Paella

This is my mum's new favourite thing to make at the moment. She even bought a special paella pan so that she can cook it properly. It's so easy to make and tasty to eat. And you can almost put anything that you fancy in it. It doesn't really have to be that authentic.

Mr and Mrs Choi came over for the dinner the other evening, it was Mrs Choi's birthday. It's always lovely to talk to older people. They're so wise and gentle. They've been through a lot which has made them who they are today. I really wonder what I'll be like if I am blessed to live to an old age. I wonder whether I'll be a bitter and sour person, I really hope not. 

After dinner, Mrs Choi began to share about what it was like back in the day. I really can't imagine it. She was the oldest and her parent's would leave her as toddler by herself all day long to work up in the mountains. They lived in the country and each house was a stand alone and far from other families. It was only until someone suggested that she could stay with another family that she had someone else to play with during the long hours of the day. As the eldest, she helped to look after the younger ones; carrying them on her back, feeding and caring for them. We were joking that the oldest is always the shortest because they carried all of the others. When I think about my oldest auntie, she would probably say the same thing. 

It was funny when she spoke about marriage. A farmer wanted to marry her, but she declined. She understood the difficulties of the farming life and the kind of life that she had grown up with, and it was not some that she wanted for herself or for her family. Her mother agreed. It's interesting how we work so that the next generation will not have to experience the same hardships. Here in the UK, it is not that common to find the son or daughter of a Chinese takeaway owner to carry on the business. The parents work hard slaving away in their shop to earn money becasuse they want their kids to be educated and get a good job so that they don't have to suffer the long hours and labour of working in a takeaway.  I guess we always strive to do better, not necessarily for ourselves, but for those whom we love.