Help English reading and writing

WORD POWER

relegated assioned [to a lower position]

lntegrating Beading and Writing Nou', it is time to practice uhat volr haie learned and put r-or-rr reading and ririting skills tos.etl'rer. The follori'iirg essali "M1- Grandmother's Di.rr-r-rplin-e," bv Arnv Ntla, erplains er pr()cess. Read the essar', follorr,ing the activc re'acling plr)cess outlir.red in Chaltter l, ancl then ansuer thc clues- lions on pages 302-30-3. \\'hen vorr have l'inishecl, r,olr u'ill write :r llrocess essav ir-r response to \Iai ideas.

MY GRANDMOTHER'S DUMPLING

Amy Ma

Amy Ma is a writer who trained as a pastry chef in New York City and now lives in Hong Kong. This article, which first appeared in lhe Wall Street Journal in 2009, provides both information about how to make dumplings and the story of several generations of Ma's family.

Before you read, take some time to think about how cookinq and family intersect in your own life.

There \\'as no denving a dr,rmpling error. If the n-reat tumbled out of a poorir. made one as it cookccl, Grzrnclr-r-iother coulcl alrvavs tell rvl.ro made it becatrsc shc had person:rllv assigned c-ach of trs a spccil'ic folding stvle at tl.re onset of or-rr dtrr-npling-making edtrcation. In or-rr house, a \\,oman's lolding stvle identified her as surelv as her fingerprints.

"From no\v on, vou and onlv vou s-ill fold it in this ri'ar,," she in- strr-rctcd rne in otrr Taipei kitchcn in 1994, the vear I turr-recl 13. That is ri'hcn I hacl rcached a skill lcvel ri'orthr o[' joinin-e thc. r'est ol- the \vomcn-10 in all, h'onr mr'S0-ycar-oicl grandmother, Lu Xiao-fang, to mv t\\,o middle-aged aunts, mv mother and the sir children of mv gene- ration-in the folclir-rg of jiao:2, or dumplings, for Chir-rese Neur Ycar. Bclorc- then I hacl bccn lc'lcgated lo prep uork: mixine thc ntcat l'illing or cutting the dor-rgh and llattening it.

Cousin Mao Mao, the eldest dau-ehter of mv grandmothcr's first son, had been au,ay for four vears at college in the U.S. But rvith casual ease, she- lzrshioneci her drrn.rplings in tl're str'le ol-tl're' rat, trrcking- in the- o'cascs ernd lcin'in,s er small tail that pinchccl togctl.rcr at one end. T\r.o distinct pleats in a thn-shzrped dr-rmplin-q ntarked the u,'ork ol'Aunt Yee, Mero Mao's n'rother, u,ho had just become a grandmother herself u'ith the birth of a grandson. A sn-rziller pr-rrse-like dr-rmpling u,ith eight folcls tou,ard the centel \\'as nrv r-nritho''.s. Glanclrnother's cltrr-nplings \\'erc the sintplest ol' the burr-rch-l1zit, clescent-shaped r.l,ith no creases ernd a snrootl'r edge. Ancl as I u,as the voungest in mv gener:ation, she'd thou-eht it appropri- ate to make mv signature design zr qr-rirk1. r'ariation o['her ori,n, urith an aclclcd crinrping [() cl-eittc a ripplin-e lttta bictrt, or llou,er eclge.

"A pr-ettv [ittle eclgc, Iirl zi plettv little gitl," she said. While dr_rn-rplings gracecl or-rr tables vear.r-onnd., thev rvet-e a reqtrisite

dish cluling thc Lttnett'\eu'Year holidars. The Spring Festival, as it is knori'n ir"r China-clttLtt jie-is arguablt the most importar-rt celebration ol the vear: It is a tinte to be u,ith fantilr, to visit lriencls and start life aneu. -

and eat dumplir-igs. The length of obsc'r' 'ance varies. Todar. in Tair'i'an, the national holi-

clat. stretches to nine dar-s-including tri.o r.^.,eekends-u,ith all busi- nesses and government offices closed. In mainland China, officials rezlrrange the rvor-king calendar to glve the public seven consecLltive davs ofl, u,l-rile ir-r Hong Kortg there are three pr-rblic l-rolidavs and in Singapore, trvo. Ur-iofticialh, manv Cl-rinesc people considel- ihe traditional pe'r-iod oI t]'rc first 1-5 clats approprizite to ri'elcome the ncn'vc'zrr.

Mr l'ar-r-rilv cclebrate-cl tl're l'irst three davs o[' the Spling Festirral in zi tr-zrclitionzrl uar: Ererlone cantc "honte," r,r,hicl-r nleanI to nlv grar-rd- I'athcr''s hottse. \\Ic uct-c alreacly home-t-l.tv lerther, trlothcr, brother and I lired in Taipe'i uitl.r nrr. l'atherrs parents, lvl-ro hacl moved lrom China in the late 19-10s. Most ol mv fatherrs familv lived nearbv. C)n chu li, the [irst dav of the i-reu'r.ear, friends came to our housc to ertend greetings. For clttt ei., the seconcl dar', married ri'omen retttrnecl to their parents' house. The third dar., c/zzr sdlr, \\ras ahvavs celebrated united, as a fan-rilr'. And on each of those davs, durtplings ri'ere the n-rain iood serled dur- i1g iunch and dinner. Tl-rere nrig-ht be other side dishes-leftor.els from Neu' Year's Eve-but no othc-r food rvzis prepzirecl fi'om scratch during the holidav. It u,ars considered bad luck to do anv rvork cltrring this tir-r-re; [o cnsllre a peaceflll vear ahead, r'ou had lo rL-s1 zrnd t]rat mcant no cooking.

Thougl.r it isn't knou,n exactlv rv['ren dumplings czrnrc into bcitts, au- tlror ancl Chinesc lood expcrt Fuchsia Dunlop savs irao :l c'late as ['ar back as 1,100 r.'ears ago. "Ip the citr,'of Tr-rrpan, a tomb \\Ias Llllcovet'ed that l-rad boilecl dr-rmplings lrom the Tang dvnastl- (618-907) preser-r'ecl in much the same shape u'ith similar fillings as thev are toclar'," sit)'s Ms. Dunlop.

Man\: people believe the practice o{' eating these dumplings on Chinese Ner.l Year became popular in the Yuan and Ming dvnasties, rr,hich stretched from 127 1 ro 1644, rvhen tttan bcto-gold and sih'er ingots-began to take hold as cttn'encv in China; tlrc dumplings takc the shape o['those coins. Dr-u'ing ne\\r veal' celebrtttions,'filling 1'or"tr sttir-tlach ri,ith ediblc rc-plicas of ingots rvas thor-rght to L'ttslll'c ii veal-ol pros;lcl-itr' ahcacl. Thc pzrckzrgcd bites also celebt'atcd zr letting g<i ol the pzist, since tlrc ri'orcl "jiao" also nlcans "the end o1' stllnething."

Tr-aditions har,e relarecl: Not ever.r' filmilv eats oulv dr-rmplings 1-or' three davs. Thev also varv regictualh.': In the sor-rth of Chir-ra, rtiatt gcLo. or rice cakes, are often sen'ed insteacl of these dough-srvaddled nlorsels at Chinese Nerl, Ye-ar. Sti1l, heftv portions of dun-rpiin-ss undoubtedh' rerxain a big attraction this time of vear in manY Chinese households.

4

f WORD POI,VER

requisite necessary

WORD POWER

ingots solid metal bars

r0

Chapter 12 Additional 0ptions tor 0rganizing Essays 12b

9

WOR,D POWT.R,

redolent fragrant

Even nori,, Ihi,rl. initi:rl bitc ol anr chu.r.rpling tl'zurspol'ts n're bzrck to tt or-rr-Tai1-lci kitchcn: thc uon'rcn packecl like sarclir-res riorkir.rg orr thcir' crzrl't riith a Zen-likc rhrthr.n, tlre I'lour-clustecl colrntc'r-tops, thc zrir redo- lent riith the scent ol dough, and the laded br-ou,n cer';rn'ric tiles on tl-re [loor polished smooth bv countless I'ootsteps ovcr the \eals.

The great dun-rp1in-e cook-off conrnrenced eacl-i vear follor.ving tz Lunarr -\r'ri Year''s Ete dinner, a famllr. meal of GrancLnother's best dishes-srreet so\-braised pork, rur ti cai ( 10 r,egetables tossed together r.l,itl'r a so\.-sallce linaigrette), and alri'avs steamed lish since its Lelnr in Manciarin, ",r'rr," is a homonvm for "plentr." Bf,9 p.m., the plates ri'ere' cle:rrecl ancl riashed, and the \\,omelr riere cluste-reci in thc- kitcl'rer-i.

The r-nen, Iorbiclcler-r to enter the cookin-e arc-tr, disper-secl to their-t: separatc cor-nel-s to tzrlk politics zrnd plar dice or mah jong \\'hilL- r\\'rit- ir.r*.- thc countdo\\1n to miclr-right. Eren roor-n oI the ]rotrsc sri,elleci rrith lcstilitv as the uholc l-an.rilv of nrore tl-rar-r 30 r'nenrbel-\-loLlr- s-encl'.rtions

-gertheled lor this night in n.rv glanclpar-enls' honse.

Anrid the burstle, the' kitchen alone l.racl zrn air ol- sere-nitv and pur- t+ pose as the u,omen t,orked through the rright. Before clat.rr of the nert morning, there ll,ould be enor-rgh dun-iplirigs to cover tn'o large dining room tabies and even,kitchen countertop.

To start, Grandn-rother unloaded fi'om tire refrigerator the large ball rs of dough made l}om llour', cold u,ater and a dash of egg l'hite (her se- cret ingredicnt) tl-rat sl-ie had prepar-ed tl.re dav before. Setting it onto the br-rtcher block rvitl-r her piump and stLrrdr. l'rands, she ripped olf trvo large balls ar-rcl nrllecl eacl-r ir-rto a log, starting her gentle kneading from the cL-ntcr-ancl stretchins olrt to botl'r sicles. The r-enrarir-rine clough she kepl cor erecl uncler- n clz-rnrp torvcl.

\1can,,rhilc, tl-rc r-cst ol'the'\\'omen-mv r-nothcl unc[ trio anr-rts iincl to rtrv coLrsins eincl nre-pickecl <>r'el br-rnches ol crir-ianclel ancl peelecl of1 thc riilted lalers ol'scallior-rs and cabbagcs. A liber-al douse ol'salt sprinkled over the cabbage drer,r,out the ercess rlratc'r', and tl-re chopped confetti-like bits u,er-e hand-squeezed to prevent a \\.elter\. dumpling filling. The butcher knile rocked repeatecllt back and fortl.r on the ,e,inger and garlic until it u,as aimost a paste. Likeu-ise, the i'egetables had to be diced as finelv as possible so thev u,ould be evenlv spread through er,err' bite of tl-re final prodr,rct.

Ignoring the slerv of innor,:rtirre optiorts for fillings populal in con- tz tcmporarl r'estaur.rnts-shr-imp and chives, sharkis lin zinci vermicelli -\\'e f illed otrl no-h-ills clun'rplings ri,ith rnincecl pork. Intci the pink gr-ouncl llL-al \\'L'11t the choppecl speckles ol'r'egctablcs zir-rcl ['rerbs alor-rg r.r,it[-r scszrnrc oil, Shao.rin uine, sall, soy s.llrce, a pincl-r ol sugar', u,hitr.- pep- pcr-, ['irc-spice po'"r'cler ancl an egg. Nothins \\'.ls nreasr-rrecl,'net it alr.r'avs tasted the same.

"That's enough r-r-riring," Grandrr-rothcr cautioned. Ml' mother \\:as 18 using a pair of lr,ooden chopsticks to combinc the ingredients in large circulzrr motions. Grandmother insistcd on onlv combing thror-rgh the

I'illing in onc clir-ecti<tn-clockrvise-\o as to not ot,et.l't'tir, u,hich ri'or-rld nake it tough.

Then like a czire[r-rllr orchcstratecl I'uaster plzrn, a natural assern- le blv line lormed. Firsr, Gt':rr.rdn-iother cut oF['eqLlal-sizc- sest-nents o['l-rer log of dough and then pzrssed them to n-rv rnother, qho ttsed a u'oodett roller to flatten them it-tto circles, a process callecl Eatt 1ttiel1. T\to aunts continued to f'ashiorr r-ieri dough into logs on one cncl of the kitchen counter, and three cousit-ts lined r-rp on the other end to begin filling and folding dumplings. The positions n'ould alternate periodicalll', and makers u,ould mole Ltll the line over the vears as their skills improved. At 5 r'ears old, mr iob hacl bec'tt the menial task of pressinu the iust-cut dough segments ir-rto t'lat clisks so thev rior-rlcl be easir'r to roll oLlt, br-rt I hacl sincc gratcltrzrtecl to lr cllrrttplirtg Ittlde't-. All togc-ther, \\c \\o]rlcn sttlclcl, each reaclv to plar hL't llart ilt tltis cr-rlirlatl theatell

"E,r'erl'stclr rcqr-rir'..: ii.r orin l;tut9 lit," Gr-anclttrothL'l' it'tstl'tlctccl irl zrt Manciar-in. She uas short, irtrt her-chubbr silholrettc'helcl the soli(1 st.lltcc o['a s\n'rphour condttctor. Th.- proceSS rvas teclious, br-rt a nlel'L'lllclltioll ol serring a lrozen c|-rnrpling fi'onr a strpert-narket rror-rlci be conft'onted rvith a ,eaze th:rt scrL-amecl: tincultureci, r-rnbelievable, r,rn-C/zlrze-se. The matriarch in her kitcher-i uas doing ntore than jr-rst cooking: she rvas training the nert generation of rvives. dalrgl-rters and lllothers as her mother.in-lar.r, had taught her.

"Use vour palm to control the roller', not \-ollr fingertips," she barked. :t "Keep a steady'rhvthn-r, consistent like vour ptrlse." The dumpling skins \\,eren't flzitter-red in one ['ell srvoop like a pie crust. Each one hacl to be rollecl just zirouncl the r-irn ar-rd rotatecl so that thc resulting circlc rvas thinner-on the edges thzin in tl-re center. When loldecl in hal['the tri'cl sides nrel; the clnmplilg skin r.r,ets utnil'orm in thickness. Tt u'as a prrit-ls- taking rask ri'hen repeated over the span ol ntanv hours, zrncl trv r-nother <rnce shcrriecl mc her su'ollen palms al'ter a r-right ol gart rttiett.

The anrourrt of meat lilling had to be iust right. Not too mttch-"too 22 greedr l"-anc1 uot too little: "too stit-rgvl"

And dumplirrgs h:rd to be folded rvith both hands. "Iti a superstition," u: Grandmother told us. "\\-on'ren rvho tbld dumplings ri'ith one hand u'on't hale cl-riidren. \bul right arrd left hancl hale to ri'ork together to be a -eood mother:" Grandmother- demonstrated hori' s]'re used tl-re fleshv part of the inder finger':rnd thtrmb to press together the clough. Ft'esh dough, r-rnlike fi-ozen dor-rgh, didn't neecl \\'ater to seal tl.rc' sealrls. Onlr a firm pinch.

"Bcautifullv folded," Gratrcln'rotlter contntented tln the dunlpling ol z+ thc nen'est griir.rddar-rghter-in-lan, N4ei Fang. "Br-rt it took vou too long to nrake. What good is a riil'e'rvho r.ttakes ltxelv dr-rrlrplings i{'tltet'e's ntlt enoLlgh to l'eecl evertoneT" Grandrr.rotl-rer asked.

Tlre u,omcn srlrirked at tl-re acriC u'ords-she had been eqllall\'2s harsh to a1l ol them u'l.ren thev first joined the lamilr.. Grandnrother had taken her lumps, too: After she married grandfather', her nrother-in- 1au' had harassed her on the uravs of n-raking a propet'dumpling. Nou',

WORD POW6,R

acrid sharp

Chapter 12 Additional options lor 0rganizing Essays 12b

WORD POWER

crucible severe test

Granclnrother-reignecl over- her kitchen; it u'as a classroorn and crucible u,e all e nclurecl.

"It's l)cttcr that I anr nrorc stricl on \oLi girls nou'," she sighed. "Lest zo voLi get criticized bv someone else elen \\'orse than me." Mv mother lookecl otc-r' her shoulclcr to chcck on nre, l'rer onlr- clar-rgl-iter, ancl smiled u,hen I gar c her- arr asstrrir-rg nocl.

\\'heu no onc \\ras looking, Granclnrotlrc-r' rr,ashed a sr-rrall coin alld 27 hid it ln one of the dumplings to be discovered by a luckv u'inner, u,ho r.l'as said to be blessed rvith ertra good fortunc for t]:re ne\\: vear. Despite mr best ellorts, I ner,er chanced upor.r it.

\\br-kino ur-rtil Lhe earlv hours ol the nert r.r.ror-r.rins ir.) the kitchen za brotrght out the jr-ricier stories, ones laced rritl-r familr secrets, scandals, gossiirs and tall tales, all soaked up b1'mv r.outhfu1 ears.

"Dicl r.crr-r hcar? Sccond unclcs daugl'rter got a tattoo." 2e ''So-ancl-so's sister- is lezrllv her dar-r-shtcr'." 30 Br the- tinrc- the echocs of popping firecrackers lilled the streets sig- st

r-raling tl're stroke of n-iidnight, hundreds of dumplings, readv for boilin-e, rr.ere lined lrp on the kitchen sheet pans Iike tinv soldiers pendirrg a fir-ral c o r-r-r r-r-r lr n cl .

\\'ith onlr thc boiling ol'tl're cltrmplings lelt to do, thr'\\,onren tlren lz took trirns cleaning r-rp and batl-ring, all the u,hile trailing after their children and lr-rlling them to bed. But the majoritv of the familr, didn't sleep. The cllstom of sltcttt .sza, or staving r-rp all night to sr mbolize har'- ing r-rnlinritecl energv lor the upcoming ve.ir, \\/.rs rrsuallv lollouecl.

Arorind 5 a.nr., the tables were set ir-r preparation ['or the nridmorn- :s ing dr-ri"r-ipling brunch. But there \vas no cor-rnting of borvls or chopsticks. "Yon'rc not allorved to coLlnt anvthing dr-rrin,s thc first dar, of the vear," lenrinclcd Grandmothcr'. "I1' r,ou clon't cotrnt anvthing toclar,,, then the ilnrount o[ possc-ssiolrs vou har,e u,ill be cotrntless l'or nert r.'ear." So r,r,e eriibbecl cl'ropsticks br the handftrls-some u,ooden, some nretal, all mired in a pile-and laid them on the table alongside stacks of blue and ril-ritc- porcelair-r borils ar-rd plates.

Bc-l'or-e long, the f'irst doorbell rang, and along rvith it came the bois- :+ terolrs ereetings firm guests, fliends and neighbors. The ri'ords gong xi lct cal ("con,eratulations ar-rd be prosperous") u'ere audible even from inside the kitcherr, and thev drerv out tl-re younger girls, u,ho \\,'ere eager for their Itoug lrtct, or recl packets. These rvarxv packets str-rf'['ecl rvith monev u,ere givcn ll elclers to chilch'er-r as a gi['t, ar.rcl the volrngest in the hor-rse courld oflen rack r-rp r.r'hat seenred to them a sn'rall fortune. Tl-rejr flour-covered {ingerprints dotted the envelopes as ther.calculated the 1'ears gains.

At 9:r.nr. or r.r,hen the guest collnt lezrchecl 10-enough to fill a:s table ri'c slicl tl're dumplings into the stair.rless steel pot, carcful r-rot to let the boilir-rg u,ater splatter- onto our- bare toes, peekir-r-s oLlt fronl house slippers. Grandmother: insisted on ne\rer stirring the pot, and to eilsllre the dr:n-rplinss rvouldn't stick logetl-rer, she slid a spatula througl-r the bLrbblino'. broth just orrcc ir.r a 1r-rshing n-rotion. Thrice the r,rrater

Canlc 1() a boil ar-rcl czrch tit.t'te u,e aclclecl nl()l-e \\/atct'. Br thc l'rlurth tin-rc, the clun'rplings bobbcd rlerrilv on thc stll-facc. Ther,'ucrc'clone.

Gr-alclnrethep f islred out thc broken dr-rnrplings ltclbrc tr-rt'tling to :o Cousin Jia Yin, often the culprit, ir-r llalf iest. "Ah... thanks to voll, the durnpling sol1p rvill bc especiallr tasty lhis veat- sit-tcc vou'r,e fla- vorecl it rvith all the filling that bu,sted or-rt." The castt:rltic-s uere fished out and quickly disposed of; broker-r dtrmplir-rgs are cotlsidered bad luck if serr-ed. To save Jia Yin'.s face, l-rer father-, grandmothel's second son, often said zrt the table, "Dur-nplings arc' qreat, bttt uv far.orite is still thc dr-rn-rpling solrp," Iadling L1p another- bo\\ 1.

Gr.rests and grzrndpal-ents ate iirst ancl tl.re lri'o larct- tables iri tht' dirr- :; ing r-oom u,cre seatcd br gr-ncle.r'. \1r grar.rcllather took thc'hea<l sL-at at one tztble nitl'r l'ris ft iencls, anci nrr 9r'unclnrothc-r'rvith ltet's at the otllel'. Af'ter tl"rcv atc, thc taltlcs riL.r'c |L'\L'l ar-rci th.'seconcl salrel'ilti()ll took its tur-r-r, $ ith It-rY l'atlttt-ancl rrncl.'s i1[ onc taltlr', rllY tllothet'atlcl ztttllts at thc other. Tlrc tlrircl ancl lirr-rrth oL.lleratious h:id less str-ict tablc zrssignnletlts ancl t<toli. uhertcrcr-c-nrptv chairs opened up-it could be tu,o or tJrree hor.rrs before it rt'as oLrr tLlrn to eat.

Steaming plzrtcs $.er.e heaped high ri,ith dumplings still -qlistening :s from their hot-u,aterbath. Dinels readied themselves \\'ith their ou'n taste- tinkering rituals in coi-tcocting the perfect dipping sallce-a combina- tion of sov sarlce, r,inegar-, minced garlic and sometinles sesanle oi1 or' chili paste. Grnndmotl-rer's special /n Da I'ine-qar, marinatcd u,ith u'hole garlic clorres, \vas the most covetecl condir-nent.

Bel'orc tl-re lilst bitc, er-elr.one qathel'ecl aroltnd Grandfather', ss ri ho ntadc- a t()ast -

usllallv ri ith tea thotrgl-r sontctirnes he r't,or-lld sncak in sotlc Chitresc u'it-tc t<t rit.ts ir-r the ne\\/ veal'. Then, hc look thL. l'il.st picl< <tl thc- clr,r;r'rplilgs-solttc'thing 6l'zrn honot-among thc \\'()llL-l-t . riho helcl theil br-eath in l'ictpc-s that l-ris clroice ol the perfect clunrpling riotrld be theil ori,n. It uor-rld have to havc'the ideal skir-r- to-iilling ratio, e\cn'bite au equal portion of meat and dough, and e\pel't craftsm:rusl'rip-a balanced and svt-r:lmetrical shape rvith fimrlr' sealed sL-arrs.

"This one looks good to me," r-1r'grandfather decided, gentlv iifting +o the plunrp parcel rvith the tips of his chopsticks. It g-as Grandmotherrs drrmplilg, and she stood poker-faced nert to hin-r, not rerrealing her trir-rmph.

She lenrc-nrberc-cl a tinte u,hen het- dumplings \\iere thc onlv ones on -+l thc plattcr. As her l'zrn'rilv o,'sq1r, SO too ciid the stvlcs ol dun'rplirrgs trntil the plate- resemLrlccl un c-clc-ctic Iantilr tt'ce, ancl cach dottghv pouch car- lied n'ithir-r it thc closs-seucrational tttetl-toit's o['its maker: The dunrpling rittral slori,lv Ieiclcd al'tcr Grzrttcltrtother-'.s passing in 1999; Grandlatthel died soon aftcr- and thc far-r-rilv scattered. BLlt even, Chinese Nerv Year, I still make dun]plings i[r Grzrndmother's tr,av, repealing her lessons in n-rv head.

"Eat morel Eat t.nore! There'.s magic in these dumplings," Grand- +z mothel'\\rollid sar,. And she meant it tru1v.

Chapter 12 Additional 0ptions for 0rganizing Essays 12b