Cautions and Warnings

Caution & Warnings: 

Mouth Sores 

Caused by chemotherapy and radiation therapy. These treatments affect fast-growing cells, such as cancer cells. Normal cells inside the mouth also grow quickly and may be damaged by these cancer treatments, making it hard to eat. 

• Eat soft foods that are easy to chew and swallow, such as the following:
  • Soft fruits, including bananas, applesauce, and watermelon.
  • Peach, pear, and apricot nectars.
  • Cottage cheese.
  • Mashed potatoes.
  • Macaroni and cheese.
  • Custards and puddings.
  • Gelatin.
  • Milkshakes.
  • Scrambled eggs.
  • Oatmeal or other cooked cereals.
• Stay away from the following:
  • Citrus fruits and juices, (such as oranges, tangerines, lemons, and grapefruit).
  • Spicy or salty foods.
  • Rough, coarse, or dry foods, including raw vegetables, granola, toast, and crackers.
• Use a blender to make vegetables (such as potatoes, peas, and carrots) and meats smooth.
• Add gravy, broth, or sauces to food.
• Drink high-calorie, high-protein drinks in addition to meals.
• Cook foods until soft and tender.
• Eat foods cold or at room temperature. Hot and warm foods can irritate a tender mouth.
• Cut foods into small pieces.
• Use a straw to drink liquids.
• Numb the mouth with ice chips or flavored ice pops before eating.
• Clean teeth (including dentures) and rinse mouth at least four times a day (after eating and at bedtime).

Discussion with Hazel

Today we were able to invite Teacher Hazel to class and she gave us a big hand on our projects.

She gave me some suggestions on my contents and presentation of my project.

1.The whole concept of the recipe and stories from Grams is a good idea, but I have to put in some effort to find the connections and relative points between the food and Grams. At the same time, I can explain what I learned from the stories or the process of cooking, give a conclusion or a moral instead of just end the project by saying, "Grams is a good cook"

2 . Before, I  thought that it would be a good idea if Grams and I had a topic or theme to talk about every time I visit her, just like the book Tuesdays with Morrie. Hazel says that it isn't necessarily important to limit or confine our discussions in a specific area. Just because Tuesdays with Morrie had it all planned out, it doesn't mean I have to use it.

I have gotten permission from Grams to do the revised version project with her. Now all I need to do is to record Grams recipes down, and renovate it so that Grams can eat it too.
Next Mission: Recipe hunting.

New Update

After coming back from Shan Xi on Thursday, we visited Grams on Sunday. The first thing I did the next day  after arrival was to call Grams to tell her that I am back. Actually, before I leave and go on a trip and come back home from an adventure abroad, Mom would always tell me to call Grams .She says its because Grams cares a lot for me, and I shouldn't let her worry about my safety.

Anyways, when Grams came to open the door for us, I realized that Grams seems to be missing some teeth. Oral ulcers are one of the many side effects of chemotherapy, and Grams is only going through the early stages of treatment only. I felt my heart ache out of anguish to see Grams in such a condition, at the same time, angry that not only the sickness, but also the treatment was taking parts of Grams physical health and mental health away. However, I did not let my feeling show on my face, since Grams was happy to see me, and I would very much like to spend dinner in a happy atmosphere.

Grams told me she was going to make stir fried noodles, my favorite and her most delicious dish of all times. However, she confessed that she was too tired, so asked Auntie to make it instead. It was a very heart warming moment when I heard that she tried. Grams asked me about my trip in Shan Xi, so I told her about the beautiful temples I saw, the breathtaking scenery I was able to view and also the horrific bathroom incidents that occurred during the trip. I didn't bring any special souvenirs back from China, but I did give her the lucky charm from Wutai Mountain, which I thought she needed it more than I did. When Grams saw the lucky charm she chuckled and went into her room to get something. When she came out, she had an overflowing handful of lucky charms, talismans and amulets given to her by family and friends. Everybody went to temples to pray to the Gods for their blessings and wished her good luck in recovering.
I can tell that my visit brightened up her day after days spent in the hospital, and I was glad that I was able to help liven up her spirits.

Topic, Main Idea, Outline

Before I officially settle my topic and theme of my project, I'd like to update about things that recently happened and the problems I am facing at the moment.

My original plan was to collect the stories of Grams every time we cooked in the kitchen together, which at the moment is quite unfeasible, due to Grams' constant fatigue and lack of energy from fighting her cancer sickness. It would be too much to ask of her if we stuck with our initial plan. Thus after a small discussion with Miss You, I decided to alter the project a bit. Instead of cooking with Grams, I can cook for Grams in exchange of a story from her life. Then, according to the story, design a dish that can symbolize the significance of said story. I plan to ask her 5 stories from different points in her life, using these 5 stories/dishes, I can create a menu and present it to Grams in the end of the project. Of course, I will need to do a lot of research and put effort into the the recipes to make up a meal which Grams will be able to eat. I think this is a better improved idea.

Topic: Grams' Kitchen

Main Idea: 5 dishes with 5 different stories that reflect and symbolize the background and memories of Grams life. 5 dishes that complete a meal specially designed for Grams.

Outline: (Dishes and main topics) 
1. Grams as a child
2. Grams as a teenager
3. Grams after marriage
4. Grams and her children
5. Grams and her grandchildren

A Change...

Although Grams is still in recovery, I realized that during the next six months, she will have to have undergo chemotherapy 3 times every 20 days. Grams might not have the energy to manage her everyday life without the help of her new caretaker, Marievic. So in the meantime, I think our recipe book project will have to be suspended, which means I will have to think of a backup plan.

Knitting Project
Truth be told, I don't think I know a lot about Grams...especially her hobbies and what she likes to do in her free time. All I know are the activities that we do together, basically knitting and cooking. Since cooking is not feasible, maybe we can start knitting together? Maybe we can knit a sweater together and for each story she tells me, I can try and knit a small picture of that onto the sweater, to make a collage. In the end, we will have a sweater that represents a part of Gram's life.

-----> After the first chemotherapy session, I realized Grandma was too weak to even lift her hands. This plan will probably come to a dead end.


Anyways, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, we didn't barbecue, or went out with friends like everyone else did, instead, we had a nice dinner at Grams house. This time however, my cousin, Leslie, and I were the main chefs, while Grams got to rest and enjoy the meal.

I went to Grams house earlier to help with the preparation. We planned out a menu:

Pumpkin Chicken Mushroom Soup
Stir-fried Tomato and Eggs
Steamed Seafood and Tofu
Steamed Squid
Loofa Gourd with Scallops

We went to the supermarket to get the ingredients.Walking down the isles, looking for the vegetables and meats on our shopping list, we wanted to bring a small can of pickled sweet cucumber, one of Grams favorite food, but spent too much time wondering on whether Grams was allowed/able to eat it or not. In fact, the entire menu was carefully thought out, both of us spent quite awhile considering the foods that are good/beneficial for Grams health, which is a brain-racking task. On our way home, Grams called my cousin, Leslie, "Remember to buy some vegetables! We have nothing in our fridge now!!" So we stopped at a street vendor and bought fresh tomatoes, some spring onions, garlic, and handfuls of different vegetables.
When we went home, Grams opened the door for us, and exclaimed," Deary! That is a lot of grocery goods!"
"Yeah, you told us to buy some for the week didn't you , Grams?" I asked.
" I only told you to buy some grocery, not bring the whole supermarket home! Now we have too much to put in our fridge!", Grams mumbled over and over under her breath.
We stood there aghast, and confused, not knowing what to say, but we can come up with a conclusion, Grams is very hard to satisfy.

In was chaotic in the kitchen. We had trouble cleaning the pumpkin, making a big orange gooey mess in the sink; neither of us knew which way the fish should be sliced ( aligned and parallel with the veins ) so the slices looked like they were torn from the poor fish itself, and we also had no clue how long it took for the shrimps to be well cooked. Grams came in the kitchen to get some water, and almost screamed at the top of her lungs," What in the world are you two doing? Do you even know how to cook?" Leslie tried to calm her down, and lead her out to the living room to rest, however without avail. So I decided to coax Grams instead, which worked out perfectly as Leslie tried to get everything cooking and boiling. Even Marievic,who had been watching us two klutz and chuckling at the side, couldn't bear it any longer, and offered to help us, which we were more than grateful for. She even added another dish, Mixed Fungi Stir-Fry, to our menu!

We all sat down around the dining table and watched Grams as she took a piece of pumpkin from the soup. Our brows were dripping with sweat,and we were holding our breaths as we watched Grams reaction. Grams chewed slowly, then stuck up her thumb in approval and announced, " This pumpkin soup is delicious! Oishii!" The dishes we made were overall very simple, easy-to-do dishes, nothing fancy for Mid-Autumn Festival, however I  was very happy and glad that Grams appreciated and liked it at least. I think it was quite a meaningful Mid-Autumn Festival this year.

Worst Case Scenario

Today I went to Grams to pick up some beef stew that my uncle made, and also to check up on Grams. My aunt was with her chatting the afternoon away. She looks much better than before, and you could definitely tell from her talkativeness when we all sat on her bed to catch up on our lives so far.

(enters Grams room)
Me: Grams! I am here to visit you!
Grams: We were just talking about you!! They say your ears will feel itchy when someone talks about you, were you ears itchy?
Auntie: Yes it is true! We were just talking about you!!
Grams: I have to show you something.
Auntie: Mom~ are you going to show 栩栩 the photos?
Grams: Of course! Look! (hands me her newly taken ID photos)
Me: Grams, you look fabulous, beautiful and young!
Grams: (Smiles proudly) I think so too!
Auntie: Grams does look pretty, especially with her fancy blouse and pink lipstick!
Me: Wow, you are right! Grams, you look very pretty with lipstick on!
Grams: I was thinking that day, I should dress up in my fancier clothes. You know, since I have cancer, best case scenario is that I recover and be healthy again. Worst case scenario, is that I die, then I can use this good photo of me for my funeral. I mean, I will probably look really ugly during the treatments, and I don't want an ugly photo for everyone to see.
Me: Grams!? Why do you say such things? You shouldn't be thinking that way, you should spend your time and energy on trying to recover!!
Auntie: 栩栩 is right! You shouldn't think of these ridiculous thoughts!
Grams: I am trying to make myself mentally prepared!

我：阿嬤! 我來看你了!
阿嬤：這麼那麼剛好？我們剛才才在講到妳耶！你的耳朵有沒有癢癢的？
阿姨：嘿呀！我們才剛討論到妳呢！
阿嬤：對了！栩栩，我給你看一個東西～
阿姨：媽！你該不會要把照片給栩栩看吧？
阿嬤：答對了！（給我一疊大頭貼）
我：哇！阿嬤你看起來好美麗，好年輕唷！
阿嬤：我也這麼覺得。
阿姨：你看阿嬤還特別打扮漂漂亮亮的。穿上她最花俏的襯衫還塗上口紅。
阿嬤：沒有啦，我在想齁，我拍照那一天要穿好看一點。因為我聽到我得了癌症嘛，最好的就是治療完畢後健健康康，啊不然齁，我死掉就塞唷那拉。啊我就可以用這張照片了。因為化療後，我嘴巴會破爛，頭髮會掉光，變得好醜，我才不要讓人看到我醜八怪的模樣。
我：阿嬤！？你現在別想太多，專心的讓自己恢復體力，讓身體健康，養病休息！
阿姨：嘿呀！麥擱啊呢胡思亂想嘿白講!
阿嬤：我只是讓我有心理準備呀！

Excerpts I

Recently I've found some more books and films that might contribute to my research.

As for the quotes, I had a hard time finding them (from the original books and the new ones I found) , but I will try and keep updating it. 

Jonasson, Jonas (2009). The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. Sweden: Piratförlaget

-"Things are what they are, and whatever will be, will be."

-"Imagine if death was just like being asleep. Would we have time to think before it was all over? "

Moggach, Deborah (2004). These Foolish Things(The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel). America: Random House

-“Everything will be alright in the end so if it is not alright it is not the end.” 

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Dir. John Madden.2012. Film

-Evelyn: "Nothing here has worked out quite as I expected. 
Muriel: Most things don't. But sometimes what happens instead is the good stuff.

Reid, Iain (2013). The Truth About Luck:What I Learned On My Road Trip With Grandma. Canada: House of Anasi Press

-“Grandma slowly brings her glass up, asking for a cheers. I clink hers with mine.
 ‘Here’s to stories,’ she says.Old and new.’ 
‘And memories,’ I say.
 She holds up her glass a moment longer as I take my sip. 
‘Yes, she says, ‘and to not letting them go to waste.’”

-“The older I get, the more of the future I get to see. I’m still the person I was at nine, just older. So being old like me is being in a position of luck. I think sometimes people assume luck and ease are the same. I don’t think they are,” she says, stirring cream into her freshened coffee.

-“Being lucky isn’t about constant happiness, things being easy, or always getting what you want.”