Heaven may not be much different from this.
This afternoon, I was completely overcome by these pure, adorable children—
it felt like meeting a whole group of little angels.

At Jieda Elementary School in Taitung, the classroom sits right on the coastline—front-row seats to the sea.
A gentle sea breeze drifts in, soft and serene, like the land itself is breathing.

Today, we invited the head baker of Sauniyau Handmade Bakery,
Sauniyau·Ungfulu, whose laughter with the children filled the classroom,
while the aroma of freshly baked cookies escaped through the door.

Then the magic began.
With a playful swipe of her rolling pin (or so it seemed 😆),
boom!—a whole table of whimsical cookies appeared,
and the room filled instantly with happiness.

“First, we cream the butter,” she said while demonstrating.
The children repeated after her: “First, we spill the butter!” 😆
“Not spill—cream. C-ream~~,” she corrected, smiling.

For many kids, this was their first time baking cookies.
Their eyes sparkled with excitement as they watched every step wide-eyed and round-eyed.
They worked together—messy but orderly—making sure everyone had a turn.

When it came time to pipe the cookie dough,
some squeezed out a whole galaxy of stars,
while others made heart shapes.

“Wow! These look like real artworks!” Sauniyau exclaimed as she praised their creativity.

As the cookies went into the oven, the children held their breath,
watching them slowly turn golden.
When the fragrant tray finally came out,
they couldn’t wait to taste them—
their proud little smiles were filled with happiness and accomplishment.

And when that handmade cookie entered the mouth:

“In that very moment, I could almost see the millet fields dancing joyfully in the wind.
The sweetness and aroma twirled across my tongue like tiny fairies dancing!
Every bite carried the crunch of millet—like little stars bursting in my mouth!
If desserts are the source of happiness, then this cookie must be the peak of pure bliss!”
(Yes… the editor really went full ‘Cooking Master Boy’ mode here 😆😆)

While the cookies baked, Sauniyau shared with the children:

“I often tell people—I’m the oldest ‘youth returning home’ in my tribe!”
She hopes her bakery becomes a starting point,
eventually inspiring more young people to come home and farm.

She continued:

“All my bread starts with natural yeast raised from our tribe’s red quinoa.
It gives a completely different texture.”

Everything she uses comes from the land—
“Red quinoa, roselle, millet, pigeon peas, coffee, prickly ash—
anything our people grow, I try to put into my baking.
I want my bread to be filled with the taste of home.”

At the end of the workshop,
all the children stood up and bowed deeply:

“Maljimalji Masalu — Thank you to the friends from Tse-Xin Foundation and to Sauniyau.”

🌾 Let millet continue to take root on the hillsides—and sprout in the hearts of our children.
Through the “Millet in Schools” initiative, the Tse-Xin Foundation invites companies and all caring individuals to join us.
Let’s help children eat with awareness, and let their taste buds remember the flavor of this land.
👉 Support the Millet in Schools Initiative: https://forms.gle/uMB1Ncb6Fi7nZJAP8
👉 Contact: Director Chien Yu-Chuan, Tse-Xin Hualien–Taitung Office
  Email: Email住址會使用灌水程式保護機制。你需要啟動Javascript才能觀看它
📽️ Millet in Schools Video: https://youtu.be/3nI2_5EdMQI?si=eQOBJ5jSz19d5Bhp