My Weekly Simple Thing

When I can, I plan to participate in Rebecca's Simple Things challenge over at her blog. Once a week I will take a photo of a simple thing in my life that makes me smile.

What I have liked about this challenge so far is that not only am I looking for a simple thing in my life to appreciate, but I am finding small stories to tell about the details of our lives. I'll show you what I mean:

My photo for the week is a package of dried sea weed. Just the other day my five year old brought a package of this home from Kindergarten. One of the other students brought packages to share with all of the students. My son was so excited he insisted I open it so that he could eat it on the bike on the way home. It wasn't a convenient time so I put it in my pocket for later. When later came we couldn't find where I had put it, so I told him we could stop at our little market on the way to school and I would buy him a package. They were only sold in packages of ten and were on the clearance rack. We decided to buy enough to share with his classmates. He was so happy to share and ate a packet of seaweed on the way to school. This is an All-American boy, mind you! American kids do not typically like dried seaweed! But this little boy, growing up now in China, he likes seaweed as much as a little boy growing up in America likes a bag of Cheetos or a chocolate chip cookie. Don't get me wrong, my son loves those too, but I never would have guessed one of my kids would pine for a packet of sea weed!

This experience brought me back to the time I was living in Japan. I noticed how much the children there loved sweet bean paste, sweet rice paste (mochi) or dried sugared fig, as well as other delicacies that would turn the stomach of an American child. I remember thinking back then how our American taste for certain types of sweets is totally due to nurture, to our surroundings and what we are taught is a treat, not because it is inherent in the treat itself. The Japanese traditional treats are so much healthier than ours. I also remember kids there loving dried seaweed. 

Fast forward five or six years and I started having my own children. They were growing up in California and by the time my first two boys were five and seven, they had not developed a taste for dried seaweed or sweet beans despite the fact that they had been given them to try. Not very often, mind you, but their friends were not trading them at school for slices of pizza, so they did not have the stigma as being a delicious treat. They made sour faces when we took them to Japan and asked them to give these tasty sweets a try. 

Fast forward to now and we have been in China for more than two years. Our youngest son was only three when we moved here. He now attends a bilingual school where most of the students are Asian, mostly Chinese but many Singaporeans, Taiwanese and Malaysian children of Chinese decent. Many of these kids LOVE dried seaweed. They are so excited when a friend has them at school and they are highest on the food chain when it comes to trading treats. Our youngest son has now gotten caught up in the excitement and has decided he must give these exciting treats a try. And now he claims to be a big fan too! 

I feel like my experience has gone full circle. And it is amazing how quickly it happens. Until this Fall our youngest was at an all-English speaking Western preschool in Beijing. Now, he attends a bicultural, bilingual school which is dominated by Chinese students. Most of his peers' primary language is Chinese and their food tastes are also Chinese. After only six weeks in school, he can suddenly have a full fifteen minute conversation with our ayi (housekeeper/nanny) all in Mandarin! And he is insisting on typical Chinese/Asian snacks! It is shocking (in a good way) how quickly little ones absorb everything around them - language and culture! A package of seaweed is definitely a Simple Thing but it represents so much.

Comments

[Rachel B]

I love this post, it just shows how sometimes you need to stop and appreciate things around you and also think that sometimes we have too much! (referring to pizzas and sweets being treats). Thanks for sharing :)

[Amy]

I love how a simple prompt can evoke so many memories! Great shot Marg :-)

[Rebecca Cooper]

I just love the photo and the story behind it! I am enjoying this little photo journey to capture the simple joys in life for exactly the reasons that you've said! Thanks for joining in...it's so fun to make this weekly stop by your blog! :)

[Rebecca Cooper]

Me again Margie :) Thanks for your comment on my TG post. We are Canadian so our THanksgiving was last month and we weren't really able to celebrate much. No Turkey that's for sure. Meat is quite difficult (well, good - healthy meat anyway) is hard to find on the island. It is definately a challenge to try and bring some of the traditions/warmth of the holidays here. Especially being from Canada it sure doesn't feel like Christmas without any snow. ;) How long are you and your family in China?

[Margie]

Rebecca, excuse my lack of sensitivity! I know better than to assume that everyone is American and celebrates Thanksgiving in November! In fact, I'm pretty sure I remember reading on your blog that you are Canadian! I can only imagine how difficult it must be to get all the things you love on an island! It is hard enough here in a cosmopolitan city. We spent last Xmas here and it just was not the same. We are in China at least until July 2011 and after that we are not sure. Thanks for stopping by!

[Margie]

Me too, Amy! Thanks for coming by.

[Margie]

I agree, Rachel, the amount of junk we have available for our kids is overwhelming. And it is spreading across the globe. I'm hoping these cultures that have the 'healthier' sweets/treats won't give them up as the cheaper junk spreads and is marketed to their younger generations.

[Lee]

What a tremendous experience for you and your children. Though I've attempted to convert the treat tastes of my kids, they are still very North American traditional - cookies, chips - with a bit of Maple Syrup flavour (after all, they're Canadian and French Canadian at that! ;) Great to see you participating.

[Kiley]

My daughter loves gim! We lived in Korea for three years before coming to Qingdao and I can still get her to eat practically anything if its wrapped in gim. My daughter is also five. So glad we found each other's blogs!