Process Guided Response 1 “My Grandmother’s Dumpling” by Amy Ma, p 296 1. Consider the different kinds of process writing. Which kind of process is this essay? In other words, what is the author’s purpose: Could a reader recreate the dumplings based on reading this? Or is the writer describing the process? 1. Ma mentions a few processes in addition to making dumplings – what are they and what kind of process (explanation or instruction) does the author use? 1. Transitions and organization – what kinds of transition words does the author use? What type of organization? 1. Does the author include enough detail to make the reader feel that she knows what she is talking about? What kind of details help the reader understand the author’s level of knowledge? 1. Ma recollects her grandmother’s directions in this story: “’Every step requires its own kung fu,’ Grandmother instructed.”(299). In a New York Times article, a reporter describes a Shaolin monk’s explanation of kung fu, saying, “kung fu embodies much more than fighting. In fact any ability resulting from practice and cultivation could accurately be said to embody kung fu. There is a kung fu of dancing, painting, cooking, writing, acting, making good judgments, dealing with people, even governing.”* There is a lot of vocabulary in this essay; which words do you react to? There’s a lot of Mandarin in the essay; what should readers do about that vocabulary? Why is there so much Mandarin in there? 1. Is the author writing for a Chinese audience? How can you tell? 1. Challenge time: make a basic numbered list of the instructions to make the dumplings. This doesn’t have to be a detailed recipe, just an ordered list of the steps in the process. 1. Choose one sentence or quote from the entire essay. Copy it, with quotation marks around it, followed by parentheses with the page number that the quote is on. In a few sentences, explain why the quote caught your attention. Why is the quote important to the story or part of the story Ma is telling? Does it have any relevance to your own experience? Does it make you want to learn more about something? Reference for quote: * http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/kung-fu-for-philosophers/ 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 h.

1. Process Guided Response 1
“My Grandmother’s Dumpling” by Amy Ma, p 296
1. Consider the different kinds of process writing. Which kind
of process is this essay? In other words, what is the author’s
purpose: Could a reader recreate the dumplings based on
reading this? Or is the writer describing the process?
1. Ma mentions a few processes in addition to making
dumplings – what are they and what kind of process
(explanation or instruction) does the author use?
1. Transitions and organization – what kinds of transition words
does the author use? What type of organization?
1. Does the author include enough detail to make the reader feel
that she knows what she is talking about? What kind of details
help the reader understand the author’s level of knowledge?
1. Ma recollects her grandmother’s directions in this story:
“’Every step requires its own kung fu,’ Grandmother
instructed.”(299).
In a New York Times article, a reporter describes a Shaolin
monk’s explanation of kung fu, saying, “kung fu embodies
much more than fighting. In fact any ability resulting from
practice and cultivation could accurately be said to embody
kung fu. There is a kung fu of dancing, painting, cooking,
writing, acting, making good judgments, dealing with people,
even governing.”*
There is a lot of vocabulary in this essay; which words do you
react to?
There’s a lot of Mandarin in the essay; what should readers do
about that vocabulary? Why is there so much Mandarin in there?
1. Is the author writing for a Chinese audience? How can you
tell?
1. Challenge time: make a basic numbered list of the

2. instructions to make the dumplings. This doesn’t have to be a
detailed recipe, just an ordered list of the steps in the process.
1. Choose one sentence or quote from the entire essay. Copy it,
with quotation marks around it, followed by parentheses with
the page number that the quote is on. In a few sentences,
explain why the quote caught your attention. Why is the quote
important to the story or part of the story Ma is telling? Does it
have any relevance to your own experience? Does it make you
want to learn more about something?
Reference for quote:
* http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/kung-fu-for-
philosophers/
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.

3. 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 nov 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

4. 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.
Tr.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-

5. 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

6. 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

7. ingots-began to take hold as cttn'encv in China; tlrc dumplings
takc the
shape o['those coins. Dr-u'ing ner 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

8. 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-

9. ir.r*.- thc countdo1n 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

10. 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

11. 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.
Tto 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 sn'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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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 .

15. '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

16. 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 nerer 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

17. 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.

18. 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, ecn'bite au equal portion of meat and dough,
and
epel'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;

19. 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