Wen/Yu Xiaoduo

Since I can remember, my family will buy a lot of pork every winter when the Chinese New Year is approaching. After cooking a pot of pig's trotters, pig's claws, and pork belly, most of the remaining fat is made into lard, which we usually call lard. There are usually two large jars of lard stored in the lower room of the house.

At that time, in the winter in the Northeast, there were not many vegetables to eat. Almost every meal was cabbage, potatoes, radishes, and sauerkraut. I rarely bought meat because of the holidays. Therefore, when making cabbage soup or radish soup, add a spoonful of lard, which will give you the aroma of pork, and the stew with clear soup and less water will become particularly delicious.

What impressed me most was the bowl of lard rice cooked by my mother.

At that time, my father sometimes had to get up early to leave the car and had no time to wait for my mother to prepare the dishes. Therefore, he often takes a spoonful of lard, digs a small hole in the middle of the rice, puts the lard in, pours some soy sauce on the rice, and then stirs it with a spoon, and a bowl of lard rice is ready. .

Because the rice has the aroma of lard and soy sauce, and the freshly cooked rice is steaming, the rice is crystal clear and delicious. If it feels greasy, you can add kale, kohlrabi root, garlic eggplant, and perilla leaves pickled by your mother in winter, or go to the sauce jar and grab a small pickled cucumber or cowpea. If you are lucky, you can also catch the cooked pork that is put into the sauce vat in late autumn. After eating a bowl like this, my whole body felt warm.

Dad often likes to eat like this. Sometimes even if there are vegetables to go with the meal, he also likes to mix it with a bowl of lard rice, which is delicious. I was greedy, so I dug a big spoonful into my father's bowl and put it in my mouth. It was so delicious. So, sometimes on school mornings, I would clamor to eat lard rice. Or, when my mother is not paying attention, I can serve a bowl of rice by myself. After mixing it, I will take the bowl to the yard and sit on the small bench to eat it with relish.

My mother said that we should eat less lard. In the past, it was because our family was poor and couldn't afford meat. We couldn't eat much vegetables all year round except in summer, so we ate it soaked in lard. However, I have fallen in love with this taste since I was a child.

However, even though we know that lard is bad for health, we still have a jar of lard at home every year. When stewing beans and eggplants, my mother would still habitually add a small spoonful of lard. Later, I tried beans without lard, but I always felt that there was something missing compared to the taste at home. Gradually, I adapted to dishes without lard and felt that it was healthier. But this does not mean that the taste of childhood has been erased. On the contrary, it will become clearer and clearer in my mind as I get older.

One day while visiting the morning market, I went to a pork stall and bought a strip of pork belly. Suddenly I remembered that I really wanted to eat lard bibimbap a few days ago, so I asked the boss if there was any fat. The boss said no, but he chose a piece of pork belly with fatter meat for me. Although it didn't produce much oil, I happily went home and tried it. The result was pretty good, a small bowl of oil came out.

In the evening, I steamed the rice. When the rice had just come out of the pot, I filled a small bowl with lard, poured in soy sauce, and took a bite. I was very moved at the time. I can’t explain why. , I just know that my bowl of lard bibimbap tastes like it was when I was a kid.

I have been following "Midnight Diner" for three seasons. It tells the story of the small lives of small people. The owner runs a small restaurant, and the only menu is the pork miso soup set. The boss can make a variety of dishes according to the guests' requirements, and each dish has a touching story. Among them, one episode is "Butter Bibimbap". It tells the story of a poor man who would go to the late-night cafeteria after 12 o'clock every night and order a bowl of butter rice. Later, a gourmet came to the late-night cafeteria, saw this rice, and ordered a bowl to try. He also fell in love with butter bibimbap and felt that no delicacies from the mountains and seas were as delicious as a bowl of butter bibimbap. The play also tells a beautiful story with a touching ending.

The story is just like this bowl of butter rice. Although it is not as good as the delicacies in the world, it is incomparable in the hearts of some people. This is a simple taste, but it can make people remember it for a long time.

Sometimes, what we miss is the taste of childhood. Although it may not be delicious, let alone cooking skills, the simple taste is enough to make people miss it for a lifetime.

This is the memory that a bowl of lard bibimbap brings to me.