Cooking Their Heritage

Although Daniel and Nathan have both gone home to their apartment in Logan, they are still on Christmas break. Nathan has culinary endeavors on his want to do list that he doesn’t have time for during school, so he and Daniel set aside today to make Chinese pretzels. Now for those of you who don’t know, this is a long, involved process. These little pieces of Chinese heaven are time consuming to create. They are also a little tricky to make if you don’t know all the best tips and tricks, so the boys have spent the past few weeks asking questions aplenty. Nathan also had a few last-minute queries, so he Facetimed me this morning as they were getting things set up. My mom provided them with a pretzel iron and my cousin Shirlene loaned them an electric skillet so armed with the appropriate tools and knowledge, they were ready to jump right in this morning. 

All their questions and prep work worked to their advantage, as they did a great job and ended up with what they thought was loads of pretzels. And technically, it really was a lot since a single batch makes about 12 dozen pretzels. But these crispy little treats are so addictive that honestly, I don’t think they will last long. Especially since they are feeding them to their friends and neighbors. I suspect they will just end up creating more Chinese pretzel junkies. 😂

I am so glad that my kids are embracing their heritage and are working to learn how to create the foods that we all love. I have realized in the past few months that my mom and I have a lot of information in our heads that will be lost if we don’t pass it on to the next generation. To that end, I’ve really been trying to add all those little tidbits to my recipes so that when my kids cook, they have the benefit of my years of experience. And I’ve been picking my mom’s brain and adding her tidbits to the knowledge base as well. Because honestly, she has a ton of information in her head that she doesn’t think about sharing unless specifically asked.

I’m just pleased as punch that my kids value their heritage and are working to preserve it. At only ¼ Chinese their blood is getting a little thin, but that doesn’t matter. Although it is funny to see people’s initial reactions when Nathan tells them he is part Chinese. 😜