Hi friends. Today's episode is hosted by the poet and writer Victoria Chang.

Don't worry, I'll be back on April 8th. I'm Victoria Chang and this is the slowdown.

I'm Victoria Chang and this is the slowdown. slow down.

If I were to think of my childhood home, the first thing that comes to mind is the kitchen table.

Then, I think about all the smells of steaming home-cooked Chinese food that appeared on that table night after night.

I loved eating the homemade dumplings we made together as a family.

My mother had the hardest job, meeting the dough and preparing the meat and

vegetable stuffing. I helped her wrap the dumplings one by one trying to make her

proud with my perfectly shaped and pinched crescent moons.

My sister was sometimes around to help.

More often than not, she'd be up in her room reading quietly by herself.

My father would be ready at the frying pan. He loved

to get the pot stickers perfectly crispy, and I still remember his pride and

excitement when they came out beautifully.

When the first batch was ready, I was the first taste tester,

often burning my tongue because I was so excited.

Then we would all gather around the table and eat together.

This was also the table where my parents helped us with homework.

I still remember my sister or me sitting at that

table well into the evening getting help from my mother in math and my father in all the sciences.

As I write this, I am sitting at an old farm table,

a table that we've had since our children were young.

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