This week’s reading focused on Anti-Imperialism and the advocacy for the betterment of life for Black Americans by the Black Panther Party and Lao, Cambodian, and Korean peoples. It is so interesting how little Asian colonialism and ‘intervention’ I learned about in school. I think the true essence of Afro-Asia was covered in the “Lao Patriotic Front’s Memorandum” section of the readings. There was solidarity within Asian groups and between the Black Panthers and Asian Anti-Imperialists. The coalition-building was best mentioned here: “The struggle against the US imperialists for the national salvation of the Lao people is also an inseparable part of the struggle for national independence, peace and democracy of the Asians, African and Latin American peoples and has made worthy contributions to that glorious struggle.”
As I continued reading through the material for this week, I stumbled upon the Black Panther Party Black Community News Service: Anti-Imperialist Delegation section and noticed the image of a birthday celebration. I began wondering about birthday celebrations and how various cultures partake.
When looking at a website talking about a variety of birthdays from coming-of-age, traditions, and rituals, I found a practice I do annually. The funny thing was noting its origin. My Filipino family emphasizes the consumption of long noodles to ensure a long life on your birthday, and the website cited this practice as one of Chinese descent. This goes to show how beautiful cultural fusion can be as facets of my identity can be rooted in many different places. I found that there is a specific type of noodle for this occasion: the longevity noodle.
Noodles were invented in northwestern China about 4000 years ago but became popularized from 618-907. The longevity noodle is called yi mein. They are known for being golden and chewy and are made of wheat, eggs, baking soda/soda water. They are consumed for Chinese New Year, birthdays, and other celebrations. Longevity is a principle that is widely revered in Chinese culture and there are certain etiquettes for eating these noodles. If celebrating for a birthday: guests give noodles to birthday guest signifying wishes of fortune, happiness, and longevity, noodles are never to completely fill the bowl as that represents one coming to capacity on noodles (hence their life), and most importantly for my family: never cut the noodles short as they represent your life! These noodles are traditionally cooked with pork, chicken, or alternatively with chive and shiitake mushroom!
As the world is in a chaotic state, let us not forget to cherish one another.
Works Cited:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthday
I love how you connected the origins of the “longevity noodle” to the multifaceted nature of your identity! Throughout my childhood, my family frequently prepared Japanese dishes containing tofu and soy sauce, which are key ingredients in Japanese cuisine. However, interestingly, tofu and soy sauce actually originated from China. Analyzing the origins of foods commonly found in our cultures is definitely a powerful way to better understand our complex ancestral roots.