About me:

After working as public relations few years in the garment industry, it makes me more clear about my career goals. Now, i am majoring the HM in City Tech. I hope i can work in the international chain travelling industry, such as Hilton, Sheraton, or marketing in foreign countries, such as in Europe, Asia, in the future. From my previously work, I learned so much about myself, some strengths are communication skills and positive attitude with costumers, patient and passion for job and the ability to adapt to new things quickly. Travelling always is a best rewarding thing, especially when it combine with the job that what i want.  i like explore the different places and meet different people around the world.

Food, Memory and Life.

Have you ever tasted any food that deeply affected your life? This is a deep thinking question. People eat food, because food tastes good, maybe for other reasons. Food is amazing. It exists in this world and supports us with energy. Food also keeps people from starving and makes people satisfied. Every country has its own unique food. Thereby, food not only gives people a chance to experience the differences in food cultures, but also gives people a chance to rethink their lives. For me, food is one of my most favorite things in my life. It is not just something to eat to me, but also something that connects to my memories. It keeps teaching and making me rethink about my life. There is one thing about food that is significant in my life.

After I finished high school, I was so tired of studying. I felt like I was done with mu studies because I didn’t want go to college. However, I was so excited about the adventures of my new no-school life. One day, when I saw a documentary about the Ganga River in India, somehow I decided to take a few months backpacking in India. Making preparations booking the ticket, applying for the visa, and buying a travel guide book.  Then I departed from Xiamen, China to India. At first, I was shocked while the bus was taking me from the airport to the downtown. This city was a mess. The roads were terrible, there were many holes in the road and the cows and passengers walked together on the driver’s path. Every time when the Tutus and cars drove by, the accumulated dust blew into the air, making me breathless. Suddenly, I realized why people talked so much about the poor environment in India on the internet.

Everything here was new. I was so excited. In the beginning, I thought I would not make this journey. On the contrary, I instantly became comfortable with the environment and I could not wait to try the real Indian food, not the Indian food from my city.  One day, the weather was so hot. The temperature reached to almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  Although there was air conditioning in the hostel room, I could feel the dry air and the heat from outside. I felt so thirsty and dehydrated like a hot pig in August. At this time, two German friends told me that they knew a place that was very popular for locals, and they sold a traditional drink called Lassi. They invited me to join them. The invitation allured me and I said yes without thinking twice.

There were a lot of grey stone buildings that scattered along the Ganga River. We walked from our hostel through a few trails to the bank of the river. Children were playing and jumping in the water, women were washing clothing nearby, and the men were also showering in the river. On the other side of the river, the pyres were burning. The smells of the burned dead man bodies came along and made my stomach turn. We passed by the crowd and into an alleyway and then my friends stopped and pointed out the shack in front of us, they told me that was the popular Lassi shop. The shack was built a foot higher than the ground. It looked dilapidated, like it would fall apart if there was any pressure from outside. Around the shop, the cow dung spread on the ground. The dogs laid down next to it and wagged their tails lazily. The environment and the sanitation made me so uncomfortable and nervous. In the shop, the owner wore ragged clothing and sat on the shack’s porch. There were several big storage containers beside him. The shop wasn’t what I expected before, now I were hesitating and kept asking myself should I tried it or not. The owner smiled at us and asked if we wanted to buy the Lassi. My friends answered him yes and asked for three. Then the owner picked up a plastic bowl, filled it up with white colored liquid, and passed it to me. The Lassi’s color was white, it looked like yogurt. However, it wasn’t as thick as yogurt which I thought was because the water mixed inside it. I still was hesitating about whether to try or not. Meanwhile, my German friends already drank it up. The poor level of sanitation made me want to give up to try, but I didn’t want to disappoint my friends. After all, I brought it to my nose and smelled it. It was filled with the sour-sweet smell of fresh milk. The smell made me feel like walking at Central Park in the morning, because it smelled like breathing the fresh air. I convinced myself that it might be delicious. Then I closed to my eyes and drank it. At first, my tongue felt coolness, then my mouth could taste the sweetness, at last, I swallowed it. The sense of the taste and freshness directly came out. It tasted a little like yogurt, but not bitter at all. That impressed me, and I ordered and drank one more. From that day, every time I dined in a restaurant, I always would order a Lassi first. It became a habit while I was traveling in India.

From this trip, I met many different people from around the world. I learned so much about understanding, and the most important thing that I learned is never judge a food from its look. There are so many foods in this world that don’t tempt you, but you will not know if it is good or bad unless you taste it. Be open minded about the food, try it and feel it. Food is a culture. It is also a way to connect with two different cultures. Through the Lassi, I learned it is a popular and delicious drink and knew why Indian like it so much. For Indian, Lassi means more than a beverage, it presents their culture. From the high class to working class, whatever your age, they all love this affordable drink. Food is also a memory. Every time when I taste the Lassi, I will remember the happy time that I spent in India, the people, the food, and the experience. I was so happy that I tried the Lassi in that situation. If I refused or missed it at that time, maybe I would never know about Lassi on the rest of my trip. In the movie “Forrest Gump”, the mama says to Forrest: “life is a box of chocolate, you never know what you are gonna get”. These words always make me think about food and life. In my word, food is memory, food is life, and what we need to do is encourage ourselves to explore it.