Food tripping

My fingers were clumsy,unsure,as they did their best to maneuver the slim,wooden chopsticks I usually had no problem with.They had pierced the thin,soft,white skin of the dimsum,and warm liquid had gushed out,instead of the tender meat I was expecting to poke.My friend,Jed,sitting across from me,the corners of his mouth,threatening to rise,did his best not to smile in my awkwardness."Mel, it's soup dumpling," he said.There at a restaurant that smelled faintly like dogs,at Yu Yuan Gardens in Shanghai,three years ago,had been my very first encounter with the well-loved xiao long bao.During that foggy afternoon with some rainfall,on my first trip abroad with long time friends from youth,and in the novelty of the soup dumplings I had just had a first taste of,I had found comfort.My knowledge of food,as well as of other cultures,had broadened,knowing that such food existed.It also had me looking for xiao long bao in Manila,and other parts of Asia.I also realized that even if there was new food waiting to be discovered,they are still familiar,in their ingredients,to how we eat them,to our memories associated with them,and can feel like home.It was also through this food that some of our rawest,most treasured moments with friends were shared,and reinvigorated even if we had been friends for a long time.

And thus,the scrumptious kaleidoscope of old and new food,in those three days in Shanghai:KFC eaten without utensils at the World Expo(very much like a practice from home!);chicken siopao paired with a small pint of Haagen Dazs at a convenience store(some of my companions found it strange but it worked!);the hunt for authentic Chinese chow fan rice,found at the hawker stalls outside Fudan University;and what we had termed "mantika bread"(or bread that's just made up of oil and flour)and greens from our mysterious breakfast buffet at the hostel.

That 2010 Shanghai trip had me and a group of college friends on an epic adventure(with some parts intentional,others unintentional)as we visited Jed,who had been on a study-abroad program at Fudan University.For us,the World Expo was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.And so we all took a break from our jobs,even if hurdle after hurdle of red tape was slammed in front of us,from rigors of visa application,to obtaining permission from bosses to take work leaves.This encounter with the classic and contemporary,which we experienced in Shanghai's cuisine,was just one aspect of a life-changing trip that had all been worth it.