Mother’s Day has been bittersweet since the passing of my mom over 20 years ago. I was 11 or 12 when she died, but my recollection of her is a beautiful, strong, fashionable, funny and hard-working woman. She was extremely likable, as friends and family all gravitated towards her. She exuded great confidence, but also humility. She was a loving wife and mother, often bringing laughter into our lives through her silliness and contagious laugh. I also remember her being a great cook 👩🍳. Recipes were all in her head and improved through taste, tweaks and trial & error! Despite having immigrated from China, my mother spent quite some time experimenting with American cooking. We ate Asian food most of the time, but her open-mindedness made room for steaks, pasta and salads. Some traditional Chinese parents may prohibit raw foods, whether meat or vegetables, so I appreciate my parent’s acceptance of the American diet. Boy were our dinners well-balanced. Dinners constituted 1 or 2 protein sources, vegetables, a bowl of white rice (of course!) and a large pot of soup. Now that I have become a mother, I wonder how my mom, who was also a working parent, made time to cook multiple dishes, with a pot of soup, for a family of 6.
Happy Mother’s Day, mommy! We all have the best, lasting memories of you ❤️. Thanks for inspiring me to cook with love and allowing me to learn from the BEST! I wish you passed down your spring roll recipe though! 😝
As far as how my Quarantined Mother’s Day of 2020 went: Steve made me breakfast (eggs w/ onions, separated, and hashbrowns) 🤭. It was simple but it felt SO nice having food ready for me upon waking rather than worrying about what I have to cook. Speaking of which, I also got to sleep in, which felt AH-MAZING since, as we all know, sleep deprivation follows parenthood. We then went to a nearby park to play some basketball, watch our daughter exhaust herself so she can get a good night’s sleep, and for a breath of fresh air. The sun was out and it was the perfect day to be with my family. Earlier in the day, I spent a couple of hours baking some goodies for some moms. We ended the day with some Thai take-out, which was nice because I didn’t have to cook, it was better than my cooking, and it really hit the spot. COVID-19 may have locked us in for Mother’s Day but we still kicked your a$$ and had a great time 😛.
Happy Quarantined Mother’s Day to all superwomen!
