food memoir

1st draft
Food memoir: Mung rice noodle For all of us, there are several kinds of food in our deep memories. These foods are different from others because they are not only what we eat but also what we experience. Last week, when my teacher asked us which food existed in our deep memories, the first one came to my mind was Mung rice noodle. Each time mentioning Mung rice noodle, I will think of my wonderful childhood and sweet home. I belong to Tujia, one of the Chinese minorities. Mung rice noodle has been produced by Tujia people, and most of us are used to make it our breakfasts. Simply, from the name, it comes from the marriage of mung and rice. However, Tujia people are used to add soybeans into the mixture of mung and rice. To be honest, I have never made it by myself, instead, I saw my grandmother made it when I was in the primary school. Firstly, my grandmother soaked the soybean, mung and rice in the water one day before using them. After one day, she grinded them into slurry by the millstone. Then, she brushed little colza oil in the iron pan and circled the slurry evenly in the pan. That was my first time knowing how to make Mung rice noodle and I can still remember that the fresh smell of it jumped out just in one second. After it was done, my grandma put it in the hot water and added ginger, scallion, garlic, peper, chilli oil and meat sauce. She smiled at me: “babe, you gonna finish it!” After eating it up, I understood why my grandma was so confident that I could finish it at the beginning. There is a sweet story related to Mung rice noodle. When I was in the primary school, my mother usually got up half an hour earlier than me to make Mung rice noodle as my breakfasts. She could always make new flavors to surprise me. I was extremely curious that why she could make so many flavors, and I asked her. She looked at me mysteriously: “ if I make the same flavor all the way, you will be bored at breakfasts, that is not a good habit”. At that time, I did not think too much on her answers. But gradually, especially after studying abroad, I realize that the primary reason she made different flavors is that she loves me. Up to now, in my life, my mother is the only one who genuinely cares how is my breakfast. Eating is the easiest way to make us satisfied and food is the easiest thing we will remember. They may be a certain birthday cake, the dishes we ate with our first love, or the party dinner in a special holiday. No matter what it is, the memory for that moment will exist in our whole life. When we are old, we may forget the flavor itself at all. However, we will remember the feeling of surprise, warm, satisfied, happy and even pain till the end.

2nd draft
Food memoir: Mung rice noodle If you can choose only one food as your life-long food, what is it? For me, it is definitely the Mung rice noodle. I belong to Tujia, one of the Chinese minorities. Mung rice noodle has been produced by Tujia people and most of us are used to make it our breakfasts. Simply, from the name, it comes from the marriage of mung and rice. However, Tujia people usually add soybeans into the mixture of mung and rice. Mostly, we buy original Mung rice noodle and add flavors as we like at home. To be honest, I have never made it by myself, instead, I saw my grandmother made it when I was in the primary school. Firstly, she soaked the soybean, mung and rice in the water one day before using them. After one day, she grinded all ingredients into slurry by the millstone and mixed them with the potato starch. Then, she brushed little colza oil, similar to the corn oil, in the iron pan and circled the slurry evenly in the pan. Imagine what! Just in one second, the fresh smell of caramelized starch jumped out. After taking a breath, I touched the beans aroma in the air. Grandma was excited: “Come on, Joey, look at the grey-green circle lines here, are they like tree’s growth rings.” Yes, it really was! That was my first time knowing how to make fresh Mung rice noodle. After it was done, grandma put it in the hot water and added sliced ginger, scallion, garlic powder, white pepper, chilli oil and meat sauce. She smiled at me: “girl, you gonna finish it!” After eating it up, I understood why my grandma was so confident that I could finish it at the beginning. Frankly, I cannot describe the flavor correctly now. However, one thing I am sure about is that, when eating it, I felt nothing else matters. Similar to many youngsters, I like to go to bars and enjoy having fun with my friends in the night. However, no matter how late I sleep, I will get up the next day to eat the breakfast. This habit is related to the Mung rice noodle. When I was in the primary school, my mother usually got up half an hour earlier than me to cook Mung rice noodle as my breakfasts. She could always create new flavors to surprise me. Gradually, the new flavor of the Mung rice noodle became my impetus to get up. Even more, I deem a tasty breakfast as the beginning of a great day. Once, I was extremely curious that why mom could create so many flavors, and I asked her. She looked at me mysteriously: “ if I make the same flavor all the way, you will be bored at breakfasts, that is not a good habit”. At that time, I did not think too much on her answers. But gradually, I have realized that the real reason she made variable flavors is that she loves me. After studying abroad, the most frequent questions from my mom is: what is your breakfast. Up to now, in my life, my mom is the only one who genuinely cares how is my breakfast. For all of us, there are some foods in our deep memories. These foods are unique and unforgettable because they are not only what we ate but also what we experienced. Eating is the easiest way to make us satisfied and food is the easiest thing we will remember. They may be a certain birthday cake, the dishes we ate with our first love, and the party dinner in a special holiday. When we are old, we may forget the flavor itself at all. However, we will keep in mind the feeling of surprise, warmth, satisfaction, happiness and even pain related to these foods because they are part of our lives.