I'll have soup

I love a hot bowl of soup. Growing up, there was almost always a big pot of homemade Chinese soup simmering on the stove. The aroma of the stock and its ingredients simmering in the kitchen filled every corner of the house and would hit me square in the face as I came through the door, home from school, and ready to eat! The steady but strident chop chop chop chop sound of a cleaver striking the wooden block meant garlic, veggies, ginger, black beans and other goodies were being prepared for the frying pan.

To this day, few things are as soothing to me as a fragrant bowl of hot soup. As I prepare for my annual visit to the Motherland (New Jersey) my taste buds are gearing up for the onslaught of food and flavors that are de rigueur in my family's household.