My friends in Hong Kong sent me pictures of their hot pot spread just before I read the article.
The dish, which lets people gather over a single pot and cook together, can foster togetherness among those far from family.
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Reminded me of when we’d “indulge” in the only available Indian buffet us in college to mark Diwali so it felt like there was actually a holiday happening.
Of course, LNY / CNY is well-marked in many places (especially ones with a Chinatown) like NYC, and even by folks without a cultural connection to the holiday — we chose to go to dim sum today over pizza, noted when we went on a Chinatown crawl a few days ago that there might be crowds because folks would be out shopping in preparation for the holiday, are perusing restaurant menus for holiday specials, and so on.
And still, this article reminded me how meaningful cultural holidays are, and how one seeks out community in these moments.
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Great observation.
As the years go by, I find that I want a taste of some of the food traditions from my Slovak
heritage at various holidays and observances. I wind up experimenting with stuff I want to make because there’s no community or extended family within reach where I live. The good thing is that my husband and others are happy to try whatever item I happen to be tinkering with.
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