Kathy and I went to Business School in San Francisco together. Busy with our individual lives, funnily (but not so surprisingly) it was Instagram that glued us together. Kathy’s food blog is not only fun (and mouth-watering) but also an edutaining adventure about food I haven’t eaten (yet). We recently reconnected after Kathy moved to Taiwan, and it feels so comforting to know we have each other to count on. This story of Grandma’s Claypot Shrimp Vermicelli takes me back to my favourite Vietnamese family joint in downtown San Francisco.

Home: A word which, when spoken, evokes a wave of nostalgia that gently washes over me. As far as Lunar New Year (LNY) traditions go, my family has never needed specific dishes to celebrate. I’m half Taiwanese and half Vietnamese, so LNY is an exciting time for me. It is the time of year when we’d fly back to my second home, Taiwan, to meet our relatives in preparation for our annual family trip to a country of my grandmother’s choosing. To welcome us, my grandmother always made her 砂鍋鲜虾冬粉, a twist on the Thai claypot shrimp vermicelli; regardless of whether it were a holiday or not. And it never fails to remind me of my childhood days of reuniting with my Taiwanese family.

Looking Back

The first time I had this dish, the entire family of 17 gathered around the table. Ten grandkids laughed and bickered over who gets to sit next to whom (after all, no kid wanted to sit next to an adult). The parents were casually catching up with one another, raising their voices to hear each other over the noise. And when my grandmother emerged from the kitchen carrying a huge claypot in her hands, all chatter ceased. We could hear the casserole’s contents bubbling, steam hissing out of the tiny hole on the lid. All eyes were on grandma’s hands as she carefully placed down the casserole on the round table and slowly lifted the lid off.

Steam rose and parted to reveal a layer of bright orange shrimp placed beautifully on top of a glistening bed of mung-bean vermicelli. The smell of peppery curry wafted into our noses and we all ooh-ed and aah-ed as our stomachs collectively grumbled. Everyone desperately wanted a taste. Even so, we all waited respectfully as my uncle, the eldest of the three, wordlessly scooped out a generous helping of noodles and placed it in front of my grandma. After all, it is customary for the elders in the family to eat first. The moment grandma dug in, the rest of the table got the green light to start our chopsticks. The rotating table had never rotated faster, with some kids rotating it so quickly that some soup and sauces from the other dishes spilled onto the table. Perhaps one of those kids was me.

But all guilt left me as I took my first slurp of those springy curry noodles. I knew then that no other dish would compare. Every slurp was heavenly; made even better knowing that if I didn’t finish my bowl quickly, there would be no second servings for me. As the saying goes in my family: 就是要多一點人來搶來搶去，這樣才好吃 [When there’s more people rushing to eat, the food becomes more delicious]. Needless to say, the large claypot filled with noodles was devoured in mere minutes, leaving behind a table filled with satisfied eaters and a happy grandma. Knowing then that we loved that dish, grandma never failed to make those noodles for our return to Taiwan. 

Looking Ahead

Since moving to the US for college and grad school, it has been 7 years since I last celebrated LNY with my family. Due to COVID-19, I finally returned to Taiwan last March. When I emerged from quarantine, I felt just as lost, uprooted, and scared as I did the day that I left my life behind in the US. But when my Taiwanese relatives gathered to celebrate the end of our quarantine, and my grandma placed that familiar claypot in the centre of the table, the feeling of home wafted over me softly like a gentle embrace, reassuring me that everything would be alright; that I am home now; and that I, along with everyone I love, am safe. With LNY coming up, I’m reminded that while we won’t be traveling to another country this year, I’m grateful that my family is safe and sound, and that we finally have this chance to reunite again after 7 long years. In the end, home is wherever my family is. And guess what my grandma will be making this year for the LNY feast?

Written by Kathy (Khuyen) Yu and edited by  Jashan Sippy.

‘Food, the Feeling of Home’: A series of stories exploring nostalgia, the power of food, our memories and stories of ‘home’. Want to share your story? Send it to us at info@sugarandspace.in