The Food That Made Me

Kids, being sick absolutely sucks. Cold, stomach ache, cough, throw-up, diarrhea — zero stars, would not recommend.

My mother used to make this for me whenever I was sick. Bland food is good for digestion and keeping it down. Chicken noodle soup sounds comforting, but it can be too oily when you’re sick, mainly depending on the cut of the chicken. A simple veggie soup is probably better for nourishment when you’re sick.

Anyways, kids, there is nothing better than your mommy taking care of you while you are sick in bed. You are sore all over, and everything hurts. You can watch cartoons all day because schools nowadays don’t want you to spread germs. You guys are lucky because I still had to go to school whenever I was sick. But, anyway, when I was ill enough to be on my deathbed, I would lie there to watch Stephen Chow (周星馳) movies or Super Trio Series (獎門人系列). It was AWESOME. From a young age, I learned that you can laugh off no matter what happens.

Here’s the recipe:

1. Depending on how big your pot is, put half a cup to 1.5 cups of rice and wash and drain it.
2. Then, add water and fill it to 4/5 of the pot so that it doesn’t boil over when it boils.
3. Slice up a piece of ginger and throw it in. Again, I love ginger, so I like its spicy flavor.
4. Please put it on low heat and keep stirring it occasionally for about half an hour. I hate when the bottom of the pot gets sticky, so I don’t like making porridge or oatmeal much. They’re a pain to clean.
5. The consistency depends on you. My younger, older sister enjoys it thick like a paste. I appreciate it being more watery because the rice will expand and soak the water overnight. So, you can play around with the rice-to-water ratio that you like the best. It should have a wonderful, nutty, sweet smell.
6. Chop some green onions and sprinkle them on top. You can add many different things: sesame oil, chicken, onion crisps, you tiao, sesame seeds, preserved eggs, minced meat, etc. The world is your oyster. BUT, remember that you are sick. So, probably stick to the white porridge with ginger.

Nothing reminds you of human fragility quite like the struggle to hold down something as simple as white porridge, and there’s nothing more heartbreaking than seeing your child suffer, knowing there’s so little you can do. I’m sure it broke the heart of your grandma plenty of times. I miss those moments — the warmth, the comfort, the simplicity of not having a care in the world. The quiet certainty that I was being taken care of. It took me years into adulthood to recognize what a blessing that was and truly feel thankful. I wish that I could thank her. Unfortunately, we don’t recognize the beauty of things until opportunities have passed.

Your mommy is an angel, caring for me and you guys when you are sick. But there is nothing quite like your own mommy taking care of you. Unconditional love. I do hope that one day that you can recognize that your mommy loves you so much that she is willing to clean up your throw-up and poop. Your mommy will make white porridge when you’re sick, just like my mom did for me. One day, you’ll make white porridge for your kids when they’re ill — because it’s easy, cheap, and you don’t want to cook something fancy just for them to throw it up. It’s a bowl full of love — passed down from your grandma to me, from me to your mommy, and one day, from you to someone else.