Although the children sometimes made their own candies and sweet fried nuts, Mrs. Chiang’s mother cooked very few sweets herself. Desserts were not her forte, nor are they the strong point of any Chinese cook. Chinese desserts do not appeal to us. Part of the reason may be that Chinese cooking has never used chocolate or dairy products, and has no tradition of fine baking. Fruit was the dessert of Mrs. Chiang’s childhood; almost every kind of fruit flourishes in the varied Szechwan climate. The family grew melons and cultivated fruit trees. They produced peaches, oranges, pomelos (a yellow fruit halfway between an orange and a grapefruit), pomegranates, grapes, and Chinese fruits like the green, nectarine-like lis, little white pibas, and loquats, used as cough medicine. A big plate of cubed watermelon was welcome fare on a hot summer evening or after a fiery dinner.
