Eat, Darling, Eat 

Sometimes a surrogate mother or "other mother" fills in when Mom isn't around, providing nourishment, both culinary and personal.

Nobody cooked like Mama (the only Chinese-American mom for miles). But her delicious food couldn't make up for the dysfunction at home.

When two branches of the family shared a home, dinner could be upstairs or down. Dinner downstairs with Bubbie was always the better deal.