Today is a very important day.
I know what you're probably thinking — no, I have not yet found a way to get back to Orlando. And I have not stopped searching for a way, because my number one goal is still to return and be back with my family no matter how many times people tell me that it's impossible. No, unfortunately this day is important not for any reason that falls outside of Darrow city limits. But it is the next best thing.
I am cooking dinner for Henry and his friends.
This is not the first time that I have cooked for Henry, of course. It is a little hard to get used to cooking for only one person again, and buying portions only for one person also gets irritating because I know I can get better value when I buy in bulk. So many days, I just buy wholesale and then I take the extra food over to Henry, or I drop it off at his place if he's not home, because I think that every good Asian boy should have a mother's home-style cooking now and again. But I always knew that the more interesting time would come if I could also cook for his friends.
I need to make sure that they're good friends, after all. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they eat. How picky they are, how willing they are to try new things, whether or not they have the dexterity to handle chopsticks. Table manners and conversation skills are critical too. Even though Henry is a good, responsible boy, it's always possible for a bad influence to come in and ruin everything. I need to know if there's that kind of risk! Nothing is allowed to derail him from heading towards the best future.
So I text Henry and I let him know that I'm grocery shopping and want to cook for him and all his friends. I have the address of the place they stay, I ask Henry over the phone what tools they have (that's very important, if I need to bring over my own I always do), I tell him when I'll be there so that he can tell his friends of the plan.
I make a lot of food. One, because I want to learn which dishes Henry actually likes the most. But two, again, I need to see which of his friends are open to embracing other cultures. Some of the foods are very tame and popular — pork dumplings made from scratch, Taiwanese beef rolls, and three cups chicken. For Henry, I also make kimchi pancakes, because it's important to have some Korean food too. But I also have dishes for the more adventurous — fried pork intestine, squid soup, and stinky tofu.
It's all delicious. I know, because I cooked it.
But now I shall see how his friends like the food. I have bowls of rice in front of everyone's seat, as well as chopsticks and napkins. I will not hand out forks unless someone asks or is struggling. It is a mark of good character to try, but also good to know one's limits. I seat myself next to Henry's seat because, of course, more than anything I am happy to spend time with him.
Looking around at all of their faces, I smile and wave my arm at my day's work.
"Please, eat!"
[ Note: The stinky tofu dish has a cover on it, so people will only be hit with the smell whenever someone lifts the cover to grab a piece. ]
I know what you're probably thinking — no, I have not yet found a way to get back to Orlando. And I have not stopped searching for a way, because my number one goal is still to return and be back with my family no matter how many times people tell me that it's impossible. No, unfortunately this day is important not for any reason that falls outside of Darrow city limits. But it is the next best thing.
I am cooking dinner for Henry and his friends.
This is not the first time that I have cooked for Henry, of course. It is a little hard to get used to cooking for only one person again, and buying portions only for one person also gets irritating because I know I can get better value when I buy in bulk. So many days, I just buy wholesale and then I take the extra food over to Henry, or I drop it off at his place if he's not home, because I think that every good Asian boy should have a mother's home-style cooking now and again. But I always knew that the more interesting time would come if I could also cook for his friends.
I need to make sure that they're good friends, after all. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they eat. How picky they are, how willing they are to try new things, whether or not they have the dexterity to handle chopsticks. Table manners and conversation skills are critical too. Even though Henry is a good, responsible boy, it's always possible for a bad influence to come in and ruin everything. I need to know if there's that kind of risk! Nothing is allowed to derail him from heading towards the best future.
So I text Henry and I let him know that I'm grocery shopping and want to cook for him and all his friends. I have the address of the place they stay, I ask Henry over the phone what tools they have (that's very important, if I need to bring over my own I always do), I tell him when I'll be there so that he can tell his friends of the plan.
I make a lot of food. One, because I want to learn which dishes Henry actually likes the most. But two, again, I need to see which of his friends are open to embracing other cultures. Some of the foods are very tame and popular — pork dumplings made from scratch, Taiwanese beef rolls, and three cups chicken. For Henry, I also make kimchi pancakes, because it's important to have some Korean food too. But I also have dishes for the more adventurous — fried pork intestine, squid soup, and stinky tofu.
It's all delicious. I know, because I cooked it.
But now I shall see how his friends like the food. I have bowls of rice in front of everyone's seat, as well as chopsticks and napkins. I will not hand out forks unless someone asks or is struggling. It is a mark of good character to try, but also good to know one's limits. I seat myself next to Henry's seat because, of course, more than anything I am happy to spend time with him.
Looking around at all of their faces, I smile and wave my arm at my day's work.
"Please, eat!"
[ Note: The stinky tofu dish has a cover on it, so people will only be hit with the smell whenever someone lifts the cover to grab a piece. ]