Mei-Mei's Lucky Birthday Noodles. Shan-Shan Chen

      It is so inspiring to see different races coming together to become one blended family. Biracial and multiracial families, parents who have adopted children from different countries, and families that practice many different cultural traditions—all of these communities add a wonderful depth and dimension to the world.

      To celebrate this multicultural spirit, I turned to my love of cooking to create a story about an adopted Chinese girl named Mei-Mei who, with the help of her adoptive parents, learns about her Chinese cultural heritage through traditional foods. This book is about Mei-Mei’s birthday. It is a tradition in the Chinese culture that you eat noodles on your birthday. The length of the noodles signifies a long and happy life.

      Cooking and food are often the centerpiece of many families’ memories. In our busy culture of instant gratification, children can miss the special experience of being in the kitchen with older family members. During these times, so much more than a meal is created—morals are taught, history is shared and bonds are formed.

      My hope is that this story, with its step-by-step walk through the making of a traditional meal, will allow children to share in pleasure of celebrating a culture through its food. This book was written to foster an interest in cooking among a younger group of children through a story rather than a cookbook. The recipe is included so that children will be inspired to prepare the dish and share in the memory, and create a bonding experience.