Translated…
These couple of years, the safety of the layers of the nonstick frying pans became questionable, like a lot of other people, I’d searched, all over, for the frying pans without the coatings. Awhile ago, I’d gone to Japan to travel, and, brought an ironclad frying pan back with me. As I’d asked the store clerks on the tips of usage, other than reminding me, that I’d needed to, take care of the pan well, she’d added an extra reminder, “Don’t use cleaning agents”. Compared to the nonstick frying pans, the pans without the coatings are easily dirtied, but, after awhile of using, if you managed to keep your pans up to shape, then, the oils will stuck to the surface of the pans, and become a protective cover for it, and slowly, it won’t stick anymore as you cook things with it.
not my photograph…
And, the key to keeping the pans in good shape is in not washing it. Once, an older store’s clerk told me, “The most basic of keeping the pans in mint-condition is by not washing it. In the morning, when you fry an egg, with two strips of bacons, after you’re done, don’t wash it up, just head out to work straightaway, and that way, you would’ve, treated your pan.” It sounded kinda, unsanitary, but, thinking on it, it’s just, delaying the washing process, and, after I’d done it a couple of times, my stomach did not make any objections at all.
Reflecting it in the light, I felt, that I’d, treated my pan well enough, I’d wanted to try some other food items, so, I bought a fish. And, after I’d made a mess in the pan, frying, but I’d feared, the smell of the fish might be left on the pan. From before, I’d washed all my pans with the dish detergents, and, no matter what I’d cooked before, the only scent that remained was the lemony or orangey scent. And now, on the surface of my nonstick frying pan, there’s been this, hard to cultivate layer of oil, and if I’d scrubbed it down, then, I’d had to, restart the entire process again. Then, if I’d used hot water to clean it up, can I get rid of the smell? I’d felt, uneasy about it.
Recalling my first dish duty, I was in the higher grades of the elementary year. I’d worked really hard, to lift up that heavy and oily Chinese wok off the stovetop, with the steel scrubs in hand, I’d washed it, really hard. It took about half an hour, I suppose, not only was I able to, clean off ALL the oils left on the pans, even the burned marking on the outside bottom, I’d managed to wash that off, as well as the stains from the grease on the handles too. The frying pan looked lustrous, and I’d used my cleaned fingers, and, scratched across all the cracks on that pan, made sure, that, there are NOTHING left there, and I’d felt satisfied. As I was scrubbing, my mother had walked into the kitchens, took a couple of looks, then left in silence. As I’d returned to the living room, I’d complained on how dirty the pan was, “How long was it, since you’d cleaned that thing?”, my mother smiled a thoughtful smile, “The smallest is really focused at work, she’d scrubbed the pan to brand new.”
and this, is how that process of taking care of the frying pans at work…
I’d gone on to an online forum to ask, and, the online community who cooked immediately replied, turns out, that the scent of the foods wouldn’t stick, so, just use tap water to wash would be okay. I took a lot of strength, lifted up that ironclad pan off the stove, and, the way I’d felt lifting the pan in my mother’s kitchen returned, “Ahhhhhh, that must’ve been an ironclad frying pan as well then.” Turns out, I’d scrubbed that protective oil cover off of my mother’s frying pan, and her understanding and forgiving smile had remained, with the washings of time, and, managed to make my soul shine.
So, this, is how childhood memories can come back alive in an instant, and, the woman learns how to make things work, through her life experiences, and that, is how growth and maturations happen.
Life, the Obstacle Course 