A Son's Five-Month Caregiving Journey Through His Mother's Kitchen Legacy

In summer 2024, the author returned from New York to Los Angeles for five months to care for his mother, who entered hospice after a brief hospitalization. His daily routine included making Hong Kong-style yin yang coffee, preparing meals from a fridge stocked with leftovers and church friend donations, and visiting the hospice. The family sorted through her belongings, bringing heirlooms like a floral cloisonné bracelet once worn by her mother. The author played Chopin nocturnes on a Baldwin piano, pieces his mother had left for him. His mother, the second of seven children, grew up in a three-bedroom flat in 1950s–60s Hong Kong, learning cooking from her grandmother. After immigrating to the U.S., she adapted traditional methods, using plastic and microwaves. She passed peacefully on February 22 at 2:22pm. The garage remains filled with TCM herbs and dried seafood in repurposed containers, labeled in Chinese script. The author now uses Google Lens and The Woks of Life to learn to cook with these ingredients. This essay is part of Vogue's 'Hand Me Down' series for Mother's Day.