Growing up in a Chinese home and being sent to school with some sort of funk in my lunch thermos that would permeate the lunch room did not help my popularity in elementary school. Last night’s dinner of braised pork belly with pickled mustard greens over rice would be the only thing on my mind leading up to lunch time. Nowhere to be found in my He-Man lunchbox were there any fucks packed by my mom to give about the kids who thought it was gross; frozen chicken nuggets or peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat and other latch-key loveless lunches. Trying to explain what my lunch was, I fought fodder for ridicule and ultimately groomed my passion for Chinese cuisine and subsequent appreciation.
I was talking to a friend last night and he mentioned how he missed snowboarding. He accidentally walked out of my house with a black eye and I was less one friend. This kind of weather makes me not want to do anything other than sit in front of a fan and bitch about the heat. More seriously, it diminishes my appetite (imagine that!) and I find myself looking for lighter meal alternatives. Trying to wrap my head about the concept of light-eating, something in particular came to mind.
I know people like to stick with what they know, and deviating from the norm is something difficult for most. So if you have a hard time trying dumplings other than the standard ones that fill up your table, take a baby stop and try the scallop dumpling.