端午节

Dragon Boat Festival

Last Sunday was the Dragon Boat Festival. Didn't get to see the Dragon Boats but ate a lot of 粽子 "zong zi"。On Wednesday, Emma's family wrapped the 粽子. I went over to watch and "learn." It took a me a while to notice that her dad didn't use any string to wrap them. At the end he uses an extra leaf and then strings the pointed end of the leaf through a needle to tie it off. I was very impressed. I attempted to make a few myself. It's a lot harder than it looks. You have to wrap it very tight. And fold the leaves in a certain way so the rice won't fall out. The few that I made were a bit smaller than the rest. And the last one I made before I gave up has extra leaves. Because I was pulling too hard trying to keep it tight that the leaf ripped. Her dad and aunt were wrapping them for two days plus a day to prepare the stuffing. So much work but definitely worth it.

On Sunday, Emma invited me over. And we ate some traditional 端午节 dishes. One was 皮蛋 "thousand year old egg" and a green leafy vegetable with red-purplish center. Plus about six or eight more dishes. There was so much to eat, not exaggerating, nothing else would fit on the table. And there were just the three of us. It was all incredibly delicious. I am so glad I met Emma and she has shown me all these traditions.