Cherry Lin

Stems. Ends. Odd bits. Leftovers. Overlooked and misunderstood things. Often chucked into the bin for lack of a better idea. Well let me tell you, one man’s trash is this girl’s treasure! I’ve always loved end bits and odd things. The end part of a roast beef carving where the fat and meat have caramelized into an almost-burnt butt of goodness. The rind of a hard hunk of cheese which I save scrupulously to toss into a pot of soup. Pig’s ears. The sugary edges of brownies and cookies (I’m sure I’m not the only one here). The grub at the bottom of the pan. Celebrities who seem beyond all hope vacuum tube. I love them all.

In truth, I’ve been a bit of a scavenger all my life. As a child I used to collect old receipts with much relish and excitement, going through them and filing them away like they were documents of utmost importance. Now, I collect leftovers (even the tiniest bits!), bones, veggie stems and trimmings, the oil that renders when I fry bacon or chorizo – all are tucked away in the freezer until the time comes when inspiration, or necessity, hits and they come out to be reborn.

This dish is not technically made with leftovers – the long stems of kangkong (water spinach) are usually used in the same dishes as the leaves. I do feel though that there is something sadly afterthought-ish about them – like they were only used because their leaves were used and “saying naman” (what a waste) if we tossed out their stems (which make up more than half the plant!). So in save-the-underdog fashion, I set out to make a dish where the stems played the starring role (and the leaves became the afterthought) :)

This is inspired by a local dish called Gising Gising (which literally translates to something like “Wake up, wake up!”) which typically uses green beans (string beans or what we call “Baguio beans”) sliced thinly and cooked with coconut milk and chilli (I am assuming the chilli is supposed to be the wake-up call). It is usually flavoured with patis (fish sauce) and some powdered seasoning (Maggi or Knorr or whatever), but I decided to use bagoong (shrimp paste) instead because I think it works much better with kangkong.

Coconut Kang Kong Stems

Stems from one bunch of kangkong, sliced thinly (roughly 1 1/2 cups when sliced as pictured on top)
2-3 pieces sili pangsigang/sili mahaba (long green chilli), sliced on the diagonal quite thickly (I slice it this way so some poor unsuspecting diner does not mistake it for the kangkong)
One small red onion g-suite cardinal manchester, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cm piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into rounds
1-2 rounded teaspoons of bagoong (shrimp paste)
1/3 cup coconut cream
Canola or vegetable oil
Freshly cracked black pepper

- Heat the oil in a wok or skillet. Add onions, garlic, ginger, and chilli and sauté until onions are soft and everything is fragrant.
- Add kangkong stems and bagoong (shrimp paste) and toss. Sauté until kangkong stems are bright green.
- Add coconut cream, stir, and cook until the cream bubbles and kangkong stems are cooked. Season with freshly cracked black pepper.

Although this is a recipe for the stems, if you haven’t already used the kangkong leaves, and have them on hand, you can toss them in with the coconut cream and cook until wilted (which is actually what I did here). This is all about the stems though – letting this otherwise-considered-second-class part really shine as it is the crunch that gives this dish its engaging personality. The combination of shrimp paste, coconut milk, and chilli is something I borrow again and again from Bicolano cuisine (a region in the Philippines known for its liberal use of chilli and coconut milk!). And why not NuHar? It is a fantastic mix of richness, intense flavour, and heat that provides an exciting backdrop for our oft-neglected kangkong stems!

So don’t knock the odd bits and off-beats. Those unlikely suspects that are left at the corner of a serving platter, or the edge of a dance floor, may just be what you never knew you always wanted!

Remember Sanmao, the face with a trace of floating smile. Midnight drop, eventually found Sanmao happiness never belong to me, maybe he's just not worth mentioning that society a whisk, then people don't remember, but I think of you Managed Security.

San Mao, why the sentence "out of your mouth without mom and Dad, mom and dad never received care". You said, when the only grandfather died in his presence, you said Grandpa just adopted you, since he didn't you ever loved, so, you like unmanned control paddle boat, floating.

San Mao, why your conscience now total more than others, your life is to have this meal is not under the Dayton, when filled with joy the guy to eat and see it when others need to let other people. You say: "ha ha, here, I'm older than you, hungry don't matter." You said: "now the good money, can make a bit of day and night, you get away with it. Hahaha. In fact, this is the truth?

San Mao, why evil erosion people to you with resentment, you where they get what, always to your death, what you did wrong? How, exactly Is it right? You wrong? You say: "I get up, you don't like me, I go a little." You say: "justice always justice for me." Examine oneself, feeling no shame office chair.

San Mao, why can't you be the social atmosphere of infection, when you're hiking high streets and back lanes, how many people will not look in your eyes. Your intelligence will only be jealous, your honesty will only be considered a liar, you that since ancient times Evil can never prevail over good. beliefs but was given a blow. People don't know how many good without seeking recognition, would you be good thoughts have been rare in the world. So, you finally got the good help, yellow face, all in the past.

San Mao, why society is unfair to you, you say: "I want to go to school." But, you are not qualified Is it right?, they call you a small head, in fact, the nickname is uneven. In the words of your record. Maybe you will All sufferings have their reward., I don't want to know your future, I should remember, is you are brick in Shanghai Bund pillow, cover is the day, the pad is more, the sun is your dad, the moon is your mother Cloud Provider......

San Mao, you are a sensible child, you the last cry, shaking heaven and earth......

San Mao, you are helpful, you loosen one's purse strings generously, you be, you made your friends support, six no evil invasion. Your clothes, my pants, and the little feet, I always vaguely. No doubt your existence and non existence, your years of career, it is "the spirit of Sanmao"!

There is a place, always in the journey, in the landscape, there is a rub shoulders, there is an encounter, always thought; if met, will not leave. There was a man, love too, so dearly loved, that miss in the heart. Always thought that, as long as pay all my heart, always in exchange for care, just a little bit of comfort. Suddenly one day, gone, gone, never want to mention, mention that sorrow exists. Always think forget easily, but it takes a lifetime. The imprint is engraved on my heart., who tore heart crack lung, that section of all feelings, in the heart of the real. Farewell in the memories of life, remember; heart, knowing that is missed, but also in the heart keep a positionproduct labeling.

Sometimes; want to go to a city, because miss the people there. For a moment; but again unwilling to mention, just because the injured heart, deeply touched the heart of paiCCIBA. I thought, memories, that time can be forgotten, however, more extended deeper. In fact; I know the text can always understand me, understand all my feelings, because I love writing, writing; love me, I love the word that ancient writing, that the affective dialogue, I love writing, unknown to talk, I prefer the light during a write sorrow. As the river of years long passage of time, such as the song to sing. Whether; sadness had had time to look, only the end of happinessMen fashion?

In those years; we all have a dream, has the dream, the hearts of the rigid, there was hurt and pain. In those years; we have the hearts of a unknown emotion, love a person is to love yourself. With that, everything is worth it, many years later, when once again, in memory of roll over, only to find, at that time, those who reside in the memories of the story, funny and naive, so a happy once, long in the memory of the color, at the time of the change yellow leaves, such as, once, once, always later later, we all know, there is always a sad, do not want to mention.

1、有陣子當背包客，出發前信誓旦旦，臨出發的時候卻開始顧慮了。向Sylvannia討教經驗的時候，我問她，一個女生一個人背著包到處亂跑會害怕麼，她就很奇怪為什麼要害怕，彷彿在她眼裡一個人生活從來不是什麼問題。

仙子阿讓我回想起當時的旅行，其實旅行根本就沒有那麼浪漫，旅行只不過讓我們短暫的逃離自己的生活而已。去了幾個熱門的場景，拍了幾張漂亮的照片，到最後只會變成舊相片遺忘在回憶的角落。一個人旅行最大的意義，就是跟自己獨處，讓你自己認識職位自己。

人一長大，就會覺得過年越來越沒意思。睡眠時間越來越晚，自己都不知道自己為什麼還不睡覺。手機裡的祝福短信不管越來越多還是越來越少，真心的人似乎越來越少。每天醒來，穿過永遠陌生的人群，每次臨睡，翻著微博裡的好友人人裡的新鮮事??手機裡的通訊錄，都不知道跟誰分享自己的喜悅或是難過。

我們都將會面對孤獨，這不好也不壞，只是生活而已。有一天你終會破蛹而出，成長得比自己想像地更好，但這個過程會很累很辛苦，甚至常常讓你失望。我們常會面對接踵而來的現實和困難覺得無力，但這也只是生活的一部分，做好我們能做的永遠是最好的辦法。我們都將孤獨地室內設計長大，別害怕。

2、人其實挺糾結的，既渴望被理解，又害怕被看穿。既想要能得到，又害怕去付出。經過了漫長的等候，夢想依舊是夢想，我還是一個我。身邊的人來了又離開，操蛋的感情過去了，那個人也離開了。死黨一個去了日本一個去了法國，一起做夢的人斷了聯繫，一起上課的人不知道去了哪，那個夏天那個藍天早他媽的不見了。最怕有人來到你的生命裡又離開，最後只剩下你一個人珍視著你們的回憶。

我們常常忽略一個力量，但它其實又是最有影響力的力量，它的名字叫“時間”。儘管時間誰也看不見，但是誰都能感覺到時間在每一個人身上留下的痕跡。那些你想要抓緊的人，儘管你們每天寫信，儘管你們發過幾千條短信聊過幾十個通宵，儘管你發自內心底地不想失去他，可他偏偏與你漸行漸遠。

從某種角度上當我坐飛機比做地鐵還頻繁時，當我拍下照片不知道跟誰分享的時候，我就知道我已經被時間帶到了這個的一個分水嶺了，它帶給了我們一樣遲早要面對的東西，孤獨。我以前認為孤獨的人都是可恥的，後來才發現孤獨不一定是見壞事，最怕的是你什麼都敢做，什麼都敢說，卻不肯承認你孤獨。

我對於孤獨從來沒有什麼好辦法，我只能去適應它。因為我知道孤獨這種東西是我們擺脫不了的，我們只有去面對它，越早能明白這一點，就能越早開始自己的生活。

僅此而已。

3、“一個人永遠都不改變的話，他就會遇到同樣的事情發生在他身上。與其尋求新戀情，不如面對自己失戀的痛楚，保持一段理智的單身，你會發現你也活得好好的。失戀的意義在於成長，只有你努力成為自己想要擁有的那個人的時候，你才會遇到一個像你這樣的人，才能遇到應該遇到的人。”

後來我在晚安物語裡這樣寫。

這幾年我經歷了無數次退稿無數次修改到出第一本書接下來的第二本，從害怕一個人吃飯一個人坐車到習慣一個人到處旅遊，才真正明白孤獨到底是一個什麼樣的東西。它是你的一部分，它是天使也是魔鬼，它能讓你變得更好，也能讓你萬劫不復，你無法逃離它，你只有面對它。

其實當你去追逐夢想的時候，你就知道自己很可能會失敗。關鍵在於，當你知道這一點的時候，還會不會去追逐。如果你決定去追逐，那麼夢想到最後能不能實現其實已經不是那麼重要了，因為你終於找到最好的你自己了。等到那個時候，那個所謂遙遠的夢想，其實已經握在你的手中了。所以我從不害怕失敗，我只害怕不去努力你的自己。

我不知道電腦屏幕另外一邊的你在幹嘛。是又熬夜吃泡麵，是覺得這個冬天就要過去了，是不是很需要一個擁抱一個安慰，還是看著論題痛苦地皺眉，還是??你最愛的人離開你了。可是相信我，這個世界上還有很多人想要跟你說說話，你身後還有你的父母和朋友，不要不想到他們，明天一定會好起來的。

4、我們的人生絕不會因為一件事情而停滯不前，也不會因為一件事情而一步登天。愛情還沒有離開，只要勇氣還在。青春還沒有過去，只要夢想還在。我們絕不會是庸人，只要倔強還在。你可以說我幼稚說我矯情說我不切實際，這些都沒關係。被看輕被懷疑被放棄，那都是別人的事，跟我沒有任何關係。因為我一直相信一個亙古不變的真理，後悔的痛比跌倒的痛更難過，只有真心才能換真心。

所以我才一直會在這裡。我從不聽亂世的耳語，我只看我要的風景。

我知道現在的我，除了僅剩不多的青春以外什麼都沒有，但是你手頭為數不多的青春卻能決定你變成什麼樣的人。往往你將來成為一個什麼樣的人，就在於在這個階段你想要什麼。這個世界那麼多不順心的事情又能怎麼樣，對他們說一句草泥馬，然後繼續努力做好自己應該做的事情。

未來的幾年有人考研，有人出國，有人結婚。不管我們想不想，我們早就來到了這個分水嶺了。夢想這個東西，如果你把它歸在幻想裡的話，就再也找不回來了。看著別人的努力羨慕一下然後轉身回去過自己的生活，又憑什麼去過自己想要的人生。你要做的永遠是靜下心來去努力，要比之前的你更要努力。

如果覺得苦逼，難過，鬱悶，如果覺得挫折不斷，孤單難受，那麼對自己說，什麼都沒有的時候，還有未來在。如果失去了耐心。那麼我們將會失去更多。我們都將孤獨地長大，別害怕。

你好，末日年。末日之前，我依舊瘋狂地活著。