WE LOVE WONTONS
My family loves wontons.
Could the wonton be the perfect comfort food? It’s what we eat when we’re tired and feeling lazy, when we’re under the weather and when we’re jet lagged. It’s the 2:00 am meal at Swatow’s on Spadina when we’re back in Toronto after a late flight in and there’s nothing else that will do but a bowl of steaming wontons and noodles (with a side of deep fried tofu and Chinese greens with garlic).
My mother-in-law is the reigning queen of making wontons and she’s passed down to her daughters and her grandsons the fine art of this delicious craft.
A week or so ago Alice decided that what we needed was wontons. So off we went to a shop on Spadina Ave. for wrappers which may be the only supermarket left in Toronto (or anywhere) where there’s (astonishingly) no limit to the number of people allowed in the store at the same time. Risking ones life for wontons seems to be a bit of a high price but okay, just this one time. Along with the wrappers you’ll need pork and cabbage, (I was never invited into this secret society of wonton makers so I had to ask Alice this) salt, cooking wine, and chopped ginger. Simple, easy and delicious.
And then the actual wrapping takes place. The initiated (not me) sit around the table, sharing in the stories and events of the day and since this is the time of Covid-19 it’s pretty much one story and one event.
The hard work done, now all that’s left is boiling the wontons and putting the desired number in a bowl of steaming hot broth. The actual number of wontons that goes into the bowl is a combination of your hunger level, and your pride. For example, you can’t eat less wontons than your younger sibling. I mean you can, you’re just going to be hearing about it. Forever.
On a good night, many dozens of wontons will be eagerly wolfed down. Stomachs will be patted in satisfaction. The comfort that comes from this simple yet delicious meal will be present on every face in the room. And if you’ve eaten more than your younger sibling or more than your spouse, well congratulations, you can hold your head up high… till next time.
SHOT WITH FUJI X-PR02, XF35MM F/1.4
