Wonton

Wonton, written as 'swallowing clouds'.
What a beautiful name.

When I looked it up,

I found that the Chinese word 'hundun' is pronounced 'wonton' in the Guangdong and Fujian regions,
and the characters for 'cloud' and 'swallow' were applied because their appearance in soup resembles clouds.

I absolutely love this origin story.

To eat a cloud.

Just thinking that makes my usual wonton feel a little special.

In the hot soup,
the skin becomes plump and translucent.

The way it sways beyond the steam
really looks like a tiny cloud.


After the war, my grandmother
used to make these wontons at her diner.

That taste was passed to my mother,
and now to me.

Although I have started using chicken bouillon for the soup,
the recipe for the filling of Chinese cabbage, chives, and ground pork
remains the same as it was back then.
Once the filling is ready, I wrap them up by hand, and they are done.

Today's menu is
tiny clouds floating in a golden soup.

Beyond the steam,
they are swaying.

Today, too, I will swallow a cloud.

Well then, let's eat.