A Fun Chinese Food Festival is Coming!
Hi friends! My name is Lily and I'm a 4th grader at Maple Elementary School. I can't wait to tell you about this super cool event our school is hosting next month. It's going to be a big Chinese food festival celebrating all the yummy treats and snacks from China!
You might be wondering - why are we having a Chinese food festival at our school? Well, it's because almost a third of the kids here are Chinese or Chinese-American. We come from all over - some of our families emigrated from mainland China, others have roots in Taiwan, Hong Kong, or other parts of the world with big Chinese communities. But we all share a love for the most delicious Chinese cuisine!
My parents are from Beijing and they've taught me all about the amazing food in China since I was just a little kid. We eat dumplings, noodles, rice dishes, and so many other tasty foods at home. But the food festival will let us try specialties from all over China that even I haven't gotten to sample yet. I'm so excited!
Here's what we have planned so far:
Food Stalls Galore!
We'll have tons of little stalls set up in the big field behind the school, just like a night market in China or Taiwan. Each stall will be run by parent volunteers and will serve a different regional Chinese food specialty.
The Zhou family is making hand-pulled noodles from Lanzhou in northwest China. The long, chewy noodles get stretched right in front of your eyes! Mr. and Mrs. Tran will serve banh mi sandwiches with pork and pâté - a Vietnamese snack with Chinese influence. The Wang family is bringing juicy soup dumplings from Shanghai. And the Wongs are making egg tarts, a classic Cantonese treat.
Those are just a few examples - we'll have stalls representing cuisines from all over China and the Chinese diaspora around the world. Sichuan spicy dishes, Taiwanese shaved ice, dim sum from Hong Kong, and much more! I'm going to need to bring a huge appetite.
Candy and Snack Street
Who doesn't love Chinese candy and snacks? We're setting up a whole \"Candy and Snack Street\" lined with stalls selling sugary, crunchy, chewy treats from China.
I can't wait to get my hands on some sachima, those chewy little malt candies. The Li family is making Chinese crackers like shrimp chips and prawn crackers. The tanghulu stall will have those yummy sugared fruit skewers like strawberries or grapes coated in a crispy honey shell. And we'll have all the classic candies like White Rabbit milk candies, Wang Wang milk candy, and lychee gummies.
Just thinking about it is making my mouth water! I'll definitely be loading up a bag with all my favorite snacks to munch on.
Live Performances and Cultural Shows
It wouldn't be a real festival without entertainment, right? We've lined up some amazing live performances to watch while you nosh on all the scrumptious food.
The Chinese Student Association from Oakwood University is coming to do a traditional dragon dance with those awesome colorful dragons made from silk, bamboo and paper. It takes a whole team of dancers to coordinate the movements - I've never seen one in person before!
We'll also have students performing the classic Chinese lion dances to bring good luck and fortune. The dancers are partially
hidden inside the lion costume and have to move the entire lion figure, including the mouth, eyes, and body. It looks so cool and energetic!
Some high school musicians are going to play traditional Chinese instruments like the erhu, pipa, and guzheng. I've only heard recordings, so I can't wait to experience those beautiful melodies live.
And students from the Wushu martial arts academy are putting on a dazzling kung fu performance demonstration with all the kicks, flips, and choreographed fighting moves. Get ready to be amazed!
Chinese Cultural Exhibits and Activities
Throughout the festival, we'll have all sorts of booths and exhibits teaching about different aspects of Chinese culture. You'll get to try fun games and activities too!
At the Chinese calligraphy booth, you can get your name written in beautiful Chinese brushstroke characters. An artist will demonstrate the authentic technique using an ink stone, brush, and special paper.
We'll have a station to learn about the Zodiac animals and which one you are based on your birth year. You can find out if
you're a dragon, snake, pig or another zodiac sign! Then you can make a craft displaying your zodiac animal.
The paper cutting station will guide you through making those gorgeous Chinese designs snipped from red paper. It's an ancient art with symbols for luck and prosperity.
And of course, we have to have a booth for playing jianzi, which is like a kick shuttlecock game that's super popular in China. You'll get to learn the rules and test your skills at keeping the weighted shuttlecock off the ground using only your legs and feet. So much fun!
Those are just some of the cool experiences we have lined up to teach everyone about Chinese culture and traditions through hands-on activities. I can't wait to try my hand at everything!
Mark Your Calendars!
The Maple Elementary Chinese Food Festival will take place on Saturday, May 20th from 11 AM to 6 PM. It's all happening right on our school grounds at 425 Maple Street.
Admission is totally free, but you'll want to bring some cash to buy food, drinks, and snacks from all the stalls. Most items will probably be between 2-5 each.
Tell your family and friends - this is an event you won't want to miss! Where else can you stuff yourself with endless Chinese delicacies, get immersed in the rich traditions, and have a total blast, all in one place?
From spicy Sichuan noodles to candied strawberries, from dazzling lion dances to jianzi competitions, it's going to be a celebration of Chinese food and culture like you've never experienced before. My family is so excited to share all the amazing foods and customs with everyone!
Start eating a light breakfast that morning because you're going to need plenty of room for ALL. THE. FOOD. I know I'll be going home with a very full and happy tummy!
I can't wait to see you all at the Maple Elementary Chinese Food Festival. It's going to be the yummiest, most fun-filled day ever! Xing fen xian le! (That's \"Happy Festival\" in Chinese!) Your chinese food fan friend, Lily
因篇幅问题不能全部显示，请点此查看更多更全内容