Lo Ma Shi

Treats most honorably presented to me by Zhangpeng and Pan Ling have yet to be identified. Lo Ma Shi they called them. I searched Google, then Yahoo, both with multiple spellings, yet was not successful at identifying these goodies. Next, I took a pencil and paper next door to Zhangpeng and asked him to please write out the name of this treat. To my surprise, he spelled it the same way I had. I eventually gave up on my quest to learn more about them through the Internet and decided to examine these goodies myself.

• Each appeared shaped a little like my dog's ear.
• Each was made of some sort of jellied, glutenous mixture.
• Their base was a leaf - cut to shape (perhaps a banana leaf?).
• They smelled like previously used vegetable oil.
• They were flexible and springy when bent.
• They grow fuzzy on the bottom after only a couple of days.

These treats are given to me on an annual basis. I must remember to ask to hear of their history and significance as I gratiously accept them next year.

Don't worrie, Torrie, they really were not made from dog's ears!