So this morning was absolutely incredible! And I know I have started every blog off that way, but each day keeps getting better!
They always say you should cook with love, and today I witnessed that first hand. Today I got to help prepare lunch with Yim. Everything they use in their food is always fresh which makes it taste that much more delicious! Today we made soup with noodles and tons of veggies: carrots, cauliflower, baby corn as well as lemon grass and some mango on the side! We started of by cutting the veggies and the noodles and Yim would should us how to do it properly. She is so smart and truly has a passion for cooking. She taught us all about each food and told us where they all come from! After that we put the sauces on and cooked them on these huge woks!! When we finally sat down to eat and saw everything come together it was incredible- it tasted SO good!
The Noodles!
The noodles cooking in the huge wok!!!
When we think about cooking, we often see it as a chore, another task that needs to be done. When I watched Yim and the other girls cooking it was not a chore at all- it was rather relaxing and fun! We listened to music and laughed as we learnt more and more about one another. We probably cooked for around three hours in order to feed all 80+ kids, which seems like a long time but none of it was rushed and none of it was tiring. I found a new appreciation for cooking. It goes back to the prayer about thanking the farmers for the rice. Yim and the other students help to make every meal at the home and they put so much effort in to it and it really does show. Often when we eat we see the food and just enjoy it, but first you should sit back and look at it. Look at where the food came from and see how much effort has been put in to. When I make stir fry at home I buy a bag of frozen veggies... here they cut up each vegetable, sometimes even in to flower designs! It's amazing how much time and effort they put in to cooking. They also cook because they think it is a good skill for the young adults to have when they are older and become wives or mothers. This is an awesome opportunity for the teenagers staying at the home, especially if they are learning from Yim! Next time you are cooking, don't think of it as a chore but rather as a gift, to provide a safe and healthy meal for your friends and family. Not every body has the ability or opportunity to do so, so make the most of it. Now when I go shopping for food, I want to begin by going to the local markets for fresher food and to support the farmers. I want to spend more time cooking and less time complaining about the "work" that it entails. It is not a chore, not even close. 
The Finished Product
Beautiful Yim!
Working alongside Yim has been incredible, she is such an inspiring person and saying goodbye to her will be very tough. Tonight we are having our goodbye party where we hand out donations and play games with the kids! It will be tough to say goodbye to all of the kids tonight, but it was an amazing experience meeting each of them! Stay tuned for updates on the party tonight :)
Love always,
Bianca :)
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