Today, I wish to share my thoughts behind my 'trompe l'oeil' piece: Dumplings (taste of home). I started making them in 2018, I have used different clay bodies since and experimented with underglaze decal/painting recently.
Dumplings play a very important role in Chinese culture. Family members will make dumplings together in festive celebrations and each family may have their favourite and secret recipe for the filling and pastry.
Nowadays it has become an everyday food that you can have anywhere, on any occasion. But, for people who live far away from their family, or with a busy daily routine, it has become a fast-food choice that their fridges are always filled with frozen dumplings. And in most cases, they would have the meal on their own.
I have lived in 6 cities and travelled to 16 countries, living more than half of my life away from my family. Dumplings have become not only the fast food that fills my tummy but a ritual in the journey of seeking my identity and sense of belongingness in this world.
However, looking at the brighter side of covid-19 pandemic, I am proud to have learned how to make dumplings from scratch, each step from the pastry to the fillings. It's nowhere close to my dad's recipe but it's my taste of home.
My step-by-step video can be found here: