Ji cooking creative breakfast. (Photo provided to China.org.cn)
Like many mothers in China, Ji Dongxin, 38, from Daqing, a city in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to cook breakfast for her son. The results of her cooking, however, are quite unique.
"What will my son eat for breakfast? How could my breakfast be yummy and funny?" she thinks about those questions every night before falling asleep. About one year ago, Ji began preparing different kinds of creative breakfasts, 300 so far, for her son.
"At the beginning, I tried making fruit carvings for him," she said. Now she is an expert in cooking full-fledged creative breakfasts, most of which are cartoon-themed. "My son was a premature baby. He has not fully caught up in terms of physical development, and is slightly smaller than other children his age," she said. She added that she has been worried about this for several years until she realized the nutritional importance of breakfast. Ji believes that eating a healthy breakfast filled with nutrients and fiber can make a huge difference in how people function both mentally and physically throughout the day. "My kid has gained 5kg this year," she said happily.
Ji is passionate about life and always gets her creative ideas from everything and anything she sees. "When I watch a movie, it may inspire me to make a movie-themed meal," she said.
"For example, I always use sliced and diced fruit to create funny faces on pancakes, waffles and toast. I also use cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, bacon and leafy greens to create playful hair. The possibilities are endless!" she said.
Typically, Ji needs to prepare all the materials the night before and wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to cook the breakfast. At 6:30 a.m., she wakes her son up. The 8-year-old boy gets dressed and cleans up, combing his hair and washing his face at 7:00 a.m. "My son is always on time to have his breakfast with a happy face," she said. At 7:30 a.m., Ji goes to work after cleaning the kitchen. About one and a half years ago, Ji's husband resigned from a state-owned enterprise in Heilongjiang and landed a well-paid job in Beijing. The couple has been living separately since then. Ji told her husband that she would take care of their son while he minds his work. "I am so thankful to my wife for her unwavering support for my work and her loving caring of our son." her husband said. Ji always posts the photos of her creative breakfasts on social media, in the knowledge that they will make her husband, who looks to see them everyday, feel not so far from home.
Waking up early to make breakfast everyday is not easy for a working mother. "However difficult it is, I will keep doing this for my son," she said firmly. When it comes to plans for next year, Ji said, "I hope to create a blog to share my cooking experience with other mothers in China." She also hopes to open a kids' restaurant.
