The taste of Nagasaki cake

【Experience】

sweet and warm childhood

I remember when I was young, my father would often buy "Nagasaki cake" for my sisters and me as snacks when he came back from get off work.

Nagasaki cake does not have the usual fancy shapes or delicate fresh cream decorations that are common in Western cakes. The long, goose-yellow cake is made from only flour, eggs, and sugar. It is very simple. The taste is soft and elastic, with a little egg aroma and the sweetness of sugar on the tongue. During the Shogunate period, the port of Nagasaki in Japan was opened to trade, and Portuguese missionaries from across the ocean landed here. In addition to preaching the gospel, they also introduced this delicious hometown dessert to the Japanese. After many improvements, this delicious snack originated in Europe has become an authentic "local product" of Japan.

When Dad was a child, Grandpa often bought Nagasaki cakes for the children to enjoy. Taiwan was once ruled by Japan, and its eating habits have inherited some Japanese flavors. The Nagasaki cake that my grandfather often bought may be an improved version of the cake shop in his hometown. It is said that honey is added, so it is also called "honey cake".

Whether it is the authentic Nagasaki cake or the improved honey cake, for my father, the memory of sharing cakes with his siblings when he was a child is sweet and warm.

Until the year when my grandfather’s investment business failed.

▲After Zi En’s grandfather was bankrupted, he was as helpless as a tree knocked down in a storm.

Giant tree collapses

It is said that at that time, my grandfather was bankrupted by a trusted friend, and his property was wiped out overnight. The family was left behind, so the family moved from a large house surrounded by servants to a small house with only a few tatami mats. The frustrated grandfather was so depressed that he hid in his room without leaving the house and ignored everything at home. Facing the young and old who were waiting for food, the grandmother, who was a rich young lady before marriage and a distinguished young woman after marriage, resolutely took up the heavy responsibility and relied on her dexterous red needlework skills to sew clothes for others to supplement the family income.

In order to make ends meet, grandma often had to stay up late working on her sewing machine. In the small house, the sound of talking and talking kept the whole family from having a good sleep. The children were so sleepy that they fell asleep, but the loving grandfather in the past often lost his temper because of this. Grandma’s helpless and apologetic face, and Grandpa’s angry and irritable look, are indelible scars left on the father’s young mind: Why is it that the wife has worked so hard for the whole family, but the husband is not only ungrateful, but also angry at her? The giant tree that was struck by the violent storm was no more resilient than a weak grass. Why was the father, the backbone of the family, so vulnerable?

broken cake

One day before dad went to school, grandma whispered in his ear: "After school today, we have Nagasaki cake to eat!" It turned out that grandma got the reward after staying up a few nights to catch up on work. She felt sorry for the children who had been working hard with the adults, so she thought Buy cakes to satisfy your children’s cravings and make everyone happy.

Dad felt sweet in his heart all day long at school. When he got home, he could eat the cake he had been dreaming about, which made him feel like returning home. I finally looked forward to the end of school and rushed home all the way. When I opened the door and saw my mother, I asked anxiously, "Where's the cake?" However, my mother didn't have the expected smile on her face, she didn't say anything, and there were tears in her eyes.

Dad rushed to the entrance and opened the paper door - he saw cake crumbs all over the floor and wall, and his ignorant younger brothers and sisters were crawling all over the floor in excitement, constantly reaching out to grab the cake crumbs on the floor, eating their mouths full. yes.

"Brother, cake!" The younger brother, who was still babbling, raised his head and smiled at him.

It turned out that grandma bought Nagasaki cakes home. The children were so excited that their joyful laughter woke up grandpa who was taking a nap. Facing the joyful atmosphere in the room, Grandpa became angry for some reason. He strode forward, grabbed the cake carton, and threw it against the wall: "Noisy, noisy, are a few pieces of cake worth such a fuss?"

Grandpa lost his temper and ran out of the door, leaving only the remains of cakes all over the house. When Dad witnessed this scene, he couldn't tell for a moment what the feeling was that filled his chest and overflowed to the point where it seemed like it was about to burst. Do you feel sorry for your mother? Resent your father? Or regret the cake? All he knew was that he never wanted to eat Nagasaki cake again.

▲After Zi En’s father experienced the setback of unemployment, he was finally able to understand the pressure and guilt he felt towards his family when he was unable to support his family.

Compare one's heart to one's heart

I don’t know when my father regained his love for Nagasaki cakes? But I remember that Nagasaki cake is a fond memory from my childhood with my sisters. Even during the time when Dad was unemployed for nearly two years, we could still taste the sweetness of it.

I learned from my parents that in the early years, my father and my uncle were in partnership in the import and export trade. My father was responsible for export orders, and my uncle was responsible for the import business. The two brothers-in-law worked hard and cooperated seamlessly, and the company's operations were booming. Unfortunately, this great prospect changed overnight after the U.S. government announced that it would cut off diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The export department that my father was responsible for was greatly affected, and many export orders were forced to be cancelled. The import business that my uncle is responsible for has been less affected, and its turnover has continued to grow steadily. My uncle was worried that his father's export business might drag down the company's overall economy, so he decided to break up the partnership with his father and go their separate ways. This was a big blow to my father, who had been struggling to wait for orders. Although it is said that "brothers settle accounts clearly," in my father's opinion, my brother-in-law's betrayal of crossing the river and burning bridges is really chilling.

During the days when his father was unemployed, he understood deeply that a grown man could not support his family, and the frustration of damaged self-esteem and shattered self-worth was like moths constantly corroding a person's emotions and confidence. Fortunately, my father made the decision to believe in the Lord when I was in the fifth or sixth grade of primary school. He said, “Without the support of faith, frustration at work and resentment towards my brother-in-law might make me an even more angry person than my father back then. Angry man!"

Relying on the power of faith, my father did not make the same mistake as his grandfather. Instead, he and his wife worked hand in hand to overcome the difficulties. There was a large vase with a white background and blue patterns in the living room. Anyone who had change in their hand would throw it in it. During those days of financial constraints, my mother would take change from the bottle to buy groceries. Occasionally, she would also buy Nagasaki cakes for everyone to eat. Dad said that at that time, mother and he were digging out the change in the bottle while smiling and cheering each other up. He is very grateful that his mother never complained and spent those difficult days with him. He knew that a virtuous wife was a gift from God. Especially during those days, his love for his mother gained even more respect. Because he experienced the love and forgiveness on the cross, my father learned to "forgive others their debts as they forgive our debts." Later, he also forgave his uncle and regained the love of brotherhood.

The pain and embarrassment of long-term unemployment, as well as the annoyance of being betrayed by a close relative, made my father deeply understand the pressure and burden of being the head of the family, and he was able to empathize with his heart, sympathize with his grandfather's angry behavior, and understand his weakness - he did not have any faith at that time How lonely and helpless is the supportive grandpa compared to his father? The power of faith also gave my father the ability to no longer care about his grandfather’s transgressions. He not only sympathized with and forgave his dereliction of duty, but also often prayed for him and testified to him, leading him to decide to believe in the Lord in his later years.

▲Zi En’s grandfather often buys desserts for his children and grandchildren, but perhaps to break away from the past, he never buys Nagasaki cakes again.

Inherit the sweet taste

As for grandpa, I don’t know how he views the past. I only remember that every winter and summer vacation when I returned to my hometown for a short stay, my grandfather would go out early in the morning and buy freshly baked suncakes, pineapple cakes, or lemon pies for us children and grandchildren to taste. In my memory, my grandfather has brought back countless boxes of snacks over the years, but he has never bought a Nagasaki cake.

Perhaps, never buying Nagasaki cakes again represents a kind of cutting off from the angry self in the past, the self that did not know how to be considerate, the self that made my wife feel wronged and shed tears. It also represents the hope that we can forget all the unpleasantness in the past and heal the gaps in our family. A determination to mend the stitches again. I couldn’t say the words of apology, but I silently conveyed my feelings to the other party time and time again through pineapple cakes, suncakes, and lemon pie.

The father and son each use their own way to express their love for their family by buying Nagasaki cakes or other snacks. I hope this love can be passed down from generation to generation and shine in the smile of every child.

Watching the children eating snacks carefree, it seems that all the shortcomings and regrets are made up for and satisfied in those smiles. I hope that my child’s childhood will be free of tears and sadness, only endless sweetness. I think this should be the common wish of all fathers!

▲May the sweet love and understanding between family members be passed down from generation to generation. (torange.biz/photo/17/17586/HD17586.jpg)

Author profile Zi En: I wrote compositions when I was young, and articles when I grew up. I used to write for myself, but now I give the pen to God. Cooking words to quench hunger cannot bring real spiritual satiety, but I would like to contribute five loaves and two fishes and bake word cookies to "appetite" readers, and then be willing to come into contact with the truth of faith and taste the taste of the Lord's grace.