Birthday Surprise

Fiona Jarvis #14                                         6.3

ELA- Food Memoir

June 5, 2016

    I walk through the building of my dance class, pulling my sister along. I can see my father waiting on the other side of the glass door, standing on the sidewalk of Union Square.

     “Okay, Kaya, let's go home now. I have the car on the other block.”

My dad says, turned to my sister. He looks back and shares a secretive glance with me.

     “Bye, Nyah!”

I say to my friend from dance, and start walking away from the building. I walk alongside my seven-year-old sister, Kaya, and over the course of ten minutes, we slowly circle the block. She's so young, she doesn't even notice!

    “Where's the car, Daddy?”

My sister asks, pushing her massive frenzy of curly brown hair away from her face.

    “Oh, it's right near here. While I go start it, do you guys want to grab a quick drink to    go at the Thai restaurant? I have to pack my saxophone up in the car, so it'll take a few minutes.”

    “Oooh! I'll get pineapple juice!”

I say, winking at my father. We’re both in on the secret, and so is the rest of my sister’s  and I’s dance group. It's my sister’s birthday, and our dance group, my mom, my father and I are all surprising Kaya with a special dinner at our dance groups favorite restaurant. I turn to the small black restaurant, partially sunk into the sidewalk, with small lights strung around. My sister and I walk into the restaurant with my father, and my sister starts walking towards a waitress to order a drink, when suddenly, from under the tables, all of our dance friends jump out, making Kaya jump a little. Our friends Nyah, Josiah, Kim, and Hannah are here, as well as My mom and some other parents and younger siblings of dancers. My sister smiles ear to ear and says;

    “I knew you guys would do something like this!!!”

and we all sit down at a gigantic table that the waiters have made from a bunch of smaller tables. I love this place. Four  years ago,  Hannah and a few other teenagers who were in the dance company graduated and went to college. Kim, who was Hannah’s mother and the director of the company, Young Dance Collective, held auditions for new dancers, and my sister and I, Nyah, and Josiah all got in. We’ve all been together since, and we always come to this restaurant whenever we get dinner together. We all collectively choose a variety of foods, which is the kind of relationship you get from dancing together for years.

     One of my dance directors helps me find a vegetarian Thai plate.

    “This looks good!”

She says to me, pointing to a dish. I'm sure I won't like what she is pointing to because she just has a totally different food style, but there are a bunch of other foods I can share. We all wait for our food to come, and we talk about the past. I immerse myself in the conversation, and I let their voices wash over me. When the food comes, I put a little bit of everything on my plate. I try the thing that my director ordered, called “pad see ew”. It has a sweet, tangy taste to it. It's savory yet sweet. The brown noodles are soaked in sauce, and they fold delicately on my plate like thick ribbons of satin. It is delicious.

    I can see my friends all around me, familiar faces and glasses clinking. I can hear the faint murmur of the restaurant. The mixture of good food and all of my friends makes for a perfect evening, and to this day, pad see ew is still my favorite food.

Pad See Ew recipe:

Ingredients:

• 300g firm tofu

• 450g fresh wide rice noodles
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 1/3 cup peanut oil
  • 1 bunch gai-lan, chopped, stems halved
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons Chang's light soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  Method:
  Step 1
  Place tofu on a plate lined with paper towel. Stand for 10 minutes. Pat dry. Cut into 16 cubes.
  Step 2
  Place noodles in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Set aside for 4 minutes. Using a fork, separate noodles. Drain.
  Step 3
  Place cornflour in a large shallow dish. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Toss tofu in cornflour until coated. Shake off excess. Shallow-fry tofu for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove with slotted spoon. Drain on paper towel. Discard oil.
  Step 4
  Heat wok over high heat. Add gai-lan stems. Stir-fry for 2 minutes or until tender. Add leaves. Stir-fry for 1 minute or until wilted. Return tofu to wok with noodles, garlic, sauces and sugar. Stir-fry until hot.
• Step 5

  Make a well in the center of noodles. Add egg. Cook for 2 minutes or until egg starts to set. Stir-fry egg through noodles. Serve.

  Notes-When frying the tofu, make sure an adult helps as the moisture in the tofu can make the oil spit.