“There is a rich history of women-led resistance and political agency in these neighborhoods. The activism we see in Manhattan’s Chinatown today [is] in much a longer lineage and history of women-led cultural production through Asian American collectives…” (Wong).
As mentioned by Diane Wong in Volume 2 of Asian American Feminist Collective, the gentrification occurring in Manhattan’s Chinatown is steadily replacing families’ homes and businesses with opulent restaurants and luxury stores. This alteration in Chinatown’s urban landscape not only endangers the livelihood of its inhabitants, but it also threatens to erase the deeply rooted history of “women-led resistance” and “women-led cultural production” ingrained in the neighborhood (Wong). In order to maintain and continue female-led activism, seemingly common shops in Chinatown have been hosting events that foster conversations across generations and the exploration of Chinese culture and activism.
When reading about the residents’ attempts to preserve their history of activism and Chinese culture, I was reminded of Chinese pickles. Often served as a side dish or appetizer, Chinese pickles are prepared by fermenting fruits and vegetables in a salt or vinegar mixture or marinating them in a soy-based paste. There are over “130 different kinds of Chinese pickles,” but the ingredients most frequently used in these refreshing, flavorful dishes are cucumbers, radishes, mustards, cabbage, and lettuce hearts (TasteAtlas). Moreover, every region of China has its own method of preparing pickles. For instance, in Szechuan, pickles are seasoned with a particular mixture containing dried chili, Szechuan peppercorns, gin, and ginger.
Preparing pickled ingredients at home has always been an essential component of Chinese culture. Dating back to the “Zhou dynasty era,” the tradition of pickling emerged from a history of natural disasters that prompted people to develop pickling as a way to conserve food for long periods of time (Ralph and Terebelski). There are even ornate pickling urns and jars that date back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) (CGTN). Here’s an example of what an urn looked like! https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/decorative-objects/vases-vessels/urns/early-20th-century-chinese-glazed-pickling-pot/id-f_14514562/
In Diane Wong’s interview, Chinese pickles can represent the Chinese residents’ attempts to preserve their history of activism and culture within their rapidly changing neighborhood. Similar to how pickling has been a long-standing tradition passed through generations, shop owners’ initiatives to encourage discussions regarding Chinese culture and activism enable residents to maintain a sense of belonging and connection to their heritage.
Works cited:
CGTN. 300 And Counting: The Pickle Urns of a Chinese Chef. news.cgtn.com/news/3455444e34677a6333566d54/share_p.html.
“Chinese Pickles History and Types.” Chinese Pickles History – Popular Fermented Chinese Food, www.chinesefoodhistory.com/chinese-cuisine-history/chinese-pickles-history/.
TasteAtlas. Chinese Pickles: Traditional Pickling From China. 7 Sept. 2016, www.tasteatlas.com/chinese-pickles.
Terebelski, Dana, and Nancy Ralph. Pickles of Asia. 2003, www.nyfoodmuseum.org/_pasia.htm.
Wong, Diane. “Dreaming Diasporas In Chinatowns Around the Globe.” Asian American Feminist Collective: Solidarity, Politicizing, Talking Back.
i love how you found a connection between people’s struggle to preserve the cultural heritage of Chinatown, in the face of gentrification, and the tradition of pickling in China. Although as a New Yorker, admittedly, I was unaware of the rapid gentrification taking place in Chinatown. however, I was aware of the various other parts of New York City, notably predominantly Black and Brown communities suffering due to gentrification. despite Chinatown being in/around one of the wealthier neighborhoods in NYC (district 3, including the Lower East Side and East Village), it is still facing prejudiced harmful housing policies and practices that disproportionately displace and disenfranchise POC. This also makes me think of the gentrification in Harlem, wherein the years past, city officials and wealthy white folks intentionally neglected the people of the community and its infrastructure; but now are seemingly so invested in “developing” it, simultaneously displacing families and disregarding the decades of cultural and spatial development by the Black and Brown folks who had to create systems/infrastructure outside of governmental institutions to survive.