Imagine this: it’s a Friday night and before putting on your favorite show, you need to make yourself dinner. However, it is a Friday night, which means take-out is the way to go. Among the many options of cuisines, one of the most famous is Chinese food. Food is what connects people. Food, specifically Chinese food, is what I would introduce to my friends when talking about China.
Chinese food is a window to culture. In fact, most people’s first understanding of culture has to do with something they eat. For such a big country, it is no surprise that Chinese food and cooking varies from region to region, city to city. It doesn’t matter where you are, you are bound to discover a new dish local to the area. In the United States, there are Chinese restaurants that range from carting around dim sum to making Szechuan cuisine to serving up raw ingredients for the perfect hot pot. By experiencing what food has to offer, people are able to learn different types of food, tastes, and ways to cook. While orange chicken, fried rice, and spring rolls are not the complete definitives of Chinese food, accepting and being willing to try cultural dishes is certainly one way to bring the world closer to each other.
Chinese food is a form of community. Many traditional holidays have to do with coming together, cooking, and eating with the family. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the circular mooncakes have the meaning of “tuan yuan,” unity within one’s community. During the Winter Solstice, it is always tradition for everyone to get together and make dumplings. For the Qingming Festival, families go to cemeteries, using food as a way to make offerings and remember loved ones who have passed. In my community, Chinese families make dishes for Lunar New Year, bringing them to my local high school as a way to express gratitude for our teachers. Apart from holidays, going to an auntie’s simple house party often requires the action of bringing homemade food, showing that love is effort, even if it is amongst a chosen family.
One Friday passes, and another Friday comes. The action of buying Chinese take-out is always more than what it seems. It is being introduced to a new or different part of a culture. It is also being able to connect with those you love and those who love you. The world today is messy, but however lofty it may be, Chinese food can help make it a better place!
(Third Prize)
