“You should be glad that you are not two hundred pounds overweight!” my friend always teases me.
“You are talking about yourself, right? Because who will go to all those little sweets shop with you then?” I would reply, and then we would be laughing so hard for no reason that anyone came across us would give us that stare they give to weirdoes on the street.
My friend and I love sweets, anything sweet. If you saw us going into a restaurant and did not order any desserts, then they are definitely not us. How did we know we had the same “taste”? Well…
It all started in our freshman year in high school. On the first day of school, I talked to her in Chinese to borrow her eraser, and we became friends right after that. To be honest, with only one year in middle school to figure out everything that is going on in the country, I was pretty scared to switch to a completely different environment in my second year in the United States, so I was happy enough when I found someone who spoke Chinese and could guide me through the remaining four years.
One day, we were talking during lunch time. I asked her what her favorite food was (clearly, we were not close enough to talk about anything else), and she answered, “Sweets, anything sweets.”
I was surprised how certain she sounded, so I told her that I love sweets too, but once again, she surprised me. All she said was, “Really? Ok.”
I sensed the aloofness in her voice, so I said, “YES! I LOVE THEM! And you have no idea how much I love them!”
As childish as I was there, I was ready for an argument, but all she did was starting to describe all her knowledge on different kinds of sweets. I tried to show her how much more I love the sweets by winning the “contest”, but in the end, we realized that we were incomparable. We all had different knowledge on different aspects that it was very difficult to say who actually won.
“Let’s say what, how about we go hang out for a bit after school today for a second round?” She suggested in Chinese.
At that moment, I knew that we had become closer friends than before. That afternoon, we did not start a second round. Instead, we talked about many different things. It was so funny how we just found out we had so much in common and it had already been four month into the first year. Ever since then, we got closer and closer, and before we realized, four years had pass by. Now, we can tease each other with no worry that the other would get mad or angry over something so small.
One time, I tried to describe what I love about those sweets, “I love the tingling taste of them, the lovely scent of them and…”
“Oh please! I love everything about them! What is there not to love?” she said in a “what’s wrong with you” face.
Right, what is there not to love? Everything just feels so right when I’m eating them. There is, however, a special reason for me to love them. It is not only a kind of food for us to enjoy and to relieve stress. It becomes a knot between me and my friend, without it, we can never get as close as we are today. You have no idea what it means for a girl, who has never got such a close friend because she is constantly moving, to finally have a real BFF for the first time.
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It’s interesting to know that sweets was what connected you and your best friend. Although you may have lived in different areas, it’s comforting to know that sweets will be very similar everywhere you go. Whenever I travel to a new area, I’m always looking for food that would remind me of NYC, or anything familiar. Just looking at your photos makes me want to eat sweets right now. Also, I like how your post is very personal. Thank you for sharing your story!