Ginger and Red Dates After Dinner
After dinner my grandmother cleared the bowls, cut ginger on the board that still smelled of scallion, and dropped red dates into a small enamel pot. The first cup went to the family member still sitting at the table.
The pot after dinner
My grandmother made ginger and red-date water while the kitchen was still occupied. Plates were drying in the rack, the rice pot was open, and the chopping board had not yet been scrubbed. She sliced ginger from the piece used for dinner and took dried dates from a jar above the stove.
She did not measure either ingredient. A date that looked split was opened with her thumbnail. A woody end of ginger went back into the basket. The pot stayed at the edge of the burner while she wiped the table and listened to the conversation in the next room.
Who received the first cup
The first cup usually went to the family member who had returned late or eaten least. My grandmother turned the handle outward and left the cup within reach. She poured her own only after the dishes were stacked.
Longan and red dates belonged to a sweeter pot on other evenings. Scallion white appeared when a wet coat had just come through the door. By morning, the same kettle held plain warm water. The ingredients changed with the hour, but her cups were always placed before they were announced.
The thermos on the counter
What remained went into a metal thermos with a red plastic stopper. My grandmother rinsed the enamel pot, stood it beside the bowls, and checked that the stopper was tight with the heel of her hand.
Before bed she poured the last cup for herself. The dates slid against the lid, the ginger stayed at the bottom, and the thermos was empty by breakfast.