By Apple Wong

Cooking Emits Love

My kitchen is like a small restaurant. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I haven't bought food in a restaurant, and anyway, my children don't like American food. As a mother, for my children's health, I must cook. That means cooking more than three times per day, so daily cooking is burning my brain! My children often complain that my food is very boring and ask why every day is similar. I understand their feelings since my hometown, Hong Kong, is known as a food paradise. When we were in Hong Kong, we could enjoy a lot of delicious fresh food in the countless restaurants around our home. My kids were growing up with good food. Therefore, in order to cook delicious food, I have been watching YouTube to learn how to cook various dishes every night. However, my cooking skills don’t seem to have improved much because I do not get any compliments from my children. 

On Mother’s Day, several of my classmates, who are also mothers, gathered together to celebrate Mother's Day at one classmate’s house. They suggested that each of us make different food for the party. Because of my children's complaints, I realized that I am not good at cooking, so I brought some prepared food to the party instead of cooking. At the party, I felt the enthusiasm and love from my classmates when I saw all of their food. Their food, plus wine and cake, filled the tables. My classmate was so nice to share her precious wine with us and also her beautiful home that she had spent two days decorating. I felt we were VIP guests. Although I hadn’t drunk any wine for over ten years, I drank some that day. We took a lot of photos at the party, enjoying a beautiful afternoon with lovely classmates. After the party, we each took home some food because there was so much left. I took home a delicious cake, which I was sure my children would love. However, I was so surprised when my children said that my homemade cake was better than that one. I secretly smiled in my heart, ha-ha! The party-cake was made in a famous bakery! Therefore, I am now more confident in my homemade cake. How powerful is it when I gain praise? 

With my new confidence, I decided to make a birthday cake for another classmate. She is a Taurus, 26 years old. I made a coffee mango cake topped with 26 cherries for her. The cake was not very beautiful, but it was full of love. She was so surprised when I presented the cake to her. This was my first time making a cake for a  friend. I worked the whole day on this cake. Actually, I made three cakes that day because the first two were failures. I was so glad that she was happy and liked my cake and that I was able to send my sincere blessings to her by making her a cake.  

Sometimes I imagine when I will no longer need to cook. However, cooking for me doesn’t just mean cooking food or fulfilling hunger. It can also convey love. I cook for my family and friends because I love them. Also, I will forever remember who has cooked for me.  

Apple Wong is currently an English language student at Seminole State College in Sanford, Florida. She is originally from Hong Kong, where she has lived for forty years. She decided to come to the United States with her two children, ages 8 and 10, to experience American education. She is planning to study at the university with her children.