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After 40- plus years of focusing on breaking news, it’s time for a change. I don’t mean retirement from TV news — you may have noticed I did that a year ago.
Over the years, you’ve told me that you enjoyed how I told stories. So now I’d like to contribute to the Sun- Times by telling stories about something I love that will involve you: food with a Chicago focus! Full disclosure: I’m part of a terrific group of people who bought the Sun- Times because we believe in giving working Chicagoans a voice.
“Food We Love with Linda Yu” will let me tell your stories about foods that comfort, foods that mean family — dishes and recipes handed down from your father, or greatgreat- great- grandmother. Or created with your cousins, or even your best friend. Let me know what your story is and why your holiday feast, your Sunday dinner, your Tuesday night get- together would not be the same without these foods. ( If you have a story about a special food tradition that you’d like to share, please email me at
foodwelove@suntimes.com. Be sure to include the recipe, too!)
My family story
I’m starting off “Food We Love” with something of my own.
It may be April, but I’m sharing a recipe that first became a part of my family tradition at Thanksgiving. For many Americans, Thanksgiving means turkey and bread stuffing. When 4- year- old me came to the United States, bread, as we know it, had never been part of my life. Since I had never eaten it or let alone seen it, the idea of stuffing did not sit well.
Chinese bread is eaten by Northern Chinese; it’s steamed and looks like a round dumpling called a bao. But rice is the staple through most of China. Bread stuffing was weird to me, and my mother and grandmother knew our family wouldn’t appreciate it. So, like a lot of Asian families, we developed our own version of rice stuffing.
As I grew up, my palate heartily embraced all kinds of American food, as well as many foods from all over the world. But Chinese rice stuffing is still a Thanksgiving staple for me.
I’ve modified my family’s recipe to honor my grandmother, my “Lao Lao.” She grew up in the Forbidden City, home of China’s royal family, because she was in line to become the empress! ( No, I’ll never become the empress of China). Instead of white rice, I use “forbidden rice,” named because it once was cooked only for the emperor in the Forbidden City. Its high antioxidant content was believed to enhance longevity. Chinese citizens were forbidden to eat it.
This American citizen hopes you enjoy my family’s Chinese rice stuffing! If you try my recipe, post a photo on social media of your dish. Tag it #foodwelove and @suntimes, and maybe we’ll share your photos.
See you next week!