Hi everyone,
What would you do if you want to drink a glass of frozen margarita today? It is a very simple thing to make it nowadays, but it was not when I grew up. You have a blender to help you making it. In the past, we had to buy a big rock of ice and then you shaved the ice by hand. This is one example to show how difficult our life was. Mama’ got up early in the morning to go to the open market. Mama’ started fire with wooden sticks and newspaper to burn the charcoal on the stove. She put five cups of rice in the cooking pot. She measured water with her index finger about one and one half inch above the rice. She let the rice cook while she cut up the meat and vegetables on the hard and heavy cutting block. When the water was boiling down to the same level with the rice, she reduced the heat by taking some red hot charcoals out to another stove for stir fry cooking and also for boiling water. She boiled water to make a big pot of Chinese tea and for washing clothes. Mama’ washed our clothes by hand and hanged on the cloth lines. I picked them up when I came home from my school. Mama’ gave me three bahts (about 15 cents in American currency) for my daily allowance. This was my lunch and drink. I walked two miles to my high school everyday. The choice of public transportation at that times were SAM RAW ( human labor tricycles ), ROD RANG ( electric tram ), bus and taxi. SAM RAW and ROD RANG had been banned in Bangkok. SAM RAW had been replaced by TUK TUK ( motor tricycles ), because SAM RAW was too slow. Bangkok was growing fast and modern. I will get lost in Bangkok if I travel alone by myself. Bangkok today has Free way, Sky train, Sub way and Sky Scrapers. Back to my high school day, I had to wear the school uniform, white short sleeves shirt and blue knee high short. On my left side of the shirt above my shirt packet is my first name and my high school identification number. Both of them are hand embroidery stitches and my mama’ did them for me. I got five white school shirts to wear to school, the same as my two brothers. Mama’ did them all by hand. The sewing machine operated by foot pedal, the pedal spun the wheel, and the wheel got the belt to make the sewing machine moving for stitches. Life in general consumed a lot of time in making things. I forgot to tell you when mama’ and I prepared the meal in the kitchen. Mama’ had to have a wet stone right beside her when she was cutting up the meat. They didn’t have the knife sharpening, we used the wet stone to sharp the knife with. Some of the Chinese dishes required ground meat, mama’ cut up meat in small pieces, then she beat them up with pestle and stone. She beat it until the meat was fine and ground. I write this post because I realize how much my mama’ was giving such an unconditional love to her family. We should be happy and cherish what we have now. You don’t miss them until they are gone.
I appreciate the comments that I have received. Please share with me about your own life if you have grown up like me. Good-bye for now.
Mana
Hi everyone,
Chinese culture is a very unique and nice one. Every culture is very interesting to learn. I was born and grew up with Chinese life and traditions. I would like to tell you about Chinese traditions when I grew up. Some of the traditions I like and some of them I don’t agree with. In America, most children are always looking for Christmas holiday. At that time, they are expecting their wishes to come true. They want to see what they get inside of their presents. They ask Santa Claus for their wishes. For Chinese children around the world, they wait for Chinese New Year to come. On Chinese New year, their families will help each other to clean the whole house, they believe to get rid of the bad luck. Their mother will prepare all delicious meals. My Mama’ always prepare a lot of authentic good Chinese food. We always have the whole table full of Chinese food, my mouth is watering now. Chinese children are not only looking for the great meal of the year. They are looking for a lot of red envelope, inside the red envelope is money. Red envelope ( Ang Pao in Hokkien and Lai See in Cantonese ) is a monetary gift which is given during holidays of special occasions. The red color of the envelope symbolizes good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits. Red envelopes are typically given to the unmarried by the married. All Chinese children are feeling rich on Lunar Chinese New Year. They get the red envelopes from the grand parents, their uncles, aunts, etc. The sound of drum, the dragon dance, the tiger dance, and the sound of fire crackers everywhere. This is the sound of happiness by all the Chinese.
The wedding tea ceremony is one of the beautiful and touching traditions. The bride and groom are wearing red wardrobes. The red color symbolizes good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits. The bride and groom have to light candles, incense and offer foods for their ancestors ( most of them are written name tablets ). They have to be on their knees and bow three times to be accept into the families and show their respects also. Then the bride and groom serve each other a cup of tea and bow to each other to show their commitment and respect to each other. After that the bride and groom are to be kneeling down in front of groom’ parents. They serve a cup of tea to groom mother and father and ask them to accept a cup of tea. They will say ” Mama’ yum cha and Papa’ yum cha “. Once the parents take the cup of tea and drink, it means they are accept the bride into their families. They will then give the bride and groom the red envelope and jeweleries as the gift. The bride and groom bow three times and accept the gifts. This Chinese wedding tea ceremony is still going on today. It has been carry on thousand of years.
The Chinese parents love to have a son more than a daughter. They want their sons to carry on their last names and for the daughters will belong to other families once they married. When the Chinese families have a first borned daughter, they will keep trying to have a son to carry their last name. That is why the Chinese government permit only one child per family. They already have high population problem, other wise those families will keep having children to have a son. I can understand this tradition, but I can not understand about their feeling toward their daughters. They give their daughters to another families like a piece of furniture. If they die, they will not leave anything for their daughter at all. They think their daughter carry somebody else last names, they are not their family anymore. What a tragedy! You treat your own flesh and blood that way. I don’t agree with this Chinese traditions at all. My grandfather did not leave anything for my Mama’ at all when he passed away. Same thing happened to my sister, my Papa’ did not give my sister anything at all. It is sad! I will not do that to my daughter. I will give her love, support and when I die she will inherit some of my belongings. This is some of Chinese traditions I want to share with you today.
Hope you enjoy this post, I see you later.
Mana
