Chicken Noodle Soup
Back in the day when I had a cold,
My mother would prep my favorite cure on the stove.
The process a secret that was so old,
When I asked, love was one component she told.
The rest was all magic—a tale I once knew,
Because after one swallow, my pain went from a six to a two.
The sizzling of the stove made my mouth water,
Anticipating the taste and the power of fodder.
The clinging of spoons echoed the room,
Awaiting the seasoned, warm broth of the soup.
It slid down my throat,
Warming me up,
If I was lucky,
I would get a second cup.
The slippery noodles,
And tender, white meat,
Warmed up my body—from my head to my feet.
A dish so unique, no one could recreate,
Because the love that went in, one couldn’t imitate.
Response
I chose to imitate “Noodles in Broth” by Hong Junju.
I chose to imitate this piece because I was fascinated by the way in which Junju reminisces on the days during which chef Cui made bing. I was entertained by the descriptive and detailed imagery that Junju provides to gradually engage the reader, causing me to imagine myself in his very setting, which was something that I believed I could imitate.
Through imitating this piece, I learned that in order to lay out and construct such an imagery-centered piece, I have to fully imagine myself in the setting that I am choosing to describe, which is harder than it sounds. It takes time to close your eyes and practically bring yourself back to an old place or story, which writing this piece required. In terms of culture, I learned that in the Chinese culture—as early as the 3rd century AD (when this piece was written)—the making of noodles in broth, or “bing steeped in tea,” was/is not a simple process. It takes time, a multitude of specific ingredients, and a series of steps—from frying onions to filtering ‘tea,’ and from kneading dough to seasoning with several meats—that is, it involves much more dedication than one outside of the culture would assume when given the name, “Noodles in Broth.”
While writing my piece, I learned about my own culture as well. Focusing on a very similar subject to noodles in broth—that is, chicken noodle soup—I learned that such a similar sounding dish can be interpreted so differently when compared cross-culturally. In my culture, I found that the process that goes into making this subject can be broken down metaphorically—that is, rather than the complexity of ingredients and steps that are involved in preparing this dish, my mind immediately fell to the love and dedication that go into the dish that I enjoyed throughout my childhood. While it is a simple dish to make in terms of time and the recipe, the values and affection that are involved in preparing, serving, and enjoying it are what make it so special.
Furthermore, there is cultural DNA embedded in both the piece that I read and the piece that I created. In the piece that I read, the cultural DNA ties into the specificity of ingredients and steps involved in chef Cui’s specialty bing—a way in which no other culture makes soup. In the piece that I created, the cultural DNA ties into the thoughts of happiness, love, and pleasure that come to mind when I remember enjoying the dish myself; whereas, other cultures may laugh when ‘love’ is defined as an ingredient.