Here are ten stories of bonding around food, gathered and tucked away from my own memories and through interviews with friends.
—Narrated in the first person and translated from Chinese to English
【1】一勺蟹黄
每年秋天，
是大闸蟹的季节，
家里买的都是公蟹，
因为只有公的才有蟹黄，
我是一个很懒的人，
但是碗里总会有一勺堆成小山的蟹黄出现，
我说你们吃吧不用给我，
他们会说他们爱吃其他的部位
…
A Spoon of Crab Roe
Every autumn,
it’s hairy crab season.
At home, we always buy the male crabs—
they’re the ones with the golden roe.
I’m not the type to peel and pick.
I’m lazy when it comes to food.
but somehow,
there’s always a spoonful of crab roe
piled like a little mountain in my bowl.
I tell them,
“It’s okay, you eat it. I don’t need it.”
But they’ll always say,
“We like the other parts more anyway…”
【2】一碟通心菜
一碟猪油拌通心菜，
我整整连续吃了18年，
后来，
我远赴海外念书了
…
前年，我有幸回国待20多天，
家里的通心菜就准备了20多天，
当我意识到要用手机记录下来，
回过头发现已经被我吃完了
A Plate of Water Spinach
For 18 years straight,
I ate the same dish almost every day—
stir-fried water spinach with pork lard.
Then I went abroad to study,
miles away from home.
Two years ago,
I was lucky to return home for just over 20 days.
For each of those 20 days,
that same plate of water spinach was always there on the table.
By the time I thought to take a photo of it,
I looked back—
and realized I had already eaten the last bite.
【3】一块鱼肉
当餐桌上，
出现有一道清蒸鱼时，
总会有一双筷子熟练地从我的侧边伸出，
并对准鱼的腹部，
再落入我的碗中
…
A Piece of Fish
Whenever there was a steamed fish on the dinner table,
a pair of chopsticks would always reach out from my side—
quickly and skillfully,
going straight for the tender belly of the fish,
and dropping it gently into my bowl.
【4】一碗汤
我一直很好奇，
家里的汤如果拿去店里买会不会亏本？
不知道为什么家里的汤，
像是碗底永远贴着“再来一碗”，
我望向汤锅，
像是一口井，
等到接近较低的汤位线，
会发现，
我看到的汤料，
原来只是冰山一角
A Bowl of Soup
I’ve always wondered—
if the soup from home were sold in a restaurant,
would we be losing money?
There’s something about homemade soup.
It always feels like there’s a little message hiding at the bottom of the bowl:
“WIN A FREE BOWL.”
When I look into the soup pot,
it feels like gazing into a deep well.
And just when I think the soup is almost gone,
I see the ingredients at the bottom—
and realize what I saw before
was only the tip of the iceberg.
【5】一碗方便面
肚子总会在夜深人静的时候，
发出咕噜咕噜的响声，
我知道又得挨骂了，
我小心翼翼地去柜子里翻找着零食，
这时总会被第一时间发现，
“我说了吧，吃饭的时候不吃多点，你看又饿了吧…”
两眼相视后，
没多久，
餐桌上又会出现一碗方便面
…
A Bowl of Instant Noodles
Late at night,
when the world quiets down,
my stomach would always start growling again.
I knew I’d be scolded.
Still, I tiptoed to the cupboard,
searching for snacks.
But without fail,
I’d get caught right away—
“I told you! You never eat enough during dinner,
and now you’re hungry again…”
After exchanging a few looks,
not long after,
a steaming bowl of instant noodles
would appear on the table.
【6】一盘草莓
午觉起来，
睡眼惺忪，
家里很安静，
我走去餐桌找水喝，
总会发现餐桌上有挂满水珠的草莓被垒好在盘子里，
塔尖上都是又大又红的草莓，
且没有一颗是带有“瘀伤”的。
…
A Plate of Strawberries
Waking up from a nap,
still groggy and half-asleep,
the house would be quiet.
I’d wander to the dining table for a glass of water,
and there—
a plate of strawberries would be waiting,
still glistening with water droplets.
The biggest, reddest ones
were always placed at the top of the pile.
Not a single one
ever had a bruise.
【7】一个橘子
我讨厌吃橘子，
因为橘子果肉表面自带很多白色的橘丝，
又苦又涩，
但又担心我缺乏维生素，
她会除掉所有的橘丝，
直接塞到我的嘴里
…
An Orange
I hated eating oranges.
The white threads clinging to the flesh—
bitter and astringent—
were always too much for me.
But she worried I’d be low on vitamin C.
So she would carefully peel away all the bitter white strands,
and gently push a slice
straight into my mouth.
【8】一个苹果
每当我出远门的时候，
总有一个声音不厌其烦地叮嘱我，
“带着带着，你带一袋苹果，在路上口渴了也可以吃，也保你路上平安”
我
…
我无奈地从背包把拿一袋苹果拿了出来，
因为太沉了…
等到走在路上，
又发现背包里的衣服底下,
又藏着一两个苹果
An Apple
Every time I went on a long trip,
a voice would unfailingly remind me,
over and over again—
“Take some apples with you.
If you get thirsty, you can eat them.
They’ll keep you safe on the road.”
So I’d sigh,
and reluctantly pull a bag of apples out of my backpack—
too heavy,
taking up too much space.
Waiting to walk down the road,
I reached into my backpack—
and found another apple or two,
tucked quietly beneath my clothes.
【9】一个饭盒
赶早班的我，
每天睡醒像打战一样收拾自己，
然后快速出门，
但餐桌上总会有一个装好的饭盒和一壶温水，
等着我装进包里
…
A Lunchbox
On mornings when I had to catch an early bus,
I’d wake up and rush through the chaos,
scrambling to get ready and out the door.
But there was always a lunchbox waiting on the table—
packed and ready,
next to a thermos of warm water.
【10】一包腊肠
置身异乡当想家时，
和妈妈视频时提了一嘴“想吃家乡菜了”，
腊肠
腊肉
卤牛肉
牛肉丸
…
一周后，
快递发出，
包裹签收拆开后，
是家乡的味道被真空打包送来了
A Pack of Cured Sausages
Living far from home,
I once casually mentioned during a video call,
“I miss food from home.”
Cured sausages.
Cured pork.
Braised beef.
Beef meatballs.
A week later,
a package arrived.
When I opened it,
the tastes of home came spilling out—
vacuum-sealed,
but full of warmth.