When Wu Weining was a child, the whole family would make dumplings together during the Chinese New Year. They would put copper plates and rice cakes into the dumplings, as well as deep blessings. After being married to Israel for more than 10 years, Wu Weining carefully preserved the custom of making dumplings for the Chinese New Year in distant Israel, and passed down the ordinary and precious New Year reunion experience with his three daughters.

On a winter evening, I turned on my laptop on the dining table in the corner of the kitchen, put on my headphones, and started video chatting softly with my sister in Taiwan. The eldest daughter Xiaoya heard me speaking Chinese and leaned over quietly. When she saw her aunt on the computer, she couldn't help but cheer loudly: "Auntie, are you coming to Israel for New Year's Eve this year? I know how to make dumplings. Come and we can make them together!" My sister and I looked at each other and smiled. "Okay, we'll prepare the fillings for the dumplings together when I get to Israel!" my sister replied.

It has been more than 10 years since I was married to Israel. The eldest daughter, Daya, who was born before New Year’s Eve, just celebrated her 12th birthday. There are very few Chinese in Israel. The small Red Sea city of Eilat where I live has less than 5 long-term Chinese residents and a few Chinese workers coming and going. Not only is this country's food habits very Westernized, but also because the population background is mainly Jewish and Muslim, both of which have strict dietary disciplines. Many common ingredients in Taiwan are not easy to obtain, and high-quality seafood is one of them, especially pork. Needless to say.

Having lived here for so long, I have already followed the local customs. There are not many leafy vegetables to buy here, so I started eating salads; everyone is used to cooking in the oven, so I also learned to bake fish. Roast chicken legs, even bake cakes, bake cookies. Sometimes I get homesick and have stomach problems, so I make pancake rolls, rice balls (without making fried dough sticks, of course) or steamed buns that even children would eat to relieve my longing for Taiwanese food.

The most important food on New Year’s Eve: dumplings

Since there are not many Chinese people, my husband and I only communicate in English and Hebrew. . There are not many opportunities for children at home to be exposed to Chinese language and Chinese culture. Living in the Jewish community, there is no atmosphere for celebrating Chinese festivals. Even so, for me, a foreign bride living alone in a foreign land, Chinese New Year is very important. We don’t celebrate most Chinese festivals, such as Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival. Children often only realize that the festival is coming when they receive gifts from relatives and friends in Taiwan.

However, New Year’s Eve is a big event in the family, because my mother will seriously start preparing New Year’s Eve dishes several days in advance. In particular, there is the most important New Year’s dish that day: dumplings!