Thursday 21 June 2012

jung


I love my family. 
As quirky and dysfunctional as I believe we are, there is an incredible amount of love and care for each other. Also, a shared love for food! After moving out of home, I feel as though my relationship with my mother has improved, distance can be great for relationships. I get to appreciate and learn from my mother more when she's not around doing things for me! Makes sense.
I've been continually contacting my mother for tips on what to eat, how to source the ingredients, how to prepare it, how to cook it, and yes, just an abundance of phone calls dedicated to food. These phone calls are often accompanied by photos being sent along with a sense of triumph to prove to my mother that I have succeeded in feeding myself! 
To my surprise, I received a photo of my mother's creations tonight... Rice Pyramid Dumplings, aka Zongzi, aka Jung (in my home language Teo Chew). It's made of glutinous rice, different fillings, and wrapped in either bamboo leaves or banana leaves. They can vary in shapes, being either tetrahedral, or rectangular prism. According to Wiki, this style I have here is the northern style. 
Oh I love my mother!!

According to Wiki,
Zongzi are traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival (Mandarin: Duānwǔ; Cantonese: Tuen Ng), which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar (approximately late-May to mid-June), commemorating the death of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet from the kingdom of Chu who lived during theWarring States period. Known for his patriotism, Qu Yuan tried unsuccessfully to warn his king and countrymen against the expansionism of their Qin neighbors. When the Qin general Bai Qi took Yingdu, the Chu capital, in 278 BC, Qu Yuan's grief was so intense that he drowned himself in the Miluo river after penning theLament for Ying. According to legend, packets of rice were thrown into the river to prevent the fish from eating the poet's body.[1]

Thanks Mummy, I love you!!


Has anyone else found that moving out has improved their relationship with their parents? What's something you love, that your mum has perfected, that you aren't yet able to make?