What’s in a name

Mama Lan Senior

My dad’s the best duck chef in the WORLD. Seriously. He used to cook duck for the prime minister of China! Watching him make noodles was a favourite pastime when I was younger and having him cook meals at home, was a treat!

But.

When I think of authentic Northern Chinese cooking, when I think of traditional family recipes and meals assembled with tenderness and care, it’s my *mum’s* cooking I think of.

And that’s who this website (and blog, and secret supper club) is named after. My mum – the original Mama Lan!

I’ve always been close to my mum and became even closer to her when we moved from China to London. Mum doesn’t really speak English (and what she does speak, she’s always hesitant to do so in front of non-family), but she’s always been there for me in every way that counts.  :-)

If I’m being honest, between mum and dad, Dad’s the more sophisticated cook. But Mum’s the one that taught me how to cook. More importantly, she’s the one who taught me to love food. And she’s the one who patiently taught me all the secret family recipes, jealously guarded for generations.

So if mum is the original Mama Lan (Senior?), I’m her successor: Mama Lan Jr.

Mum doesn’t mind my using her name. And it fits. At work, people call me Ning. At work I *am* Ning. But in the kitchen, behind a stove, with sauces simmering happily and a big grin on my face, I am Mama Lan.

Love,

Mama Lan