Tang Yuan

In case you are wondering what Tang Yuan is? Tang Yuan is basically glutinous rice flour ball which served in ginger soup. The direct translation of Tang Yuan means ‘round dumpling in a soup’. Tang Yuan can be small, big, colored, uncolored, filled or unfilled but that’s doesn’t really matter; what matter is the story and meaning behind it. Just by the name, we know that it’s a Chinese food, in fact it’s true to say as a Chinese’s custom or heritage. As far as I recalled, the Chinese used to celebrate Midwinter by serving Tang Yuan to their family and friends. It’s to provide warmth to their beloved during the winter. Just imagine yourself drinking the spicy ginger soup with hot glutinous rice flour ball, sweating already don’t you?

Yes, I know there’s no winter here and there’s no way it going to snow in M’sia; in fact it’s hellaluyah hot here but who’s care? The main purpose of Tang Yuan is not just to warm our body during the winter, if that so, why not Whisky or Brandi instead? Tang Yuan bring a larger meaning than this; the elders believe that Tang Yuan is a blessing for the children to undergo the winter unharmed by sickness or accident. Conversely, my grandma used to believe that Tang Yuan will bring family together like reunion dinner. We used to gather around our dining table to have a bowl of it; I guess my grandma is right.

I’m not a Tang Yuan lover, I mean it’s just flour balls with ginger soup; what’s so big deal about it? In term of taste, it’s just plain. In term of look, it’s just ordinary. Nevertheless, in term of Chinese tradition, it’s a MUST for me to have Tang Yuan; even just a bite of it.

This time, I wasn’t around Ipoh so I couldn’t eat any of it. Despite that, one of my Penang friends, Mr. J brings me a pot of Tang Yuan (Thank you by the way). Lucky me! It’s nice, in fact it’s scrumptious but somehow it taste a bit weird. Not weird as in weird in taste but weird as in something is missing. The Tang Yuan my mum made is forever rough, inhomogeneous in size, the filling leaked out and the ginger soup is more or less: tasteless. Yet somehow that’s the Tang Yuan I had been eating for the past 22 years, maybe that’s what missing.

Rough, inhomogeneous and tasteless…*giggle*

As I said earlier, what matter the most is neither the taste nor the look; is the meaning behind it. Happy Tang Yuan Festival everyone!

Rough, inhomogeneous and tasteless...but I'm missing it? *laughing* What am I thinking?