I threw back my warm sheets that comforted me all night to make my way to the bathroom. I quickly brush my teeth and got dressed, too ecstatic to speak. The wooden floor creaked as I raced down the stairs to help my mom cook kaopuhn. As I suspected, my mom was there cooking over the steaming hot stove. The fresh vegetables and other ingredients were all on the table. The kitchen was flooded with huge used pots piled in the sink and 3 enormous ones on top of the stove my mom was hovering over. It was just how she liked it.
People already crowded the living room waiting as anxiously as I was. My mouth watered as I now slowly try to descend down the stairs gracefully and trying my hardest not to make a loud noise. I was headed to the living room when the aroma hit me like a crashing wave and lured me in to the kitchen instead remembering why I was up so early. I watched in amazement as everything in the kitchen came to life. I made my way to ask my mom if she needed any help, and of course I was in charge of shredding the chicken.
I peeled the chicken slowly watching the steam came from the tender white meat. Every once and a while I sneaked a little bit for myself... I think I got that habit from my mom. I remember she telling me " When I was little I always helped MY mom shred the chicken just so I can have a little with white rice and soysauce". So instead of getting of being furious whenever I would try and take some chicken, when I was suppose to be shredding, I would hear a giggle escape her mouth. I kept peeling until there was nothing but a naked bone.
Hours passed by slowly as the kaopuhn mocked me with its smell, making me want to eat the entire pot while it still boiled fiercely. But luckily I didn't try to. It was merely a fantasy that would soon be fulfilled in a moment.
My family helped set up the table as the once scattered kitchen suddenly became tidy, organized. Everyone gathered around the table and took a bowl for their soup. As I looked around the living room, I saw my family slurping and scarfing down the kaopuhn with eager and satisfied faces. Not one person was not smiling and having a good time. When I finally got my bowl, I took what I could before the 35 gallon pot was no more.
When I sat down, I only focused on the food. I love the feeling of the hot soup trickling down my throat. A hint of spice and tang still on my taste buds as an explosion of flavor erupts in my stomach. The fresh cabbage and long bean gave the soup an extra boost of crunch and texture. Too irresistible to not have seconds... if I had to only choose one food to eat forever it would definitely be ka poon. When my stomach got bloated and I felt as though i'm going to explode in a million pieces, I still couldn't resist the provokitive new steaming bowl waiting in the kitchen.
(STILL IN THE PROCESS)
