MULTI-MEAL II

“Thief! Thief! Stop him!”

I waived my arms to imitate the scene for my friends. Years ago, my bag was stolen on the Eurail train. Panicked at the moment, I managed to handle the situation like many times before. “…then I was like ‘On m’a volé mon sac,’ but they didn’t understand!”

Laughters burst out as I made the funny face. It was Christmas Eve and the night before my birthday. My friends gathered at my home for the “hearty dinner” I promised. I was good at cooking, and I triumphantly showed off all the recipes I knew—no other high school girl would ever learn cooking from 30 countries!

As we ate, I couldn’t hold myself back from telling the story of me and foods from across the world. My journey began with the typical cheeseburgers on the left side of the table. It was simple but also the first food I tried to prepare as a young child. I spent my early childhood in New York City, where I once made cheeseburgers in kindergarten. The Phad-Thai and Egyptian moussaka on the right marked my memory of traveling: buying recipes in Cambodia, showing my PingPong skills in Luxembourg…Then, my friend started joking about “traditional” British food.

“That was totally stereotyped. They are good!” I recalled my visit to the University of Cambridge. When my fellow Chinese travelers and I discussed Xu Zhimo’s Taking Leave of Cambridge Again, the famous Chinese poem, locals were confused by our excitement. At the nearby restaurant, I wondered if the poet had ever tasted the same fish and chips as me. I might not memorize all the detailed biography I learned in school, but the poetic feeling was inherited in my bones so much that I couldn’t help to share the poetry’s story. The small restaurant soon became a culture party that night.

“It’s delicious!” My friend pulled me out of my memory. She was trying beer and beef stew, the Belgian dish in which I added Shaoxing wine instead of beer. I learned this unique recipe from a Chinese assistant manager in Belgium. As the first Asian manager and now the first Asian senior manager in that hotel, he proudly offered every help to my family during our trip across Belgium. In return, whenever I see a lost traveler at the airport, I always volunteer to help without hesitation.

Nevertheless, Yangzhou Fried Rice was always my signature dish. Friendships grew beyond cultures and languages with all the wonderful people I met during my travels. Yangzhou Fried Rice was the dish that I cooked for friendship.

In Alaska, I met an old couple celebrating their Golden Anniversary. My family was invited to their home, where we made dumplings together. Their granddaughter was roughly the same age as me but had more colorful hair and accessories. After hours of chatting, she learned several Chinese words as I caught my first glimpse of American teen culture. In 2019, they traveled to Beijing, and I finally cooked my special rice for them. Despite the inconvenience of using chopsticks with rice, I appreciated their effort to show their best respect to a local family. I introduced every bit of history I knew of Beijing and learned more by comparing the historical stories of cities and countries.

The laughter of that dinner still echoed in my mind, gradually harmonized with the joy of this Christmas Eve. I viewed the photos of the dinner, planning to post a new article to share global food cultures on my WeChat Official Account. As the minute hand of the clock pointed towards 12, I made my birthday wish: I would meet more people, learn all the special dishes, and cook for people of every culture.

“Then? Did you find your bag?”

The clock chimed as I smiled, “No—but I learned some Frech in that trip. And a new recipe!”

THANKS FOR YOUR ENJOYING

HOPE YOU LOVE MULTI-MEAL