6:15pm – My son and his two buddies are in my kitchen attempting to make mooncakes for Mandarin class.
6:30pm – They don’t know where the cups, bowls, and spoons are stored. They can’t decipher lard from vegetable oil.
6:37pm – They found my pyrex measuring cup used for liquids. They’re measuring flour with it.
6:41pm – They want to drain the red beans that I boiled for them earlier today. They don’t know what a colander is. They ask Sophia. She tells them to Google it. Loud groaning ensues.
6:46pm – They found the colander. They dump the red beans into it. Red bean juice is dripping all over my counter. They’ve never read their recipe so they ask Justin to read the recipe out loud from his phone while one person holds the colander up high. Red bean juice is dripping on my kitchen rug.
6:48pm – The recipe said they need cheesecloth to strain the beans. “Mom? What’s a cheesecloth?! Is it made of cheese? MOOOOOMMM!!!!!!”
6:50pm – Someone says they need to catch the red bean juice with a bowl. After straining the beans, Santiago dumps the red beans in the bowl along with the juice. They start over.
6:51pm – Sophia walks towards me and whispers “How do you screw up straining beans?”
7:02pm – They have to cook the red beans with sugar and oil. They don’t know how to light the stove. “SOOOOOPPPHHHHIEEEE!!!”
7:07pm- The three of them are stirring the red beans in a pot over the stove. The. Three. Of. Them. “Double double toil and trouble…”
7:13pm – Someone says they need music. All three go to the office to choose songs. All. Three. Of. Them.
7:16pm – Sophia: “One of you needs to keep stirring this pot!”
7:17pm – “But it’s exhausting!!!”
7:18pm – Sophia suggests two of them start making the dough while one cooks the beans. Names are thrown out.
7:20pm- Still no dough makers.
7:25pm- Still no dough makers.
7:28pm – One boy is dancing.
7:31pm – Still no dough makers.
7:42pm – Justin says fine, he will do it. He asks Sophia where the flour is. The jar of flour is right in front of him.
7:57pm – I go inside the kitchen to ask if I can cook dinner. My kitchen looks like the aftermath of a hurricane. I do deep meditation breaths.
8:15pm – I finish cooking dinner. My son is still stirring the pot of red beans. He looks at me in agony. I practice tough love and walk away.
8:18pm – Justin asks for help with the dough. He says it doesn’t look right. I tell him he has to knead it. “I need you, dough,” he pleads. He really wants an A in Mandarin.
8:19pm – I show him how to knead the dough. He said he can do it now. I step away and announce that dinner is ready. The dough is abandoned.
8:45pm – Still eating dinner.
8:55pm – Still eating dinner.
9:08pm – Justin’s mom calls and tells him to go home. He asks Santiago and Jasky to walk him home. He lives a block away.
9:20pm – ……..
9:35pm – ……..
9:48pm – The two boys return and ask if they can continue making the mooncakes tomorrow. They are beat, they say. Sophia tells them that dough will be dead tomorrow. Loud groaning ensues.
9:50pm – I am overcome with fear that they will return tomorrow. I offer to finish making the mooncakes tonight. There is much rejoicing.
10:02pm – Six mooncakes are rolled and ready to be molded. Santiago offers to mold it. He smashes the first mooncake. It is now flat as a pancake.
10:05pm – Jasky tries molding the cakes. He does a beautiful job. He molds the rest of the cakes. He is not in Mandarin class.
10:24pm – The mooncakes are in the oven. Jasky is picked up by his dad. Santiago is excited. He can’t wait to see the cakes done.
10:26pm – I start tidying up the kitchen. Stress is slowly leaving my body. It looks like I will make it out alive after all.
11:07pm – The mooncakes are done. I take them out of the oven. Santiago is fast asleep.
Thoughts Into Words 