Celebrating ESEA heritage Month: keeping Asian culture alive overseas
Asian Cuisine: A Taste of Home
Food is a powerful connector, bringing people together and preserving traditions through the unique dishes, ingredients and cooking techniques from different cultures of the world. Eating the same food in a different country, however, can be challenging.
Food has always been a major part of Pavinee’s life. She grew up loving sticky rice, grilled chicken, and grilled pork, staple dishes in Thai and Lao cuisine. “One of my all-time favorite comfort foods is stir-fry noodles, which is not only delicious but also a great fusion of Chinese and Southeast Asian flavors.” Pavinee still cooks these dishes regularly, managing to adapt and find ingredients needed in the local Asian market. “Some ingredients, like sticky rice or certain herbs like lemongrass and galangal, are essential to capturing the authentic flavors of home.”
For Dove, food is a strong expression of culture, enjoying both Scottish and Chinese food with her husband. “Some days I cook Chinese foods, such as rice, noodles and dumplings. Somedays my husband makes traditional Scottish foods, such as roast dinners and soups”. Over the festive period, they would have smoked salmon followed by roast turkey at Christmas and steak pie for New year. The next month, we have roast pig leg and dumplings.
Russell and his family love hearty dishes, such as men mian, a northern Chinese specialty “made from oat wheat flour. The thick, brown noodles are dry stir-fried with green beans and potatoes.” Another favorite of his is huǒguō, a communal hot pot often shared with friends and family. Russell and his family try to maintain a balance between Chinese and Scottish food. “It depends on how much time we have to contribute. If my wife has less time to contribute, then will make western style food. If we have the time, then we’ll make Chinese food.
Samantha also shared her love of huǒguō, as well as dumplings, but only gets a chance to eat them about twice a month. “Traditionally Chinese food takes a long time to cook. If you’re cooking food for the whole family, that can make sense. If I’m cooking for myself then I’ll go for easier meals. Hot pots (huǒguō) are good as they are easy to make.
Language and Culture: Bridging the Gap
Feng Shui Chart
Our language and culture are strong parts of our identity that helps define who we are. However, it can be hard to explain some of our cultural traditions and beliefs to others who aren’t familiar with them.
Dove shared her experience of becoming bilingual and the benefits of raising a bilingual child. “We want our child to enjoy the advantages of growing up bilingual. As such, I speak to our baby in Mandarin and my husband speaks in English.” She also spoke about using language to bridge cultural differences in work. “My experience of both cultures and languages allows me to communicate clearly with my team members and clients,” she says. “I am able to overcome language or cultural differences, allowing them to better communicate with each other. In many ways, my job is to be a bridge between East and West.”
Pavinee reflected on her multicultural background and the challenges of explaining cultural nuances to those unfamiliar with her background. “At home, I speak both Thai and Lao with my family, and I sprinkle in some Chinese phrases as well. It’s an effortless blend that reflects my multicultural upbringing” she says. “However, explaining some of the cultural nuances to people unfamiliar with my background can be challenging. For example, in Lao and Thai culture, showing respect to elders is incredibly important, and it’s expressed in subtle ways like how you greet them or even how you pass objects.”
Samantha Chen discussed the challenges of explaining cultural concepts like Yin and Yang and Feng Shui to those unfamiliar with her background. “It’s like energy,” she explains. “For Feng Shui, when you move to a new house, we will look at the moon calendar. You need to do things on a good day and for good luck and fortune. Certain days you shouldn’t get married or move whereas other days you get luck.” She also discussed the difficulties of maintaining cultural customs in the UK, especially those that require family or are time-consuming. “Some traditions need families, and they can be very time consuming. I don’t have family here, so I celebrate with friends.”
Russell Stevenson discussed the importance of speaking Mandarin with his children to connect them to their Chinese heritage; “A personal identity is very important, so making sure my children know where they come from is important, so they don’t just see themselves as Scottish.” He also emphasised the importance of cultural awareness for his children. “A multicultural household should be multilingual,” he says. “To be culturally aware will make it easier for them to connect better with their Chinese family.”
Festive Celebrations in the UK
Celebrating holidays and festivals is a great way to connect with our cultural roots. A great part of living away is that you can share these special traditions with others who might not be familiar with them. Dove, on the other hand, enjoys the unique blend of cultures that her family celebrates. “We celebrate Christmas in December, New Year in January followed by Chinese New Year in February,” she says. “It’s like doubling our celebrations!”
Pavinee’s multicultural background allows her to experience both Thai and Chinese New Year. “Thai New Year, or Songkran, is celebrated in April and marks a time of renewal,” she explains. “It’s known for its water festival, where people splash water on each other to symbolise washing away bad luck and sins.”
These celebrations are not only about food and gatherings but also about preserving cultural traditions and sharing them with others. As Samantha notes, “like when we celebrated Chinese New year, we practiced Chinese character writing. It’s just about showing the culture, having a good time with friends and colleagues and enjoying it together. I find it rewarding getting to show people a part of my culture.”
Russell shared insights into his family’s Chinese New Year celebrations. “We watch the gala on China Global TV Network, and my wife’s mum was over this year, so we had a big Chinese New Year meal.” The importance of family gatherings and traditional food is echoed by Samantha: “it’s about family reunions and spending quality time together”.
Navigating challenges has its own reward
While the UK offers a diverse cultural landscape, certain challenges can arise when celebrating Asian traditions. Russell’s experience with Tomb Sweeping Day illustrates this point. “In China, you’d walk along the streets and see fires along the sidewalks. You’re not supposed to look at the fire as it’s bad luck. You couldn’t really do that here.”
However, Russell points out that there are a number of organisations that support Chinese cultural heritage. “The Burrell Collection put on events like the dragon dance at new year, and a lot of other events are done in Scotland.” Similarly, Samantha highlighted the Confucious Institute. “They hold events where people can try local foods and put on traditional Chinese clothing from a few hundred years ago. They usually organise something for the Mid-Autumn festival.”
Although there are many challenges faced when living in another country, it can also bring its own rewards. “Keeping these traditions alive helps me stay connected to my roots, and it’s incredibly fulfilling to share this with others who may not be familiar with these cultures” Pavinee says. “My cultural heritage is a lifelong journey of balance. It’s not just about the big festivals or special meals; it’s about the everyday moments where I embrace who I am”.
We hope this exploration of East and Southeast Asian Heritage Month has inspired you. To continue your journey of cultural discovery, follow the links provided to learn more about Asian heritage and culture. Let’s celebrate the richness and diversity of Asian cultures together!
