Sheila Charles MUSHROOM DUMPLINGS
I have this young lady staying with me
She has been here for a while.
She comes from mainland China.
A lovely nature and a lovely smile.
She is also exceedingly generous
Especially where food is concerned.
She’s determined that I should eat healthily.
MY meals are undercooked or burned!
So, when we sit down at meal times,
I have a burnt potato medallion
And, for a treat, a chocolate flake!
She tries her hardest to tempt me with the food that she has to eat.
I know this for a fact – she thinks I should eat some meat.
Take last Tuesday, for example, she had bought some kind of machine.
After putting a bowl full of beans in it, it made a paste – if you know what I mean?
She asked me to try it. I did. I didn’t like it. I told her so.
Not to be put off, she added sugar. I still didn’t like it. I know!
Then she insisted that I taste seaweed. She wrapped it round some rive.
The rice was fine but I’m afraid that the seaweed was not very nice!
I DID try a little biscuit. Made, mainly it seems, of flour.
MY meal time takes ten minutes. HER meal time takes a good hour!
This ritual happens regularly. She offers. I taste. I reject.
Rice balls with sesame, crab nuggets. I never know what to expect.
A lot of her food comes in packets. I have no idea what it is.
Because the writing is in Chines. It is one perpetual quiz.
I can’t help but wondering why she wants to keep on trying.
I’ve had every dish under the sun and much of it involves FRYING.
AND I haven’t liked any of them, but it is also true to say
That she doesn’t like what I eat. Well, I decided, yesterday
To suggest, “Let’s just eat our own food.” I was pleased when she said, “Okay.”
Yet the silly thing is THIS. I JUST LOVE CHINESE THAK-AWAY!
illustration by ume-nori
