Mingyue Zhou

ESL INGT100 CE

10.01.2020

Taste in My Memory

The taste in my memory from China will not be copied by any country. I have been living in the United States nine years. I know that the culture around American food and eating habits is different from China. In the United States, street food is not as common as in China, let alone night markets.Chicago’s food festival is only held in the summer. It is only held for a few days, not all summer. What I miss most is the night market and food street in my hometown of Shenyang, because that is the taste in my memory and the time I miss the most.

The one thing I miss most is that there are many styles of food on the food street in Shenyang. The food street has a variety of foods, different cooking methods and different tastes. I can eat all kind of food in the food street, and the food is delicious. My favorite is the food street and night market beside the shopping street near my home. Night markets are very common in China. The night market opens in the evening, and the stalls start at about 5 pm. The night market is not in the shopping mall, but in the park. It is very diverse. Some of sellers sell clothes, some people play games, and of course they have a lot of food. When I lived in Shenyang I loved going to the night market very much, and I could go shopping while trying different food. I used to eat there because I could eat different foods. I could buy some things until the end of the shopping. Since the night market is outside, it is only open in the summer. There are two types of food streets, inside and outside. The winter in Shenyang is very cold, so I always went to the indoor food streets in the winter. For nine years, I have not been to a night market in Chicago, because Chicago does not have this kind of night market. In addition, Chicago is very cold in the winter, so food festivals are only held in the summer.

When I was a middle school student, I did not have a lot of pocket money. I could eat well in the food street. The street food was very economical. The food on the food street was very cheap. The price of these foods are within the acceptable range for students. I could dine in the food street without spending a lot of money. Initially, the food street was not recognized by many people, because they thought the food on the food street is unhygienic. Later, after the stallholder in the food street applied for a health certificate and a hygiene certificate, the street food became popular. There are  two most popular factors: cost and flavor. In China, my junior high school classmates and I never went to a restaurant because this restaurant consumed a lot of money. We all went to the food street to eat. We could buy something together, and then we shared it together, so that we can eat a lot of things without spending a lot of money. I haven't found such a food street in Chicago. I have lived here for nine years, and I went to the restaurant to eat with my friends. The food in the Chicago restaurant is very simple, because the food in the restaurant is based on cuisine. For example, Lao Sze Chuan, only Sichuan cuisine. The price of each dish is over $10. The restaurant will not be as cheap as the food street, and there are many choices.

Most importantly, this is what I miss. This is the time I used to spend with friends. I often went shopping at night markets and food streets with my good friends. My best friend is my high school classmate. Because our homes are very close, we often went home together after school. After dinner, we went shopping at the night market. Sometimes we went shopping during dinner at the night market. We used go to shopping together on weekends. When we were tired, we went to the food street to eat, and then continued shopping. Life at that time was very relaxed and happy. After arriving in Chicago, although I also met new friends, I did not feel that way. Everyone here is very busy. No one will accompany you go to the night market and eat in the food street. I heard there is a night market in Chicago, but I have never been there. Every Wednesday in summer, there is an Asian night market on Argyle Street. I did not know this night market, I will go there next summer. The night market in Shenyang is open every day in summer. I think even if Chicago has a night market, it is not the night market I missed, because what I miss most is the time to shop and eat in the night market with my friends.

I heard from friends that the night market and food street in China are different from the past. Prices have risen and food quality has declined. There are fewer people going to the night market, and food prices have become more expensive. The restaurant I have visited has changed its owner. The taste of the food in my memory has also changed. My friend and I have not been shopping and eating in China for a long time, because we have our own lives. Lu needs to take care of her children. I am in the United States. We just talk about our past through video chat. My friends and I missed our time for shopping, eating and having fun together. That was the simplest life, the most beautiful taste in my memory, and the most difficult time to replicate.