[Only in Vancouver]: Easier to Make Chinese Food than in Beijing[仅在温哥华]：做中国饭比在北京还方便

I feel very fortunate to be able to return to Vancouver, Canada for my last winter break in college. I lived here for five years growing up and it is ranked one of the most livable cities on earth. After about a week at my family’s new home here, I’ve already started to put on what I call the ‘holiday fifteen.’

The first meal my mother prepared for me after I arrived was century egg congee and fried yellow croaker fish. The aroma of authentic, home-cooked Chinese food was so enticing that I devoured the meal despite a suppressed appetite from the traveling. At my university in Boston, the dining halls mostly served Western cuisine. The unlimited burgers, pastas, salads and ice cream were a thrill at first, but over the course of the four years, I could not help but crave the Chinese food I had growing up in Beijing. I remember one Chinese New Year the dining halls at Tufts had attempted to prepare a ‘dim sum’ special meal. I was so excited I towered the buns and dumplings onto my plate only to discover that hardly any of it was edible. To my great disappointment, the food was doused in soy sauce and excessively deep-fried. In a way, I was most upset that the food of my homeland was so horrifically misrepresented. Many of my western friends understand Chinese food to be only deep-fried fast food, when in fact there are a dizzying variety of recipes dating back to many centuries.

This winter break, I have been asking my mom to make me all the Chinese dishes that I miss so dearly, from lamb skewers, to sliced boiled chicken, gravy noodles, braised pork, and steamed fish. I have to say these awkward English translations hardly do the dishes justice! But as a mother of three, my mom is really excited about cooking in Vancouver. In fact, she says that it’s even more convenient for the Chinese home cook to get quality ingredients in Vancouver than in Beijing! In Beijing, she never buys prepared foods because after so many food quality scandals, she’s concerned about potential ‘mystery additives.’ The vegetables that are sold in megacities like Beijing are all from greenhouse factories and taste very bland. The farmer’s markets, on the other hand, lack the quality control that larger supermarkets might have. “You never know if they’re selling you a dead pig or a sick pig,” she said half-jokingly. So it has always been a headache trying to prepare appetizing and healthy meals.

In Vancouver, however, there are many Chinese people and many Chinese grocery stores. Not only can she find many Chinese-favorite varieties of fruits, vegetables, meats, and seafood, that aren’t offered at my nearest Boston Shaw’s, she also has the peace of mind that the ingredients are safe and healthy. But the biggest winner? My now plump Santa cheeks.

我大学最后的一个寒假，很幸运的是在加拿大温哥华度过的。在温哥华的新家里休息了一个多星期，我最大的感触就是细胳膊细腿儿的我被养的肥肥胖胖的，脸蛋儿跟圣诞老人的有一拼。

还记得刚下飞机回到家的时候，妈妈为我准备了皮蛋瘦肉粥，香煎小黄鱼。晕机晕的烂如泥的我，闻到了怀念已久的中国菜，激动的狼吞虎咽。我在美国波士顿的大学上学，食堂里面每天都在吃那几样西餐。刚开始吃得我乐呵呵的，大一的时候长了好几斤肉。但吃着吃着，就开始想念中国菜。还记得有一次学校食堂搞活动，做了一顿 “早茶”。我兴致勃勃地盛了一大盘，才发现那包子饺子做的和国内的差太远了。。。被酱油炸得皮都硬了，肉也黑了。有的时候，看到花式各样，历史悠久的中国佳肴到了美国就变成了油炸快餐，我心里真不是滋味儿。

这一次回家，好好的让妈妈把我这四年没吃上的全部都做上了，什么羊肉串儿，白切鸡，打卤面，红烧肉，清蒸鱼，一顿一顿的。其实妈妈说能做上我们爱吃的这些她也不亦乐乎。我的家人刚刚从北京搬到温哥华，我妈一天管三个孩子的日用饮食，她对于在两个城市卖菜做饭的差异上有很大的感触：“在北京的时候，菜特别不好买。很多熟食，那些成品，半成品，总是吃得不放心。不知道里面放了什么添加剂。大城市里吃的菜又都是大棚菜，没有什么味道，要加好多调料。自由市场里个体户的肉菜又没有统一的安全保障。不知道那些人会不会给你买一头死猪病猪。”

 在温哥华，因为华人多，买中国菜特别的方便。什么波士顿不好找的叶子菜，苦瓜，山药，这里的华人超市都有， 而且又新鲜，又有安全保障。我妈现在做饭都是美滋滋的，但其实是我吃的最美了！