Chinese

 “Fluffing cotton ~ Fluffing cotton ~ Half a catty of cotton can be fluffed to eight tael and eight mace. Old cotton can be fluffed to new cotton. When a cotton quilt is finished, the girl will bring it with her to get married.” There are no brides here, but there is a lovely […]

“Blue dye comes from the indigo plant but is even bluer.” Plant the indigo seeds and harvest twice a year, Squash the leaves in a tank of liquid, drain to extract the dye, hand print the cloth and make into clothes! Blue calico dying and batik printing are time-honored crafts handed down through generations. I […]

March 3rd of the lunar calendar is known as “Shangsi Girls’ Festival”, or “Peach Blossom Day”, a romantic tradition in China. Sample flavoring flowers for food, And take “my big girls” out to perform the spring ritual. Hello, April!

 Garlic is a must-have in nearly every kitchen. All dishes, whether steamed, stir-fried, braised or served cold, Lose a little kick-up without garlic. From last autumn to date, from garlic cloves to garlic bulbs! Time to dig new garlic. Hurray!

It all starts with a teeny tiny pea. When it sprouts and comes into leaf, eat the pea shoots. After flowering, eat tender beans and tender peas. Finally, we get a plentiful of peas to stew with meat! From seed to seed, a cycle exhibiting how life is renewed. BTW, pea jelly, pea crisps, noodles […]

As a child, I always expected the sound of “Ding-ding-tong” from Vendors selling rock maltose candy. And grandpa would malt the wheat on his own to hand-pull maltose syrup for us. From a handful of grain seeds to a basketful of wheat is a cycle of life. Malt can turn into maltose, straws into hats, […]