*Revised Version
Simple
Dishes
Food
not only possesses soul, but also can arouse the soul.
At
the age of fifteen, I left my home country, and travelled across the Pacific
Ocean to the United States as an international student. At that time, the
young, curious, and excited me was looking forward to experiencing the exotic
culture and everything there. My transition to the new environment was quite
smooth. I gradually adapted to and felt comfortable in the new school, the
English-speaking environment, and the people around me. However, there was one
thing I could never adapt to, even to this day, and that is the food.
When
in China, I, as well as many of my peers, would always became so excited when
the bell marking the end of morning classes would ring. We would rush to the
canteen, queue up at the food counters which we like, and then, sit together to
enjoy the food and brief recess between classes. To me, that was a highlight of
my day. Eating what I liked made me feel satisfied and pleasant.
Nevertheless,
while in American high school, my perception of having meals changed. Meals became
much less important to me. Walking to the cafeteria, choosing whatever I like,
then sitting with friends to have lunch and dinner seemed to be a daily routine
rather than something exciting as before. I ruminated, but couldn’t find the
reason for my loss of passion. Certainly, it was not about the quality of the
food served in the cafeteria, as I genuinely liked the cheeseburger supplied
every day and the lamp chop provided occasionally, and there were also some
other foods that I preferred. However, a sense of incompleteness would always
emerge when I was eating the American food, and what exactly was lacking did
not appear to be obvious.
Later,
I found out the answer to the question at the night of mid-autumn festival, a
traditional Chinese holiday. Since my school was located in a rural area and
there was no Chinese restaurant within walkable distance, my friend Tingwei and
I decided to cook ourselves a home-style dinner for celebrating the festival. Deciding
on what to cook was not an easy task. Neither Tingwei and I had much culinary
experience. Therefore, after a round of brainstorming and process of
elimination, we made a safe choice on food to be cooked: lo mein and fried egg
with luncheon meat. Both are fairly easy to prepare. The first dish requires us
to boil the noodles thoroughly and then mix them with moderate amount of sesame
oil, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. The second dish requires us to simply cook
the luncheon meat on a pan and pour egg mixture on top of it. I took
responsibility for preparing the lo mein as that is a typical Cantonese
breakfast dish and I had abundant experience on controlling the amount of each
sauce. Tingwei, simultaneously, carefully mixed the luncheon meat with the egg
on the pan.
The
dinner was ready after thirty minutes of endeavor. The two dishes were
extremely simple, so simple that most families in China even refuse to regard them
as qualified components of a regular family meal. However, to us, eating this
simplest but most authentic self-made Chinese food make us satisfied. It was
indeed an unforgettable meal for Tingwei and I. The food was not complicated at
all, and the quality was not superior, but it was the taste of home.
Good job! The wording is still a bit off when you write "qualified components," but overall, you have made great revisions in this draft.
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