The Cure for Homesickness

Unless I am in college, I am usually at home. My home is approximately twenty miles away from school, a good distance that is not too far and not too close. Despite these twenty short miles away, homesickness, nevertheless, always finds its way into my feelings, especially during times of stress, sadness—and hunger.

People say any chocolate and sweets are great at curing such feelings, but I disagree. It is kind of like saying, “Which reminds you more of your mom—a store bought Abercrombie and Fitch cardigan or the one-size-too-large sweater knit by your personal designer (your mom)?” Excuse me for using such bad analogy, but of course the latter! What is a better way to cheer a person up than to see something that reminds you of the people you love? This works the same way in food as well. Eating the foods made by the people you love is the best way to cure homesickness! So that’s how I overcome my homesickness—I eat my dad’s cooking.

It is all thanks to my laziness and minimal talent in cooking that I have the honor of eating my dad’s cooking every day. Like a large portion of college students today, I bring back my dad’s cooking from home, store it in the fridge, and microwave every time I want to eat it. In addition to the delicious taste, the different dishes that my dad cooks remind me of the stories and origins behind each dish. Some remind me of times in elementary school when I bring rice and various Chinese dishes for lunch while others are reminiscent of foods we ate in Hong Kong. This particular dish has an enlightening origin:

Beef Short Ribs

 














Ingredients

Beef Short Ribs
Garlic
Scallion
Soy sauce


Directions

1. Chop up the garlic and scallion and mix it in the soy sauce.

2. Start stir frying the short ribs until they start turning color.

3. Add in the mixture and fry until ribs turn golden brown 


This wonderful recipe came to us during a Christmas gathering at my aunt’s house. The one dish that stood out to our whole family that night was the beef short ribs. The spiciness from the garlic and the hint of sweetness and saltiness from the soy sauce made the taste heavenly. Because the dish was so great, we asked my aunt for the recipe. Funny thing was my aunt did not create this. The recipe actually came from my cousin, who obtained it from the chef at his middle school!

Every since then, we would cook this dish from time to time. And each time, my dad alters the recipe little by little to better suit our family’s taste buds. And each time I eat this, I am reminded of the origins of this recipe and the times when we sat around our long rectangular table in our small dining room fighting for the parts with more meat and sauce. Whenever these stories enter my mind, my homesickness slowly goes away and gives me more courage to venture through the rest of the week. As you can see, home-cooked food is a great cure for homesickness!