General Information about Item:
- Genre: Material Lore – Christmas dish; Customary Lore – celebration, family tradition
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: United States
- Informant: D.G.
- Date Collected: November 11, 2020
Informant Data:
- D.G is a ’22 at Dartmouth. He currently resides in San, Jose California. He was born in San Jose and has lived there his entire life prior to college; however, his parents are from China.
Contextual Data:
Social Context
- D.G. first ate this dish at Christmas in his middle school years. It was very important to him because he was only able to eat the dish once a year during Christmas. The recipe to the dish is currently only held by his grandpa, and he would only get to see his grandpa on Christmas, so it was the only opportunity to eat it. D.G. ties the dish to seeing family around festive occasions.
Cultural Context
- In Chinese culture, long noodles symbolic long life due to the visual appearance. Additionally, because of taste preferences and familiarity with their own culture, Chinese immigrants adopted many traditional Chinese dishes for American holidays such as Christmas and choose to celebrate Christmas culturally instead of religiously. The immigration experience can be isolating, which is why many Chinese immigrants emphasize family and unity.
Item:
- As you would expect, Dry Noodles is a dish made from long strands of dried noodles. The noodles are first boiled, then tossed in traditional seasoning and eaten with seafood.
Transcript of Interview Clip:
Y.H. (collector): What is a special Christmas dish that you eat?
D.G. (informant): So every Christmas, we eat something called Dry Noodles, which is similar to fried noodles, but it’s not fried. We eat it with different Chinese seasonings and a lot of seafood.
Y.H.: So when was the first time you came across this dish and what was the situation?
D.G.: So, when I first came across this dish, I guess, at Christmas when I was really young at a family gathering. I think this was around when I was in middle school.
Y.H.: Ok, and then, what meaning does the dish carry to you and what does it remind you of, if anything?
D.G.: Uh. Well. I guess this Dry Noodle dish is meaningful to me because it’s always my grandpa who cooks this dish, and we only get to see him during Christmas, so I guess I have come to associate the dish with Christmas because that would be the only time I can eat it. He’s the only one who knows the recipe and knows how to make it well. Also, when I eat it, it’s always a festive celebration so we reserve it for important events like that.
Y.H.: Besides that, is there any other symbolism?
D.G.: Symbolism? Well, I guess that one thing is that it is supposed to represent a long life because the noodles are very long. Originally I think we meant it for birthday celebrations within the family, but I only remember eating it for Christmas so I’m assuming that my family adapted it. There’s nothing beyond that.
Y.H.: What cultural context and what background information does someone need to know to appreciate the dish?
D.G.: Well the dish is a Chinese dish so they would probably need to know Chinese culture or Chinese customs. I really can’t think of anything else.
Collector’s Comments:
- I think that it’s really interesting because the dish does not have anything to do with the history of Christmas itself. Rather, it is a symbol of familial folklore, in this case, a family recipe that is passed down from generation to generation. Christmas not only serves as a holiday, but also an opportunity where the elders in the family can pass down the folklore recipe to the younger generation. It’s really interesting when compared to Hot Pot and Roast Chicken, which also emphasize family.
- Additionally, I think that to really understand the importance of this dish, one must understand family recipes that are passed down. Not every family does that and those that don’t may not fully comprehend the importance of family recipes.
Collector’s Name:
Yilin Huo