On November 23rd, The Chinese Culture Connection (CCC) hosted its Pre-Thanksgiving potluck dinner at the Beebe School with the help of Malden High School’s Key Club and additional members of the community.
People could sign up by November 10th to bring a cultural dish that best represents their traditions, religions, cultures—or just a dish they enjoy during the holidays. If one did not bring a dish, they were still welcome to taste the food and support the people there.
As people entered the school, they signed in and were handed a menu of food that would be laid out. Once they walked up to the Beebe School cafeteria, the aroma of the many dishes filled the room, and people were eager to try all of the food offered.
Before the potluck started, Mei Hung, executive director of the CCC, began by thanking everyone for coming. Most importantly, she mentioned the importance of being grateful during the Thanksgiving season and sent prayers to the people currently facing global challenges. “I requested everyone to observe one minute of silence to pray for peace in the Middle East and Sudan and remind us to be grateful for what we were about to enjoy for the evening,” voiced Hung. “I also mentioned that the cultural food produced in our respective regions is a result of geography and local resources. So, it can be impacted by climate change, and we should be grateful for the abundance we are about to enjoy.”
Something that Hung looked forward to as executive director was being able to unite and honor everyone’s diverse backgrounds, and to celebrate the holiday season together.
Jonathan Dong, the CCC’s program director, expressed how “we are most excited about bringing the Malden community together and connecting everyone through the universal language of food.” He believed that this event “is a perfect opportunity for neighbors and members of the community to connect, share stories, and celebrate Malden’s cultural diversity.”
“This cross-cultural exchange event is a cornerstone of Chinese Culture Connection’s East Meets West initiatives, and we continue to look forward to fostering that spirit while highlighting the beauty of our community’s diversity,” Dong continued.
Lenna Chawqui, a junior and member of Key Club, stated that she looked forward to the different presentations of each cultural dish.
While there were many dishes, only a certain number of people were able to present their dish. The first dish that was presented was by Paulette B., Buchheim, a community member who made a Jewish bread called Challah. Every table had a Challah, which represented peace. Once she finished presenting, she said a prayer in Hebrew; then, together, everyone could pull off a piece of the soft, braided bread.
Another presentation example was by Mary Ellen O’Meara, President of the Friends of the Malden Public Library. She showed off a dish from Spain called Tortilla de Patatas, “ a Spanish omelet made with potatoes, eggs, onion and olive oil,” explained O’Meara. O’Meara brought this dish because she lived in Spain for three years and believed that her Spanish cooking skills were excellent for showing off.
Another presenter from the community, Marissa Zampino, brought a popular Filipino dish called lumpia with sauce for dipping. Zampino described how she brought them because “they are easy to make and everyone loves them! They are also super nostalgic for me.”
There was also a traditional Arab dish called Maqluba, presented by Abeer Annab. This dish is special because it can be eaten all year round and made with a traditional salad. To make it, you fill a container with rice, meat, vegetables, and spices, then cook it. However, what makes this special is that you cook the rice until the bottom gets crispy, and once that is done, you flip the container onto a big plate and reveal the delicious dish. Zampino mentioned that the maqluba was her favorite dish out of the whole event. “It was so fun to watch it being flipped, and it was super tasty.”
After everyone presented, they all made a line to cater themselves to the aluminum containers filled with delicious food.
Overall, anyone would agree that the event was successful due to the number of people who participated and were there to support one another. Dong also attributed its success to “the enthusiasm and support from everyone who participated. He added that “we were especially touched by the generosity of those who brought food. Many people spent a lot of time preparing large portions, and their willingness to share embodies the spirit of the Malden community. It was truly heartwarming to see so much effort and kindness come together in one place.”.
“I thought it was a fantastic event. For me, it symbolizes the merging of communities and cultures, and I was very happy to see so many people from our Asian community here,” O’Meara stated.
“Food is one of our most common denominators,” Hung noted. “Since America is an immigrant country, we are so fortunate to have access to such a diverse, authentically showcased variety of dishes from different cultures, highlighting their unique ingredients, cooking techniques, and stories behind them and cultures that are different from ours and within our reach.”
Zampino agreed, commenting, “Food always has had a way of bringing everyone together because everyone, no matter where you are from, eats!” Chawqui, echoing their sentiments, believed that “it brings the community together by just giving everyone an opportunity to do something with their neighbors and people that also live in Malden.”
Key Club treasurer Kathleen Yick said that her favorite part of the event, aside from the food, was the presentations. “I really liked when they started giving their presentations on the food, we got to learn everything.”
O’Meara also shared Yick’s thoughts, believing that the presentations made “everybody realize that we’re all from different places, and we’re here eating together and sharing our food like we’re all one.”
“We hope to establish this as an annual tradition in the future. Events like these play a significant role in strengthening our community bonds, and we’d love for this potluck to become something people look forward to every year,“ concluded Dong.
