Guang Tou (bald) YeYe’s Black Chicken Soup

We met Yeye when Blake was just a few years old. He was the boyfriend to our beloved nanny Ms Qi. Both were excellent Chinese cooks from north east. Both were vibrant and vivacious characters. Both loved my little girl. And both wanted a lot in life.

Yeye was a professional cook and he had a love for fashion although he had no hair. He had been in the states for nearly 20 years and had always been busy cooking. I heard from Ms Qi that he dreamed about owning his own restaurant. Ms Qi proposed that yeye woud make soup for me for my post partum time after Travis’s birth.

On the 2 nd day after Travis‘s birth, we learned the heaven-breaking news that he has heterotaxy. I was not knowing the magnitude of it then but somehow felt my world start to shake. Ms Qi came to my bed side with her usual bright smile handing over the soup Yeye made. It was black chicken soup. She said have it while it’s hot, it’s good.

I took a sip and the cracked heaven somehow was sealed. That. Black. Chicken. Soup. was heavenly tasting. So heavenly that the tasty sensation simply struck me and lifted me from my dark hole in the hospital and made me float with the clouds.

So Yeye’s soup continued for a few more days. I do not remember the rest of the food brought to me during those soul broken days but I remember every chew of the black chicken and every sip of the golden broth. They played such magic on my tongue. Then he got sick. Really sick. We visited a few times. The last time I saw him, he was lying down sideways not responding. I saw the thick colored US flag with an eagle tattoo on his upper right arm, now very wrinkled over the wrinkled spirit and the muscle, and those fallen American dreams.

Am sure a part of what am doing was because you are watching and hoping, Yeye.

Perhaps I could help fulfill your dream one day? So I could have a chance to return your favor of the wicked good black chicken soup?