found a Chinese supermarket nearby, and I immediately thought of dumplings from my hometown. That day I bought pork, leeks, and flour that can make dumpling skins, and invited friends who are also in a foreign land to make dumplings together. We were in a small kitchen in a foreign country, talking and dividing our labors - some rolling the dough, some mixing the filling, and some responsible for cooking dumplings. This process is not only about filling my stomach but also about a spiritual baptism. It made me realize that no matter how far I am from home, as long as I can make dumplings with familiar people, I can get a little bit of the feeling of home.
The New Year’s Eve dinner is the most important moment of reunion in our family, and making dumplings is the “soul link” of this reunion. My aunt is the absolute main force in making dumplings and is also a "folk master" with superb skills. She always likes to make the dumpling filling fragrant but not greasy, and she also patiently teaches me how to use my thumb and index finger to pinch neat folds. My parents occasionally try fresh flavors, such as adding mushrooms, shrimp or spices to give the traditional filling a little more innovative. The youngest younger brother and sister always imitated adults excitedly, but they often pinched the dough into pieces, making their families laugh. Such a lively "dumpling scene" is filmed in videos every year by us as a souvenir; it also makes me personally realize that dumplings carry not only delicious food, but also the emotional memory and cultural foundation of a family.
--Intergenerational inheritance
