Quarantine cooking brings a family together.
Last March, we kidnapped my parents to quarantine with us. Because of their ages and preexisting conditions, they are more vulnerable to COVID-19. None of us knew what the future would be like, and they certainly didn’t think they’d be staying with us for more than a few days. Fast forward: They stayed with me, my partner, and my one-and-a-half-year-old son for nearly seven months, and they just returned home two weeks ago.
Every night during the seven months, we gathered around the table at 5 p.m. for dinner together. We would always ask, “Who’s the head chef tonight?” It was either my mom or dad, and the other was the sous chef. On weekends, Ian — my partner — was the brunch chef. My son, Sam, and I mostly just ate.
At first, my parents would whip up dishes with whatever we had in the fridge, adapting their recipes. Soon, my mom would state her wish list: tamarind, fermented bean, sweet basil, and mint. We added the ingredients to our ongoing grocery list and tried to get them during our next delivery. We didn’t always have all the ingredients we needed, but we improvised, and it was always delicious.
Dad was more often the sous chef. Mom told him how to prep veggies — how big, how many, and how to cook them. They laughed, competed, and argued about whose methods were better and why.
During this strange time of togetherness, we ate pompano fish with sweet fish sauce and ginger, ban soong, cauliflower and oyster mushrooms, French toast with bacon and eggs, Dairy Queen blizzards (a special treat delivered via UberEats to everyone’s delight!), Snow tacos (a favorite of Ian’s passed down from his grandmother), party chicken wings with sesame oil and agave, ragù (Sam’s favorite), and beef noodle soup. Also, I made turkey and ham sandwiches for our lunches, and eggs for breakfast. I think that still counts.
Among other things that happened, I got laid off from my job over the summer and launched my strategic storytelling studio shortly after. It’s a dream I’ve always had, but it took an extra push to get there. Now I help individuals and businesses — specifically supporting women and people of color — with sharing their stories in authentic and meaningful ways. I’ve been booked out for months (including by Colgate alumni), and this may have been the second-best part of the pandemic. I love what I’m doing; I’m working with amazing clients who share the same values and are doing extraordinary work. My partner also lost his job due to COVID-19, and he launched a business as well. My son, Sam, got the gift of time with his grandparents every single day for seven straight months. The time we quarantined as a family will likely be the longest time we’ll ever spend together. We’ve had many silver linings during this pandemic, but togetherness easily tops the list.
Kanitha Heng ’09 Snow majored in English at Colgate before completing her MFA in writing at Columbia University. A Cambodian-American writer and creator, she runs a strategic storytelling consultancy based in Denver, Colo.