THE TASTE OF MEMORY.9 2/18/21

 

新年快乐   Xīnnián kuàilè. And as it’s the 7th day of the Lunar New Year, The Year of the Ox, Happy Birthday to everyone!!

 

It was great to see our students again after the break last week for New Year celebrations. Sook Fong briefly joined us then had to go to get her second COVID vaccination. What great news!! Susanna was also able to join us as it was a “snow day” so she could stay home and not have grandmother babysitting duties. 

 

As lion dances are traditional at this time of year, we thought it would be fun to warm up by learning the 10 steps. Everyone held their hands above their heads holding an imaginary lion mask while they followed me as I led them in the movements. We ended by making lion faces!

 

Sharing their artwork and encouraging each person to speak about their process and the story associated with the art, while encouraging the other students to comment is a vital part of each class. For homework they completed their Vegetables page and shared a photo of it on WeChat. Hui Fang spoke of the vegetables she grows in her backyard, which included beans, carrots, eggplants and cucumbers. She brings them to Bensonhurst Senior Center to share with all the members. Jing Wei remembered her mother liked to cook turnips and carrots, making kimchi, or pickling them or using them in salads. She told us they are nutritious, having similar properties to ginseng and can help lower body temperature in the summer. 

 

JuLisa learnt to cook when she was 10 years old as she lived with her grandmother and had to help out. Her artwork shows her hands grating turnips for turnip cake. She wants to pass on her skills to her children. She added eyes and a moth to the turnip bringing it alive and drew a cow on it, carrying a money bag, for good luck. Lao Yu drew taro and the ingredients needed to make a delicious taro and meat dish. This is what she makes for Chinese New Year’s Eve.

 

Miu is not able to join our class live, however always watched the recording and shared with us her Snack page, featuring Ovaltine, peanuts and seaweed, which she eats for energy, and her Sauces and Spices page. She enjoys spicy meals and uses hot sauce and mustard and puts vinegar into her noodle dishes. Pun has high blood pressure, so her doctor advises she exercise more so she included 2 people working out and drew broccoli, tomatoes and celery, all foods which help maintain a healthy heart.

 

Ru Ping shared the story of her youth in Shanghai when her mother lined cabbages along the wall. They are a great vegetable for the winter because they last a long time and don’t need to be refrigerated if you keep them outdoors. She uses cabbage in her spring rolls. So Sim reminded us of the tradition of using 9 vegetables for New Year dishes. On her page she included an orange for good luck and an apple which will keep her safe for the rest of the year. The dish she drew can be eaten in the leaf of a lettuce like a cup. Sook Fong’s mother tied cabbages on a rope and hung them in the air so they would last even longer. She included many different vegetables to make a hearty winter soup. 

 

The students commented on Stella’s drawings saying the objects all looked very real, turnip, pork and grater for making turnip cake.  Susanna was given a 20lb Italian pumpkin by a friend, which is sweet tasting and good to make cookies and soup. Her neighbor gave her a butter squash, which is good for babies and her husband's favorite vegetable is string beans. 

 

This week we reviewed how to draw from a specific view using a coin as an example. Spica demonstrated drawing a plate, a bowl, a steamer and a pot from different perspectives. We then discussed how to simplify a drawing by screen sharing typical dishes eaten at Chinese New Year. After folding another piece of white copy paper 4 times to create 16 grids they practiced drawing from the top view a variety of simplified dishes, including fish, chicken, stir fry. After taking suggestions for more dishes, they were on their own to fill in the other grids with drawings of different dishes on oval, round or oblong plates. We also included typical decorations seen in this festive time and drawings of cups, sauce and drink bottles. 

 

For homework we asked them to complete 13 colored drawings, but there was an outcry! No teacher that’s bad luck, we'll only do 12!! Our classes are always filled with laughter and joy.