“There's a spring roll gathering this Sunday!” Every time the secretariat sends out such a notice, the entire association buzzes with excitement.

      The Kinmen Association has been holding a  “Happy Sunday” event since 2007. Each week, a different director hosts the event, and the association's chef prepares home-style dishes for everyone to enjoy together at lunch. The menu rotates through dishes like taro rice, sweet potato porridge, fried rice noodles… But when it's Kinmen srping rolls, the number of people signing up for the gathering explodes. Yang Su Ping (杨素萍) (Deputy Director of Education and Culture) says, “This dish is magical! It brings people together, their hometown and their feelings for it.”

      The spring rolls preparation process is complex. To prepare for Sunday's gathering, preparations start on Friday. In addition to the association’s two staff members, the secretariat also mobilizes volunteers to help. Li Ya Zhen (李亚珍), a grandmother, is one of the enthusiastic volunteers. She says, “I'm from Kinmen, and I know the recipe and requirements of Kinmen spring rolls like the back of my hand. Whenever the secretariat calls, I'm happy to help. My children and grandchildren are grown up, and I'm still in good health. I've got nothing else to do, so I come out to be active.”

      

      Don't mistake the Kinmen spring roll for the snack of the same name you see at hawker centers; the two are completely different. Just looking at the fillings, they are worlds apart. The main fillings for Kinmen spring roll include taro, napa cabbage, carrots, string beans, scallions, bamboo shoots, shrimp, dried tofu, and pork belly.

      These ingredients must be washed, sliced, seasoned, and cooked separately. Then, they are mixed together. Saturday and Sunday mornings are for preparing the toppings that guests can add themselves, such as bean sprouts, lettuce, coriander, halved fresh shrimp, fried egg strips, fragrant fried bream, Chinese sausage, seaweed, sweet sauce, crushed peanuts, garlic paste, chili paste, etc. Among these, bamboo shoots, scallions, bream, and seaweed are essential for Kinmen spring rolls. The seaweed is specially ordered from Xiamen. Kinmen spring roll, it's so-called as they are the main food for ancestor worship and the Chinese New Year.

      During the New Year, bamboo shoots emerge from the ground, welcoming spring, so the Kinmen people use local ingredients. Kinmen is an island, so it's understandable that the spring rolls use fish and seaweed. The scallions symbolize New Year's blessings, wishing everyone a prosperous new year! Bream is unavailable in Singapore, so they have to use dried bream as a substitute.

      The intricate details and careful consideration of Kinmen spring rolls, the insistence on special ingredients, and the meticulous slicing requirements, the love extends even to the utensils. Huang Yu Qing (黃玉卿), a Kinmen native, says, “When you eat spring rolls, you use chopsticks and a spoon. Chopsticks represent the male, and the spoon represents the female. The combination of utensils symbolizes a couple together, enjoying a happy life. The spring rolls are rolled into strips, representing the continuation of the family line. The tables in the home are round because Chinese people value family reunions.”

      When wrapping the spring rolls, are there specific standards to follow? What do people think about when they are wrapping them?

      Li Ning Qiang (李宁强) (former TV producer) says,  “Seeing the Kinmen spring rolls  at the Kinmen Association's luncheon brought back so many childhood memories. My grandmother was also a master at making spring rolls. That unique taste comes from my hometown, from love.”

      Chen Hui Yu (陈惠玉), a Kinmen daughter-in-law (Director of the Women's Group), says,  “When I wrap spring rolls, I feel a strange sense of emotion. It's a sense of participation; I feel like I'm part of something……”

      Nine-year-old Ma Cheng Kang(马承慷) says, “I like making my own spring rolls; that way, I can put more of what I like to eat in them.  It's both delicious and fun!”

      What is tradition? Is it a group’s longing for their homeland? A tribute to their ancestors? A solemn ritual? Or an individual's responsibility for the continuation of their lineage?

      Let's hear what Dr. Xu Zhen Yi (许振义) (Deputy Director of External Affairs) has to say: “As a child, I ate spring rolls made by my mother. Now, when I pay New Year's greetings, I eat spring rolls made by the aunties.”

      “At the Kinmen Association, I also have frequent opportunities to eat spring rolls. These spring rolls are made and taste a little differently, but what they all share is family, friendship, and feelings for our hometown. We eat spring rolls, but we savor the emotions.”

      In modern city life, which is busy and impersonal, with values changing with the times, how can traditional customs be maintained and passed down? Perhaps it's not so complicated; culture is reflected in the everyday act of eating and drinking.