Nostalgia and Bak Kwa

I almost forgot about the countdown to Chinese New Year—only 14 more days to go! That means in just two weeks, I’ll be lying on my bed in my own cozy bedroom instead of this rented room. Honestly, renting someone else’s house has its downsides. You can’t live as freely as you would at home. Every move feels cautious, like walking on eggshells, because you never know when you might get the boot!

Anyway, I promised to share one happy thing every day since yesterday, and today’s happy moment is definitely worth talking about!

There’s a supervisor in my department, Mr. WF, who oversees the toolmaker group. He’s not my direct supervisor, but he always takes care of me. Honestly, he feels like a kind, friendly uncle. If he were a little older, he might even be around the same age as my grandpa!

And guess what amazing thing he did today? He brought bak kwa (aka rougan). According to Wikipedia, it’s a salty-sweet dried meat snack, and it’s usually a big deal during Chinese New Year. I’m not usually a fan, but when I saw it today, I felt this sudden wave of nostalgia—it reminded me of home!

The one he brought was pork bak kwa, and I couldn’t resist trying it. I only planned to have one piece, but it was so good that I went back for a second. (Secret indulgence alert!) And guess what? WF gave me 13 small packets of it! He’s now officially in my Top 3 favorite colleagues.

龍记肉干！