Tet is here, slurping hot pot, Gen Z away from home feels familiar and warm

Jenna Zhang and Irene Kim (23 years old) living in Astoria, Queens (USA) often gather early with friends every Lunar New Year.

When the guests entered the apartment, they saw the dishes on the table, they guessed what the host was preparing. The music played, everyone sat down, and enjoyed the party together with the hot pot starting to boil. They asked each other with the familiar question "how are you, long time no see".

Irene Kim and friends gather around hot pot at home

Food that reminds me of home

For young people far from home like Jenna Zhang and Irene Kim in particular, and the Asian community in America in general, hot pot is a dish that brings a cozy feeling of home.

Lunar New Year is an important time of the year. Many people who live far away return home to gather with their relatives and family. For those who live abroad, returning to reunite with their family is not easy. For them, enjoying traditional dishes and gathering with friends is a way to bring back the cozy feeling of being at home.

Tansy Huang, 22, who works in Seattle, said his mother always cooked hot pot for the family when the weather turned cold, according to the Nytimes . "Sitting down and eating hot pot together is a way to show care for each other, keep warm and improve health," Tansy said.

Easy-to-prepare dishes, suitable for Gen Z

Hot pot is a common dish on the Asian dining table. A pot of delicious broth, when the water boils, add the side dishes. For young people, cooking and eating together helps increase intimacy and makes them recall memories.

Jenna Zhang said her family has 6 siblings. Every Lunar New Year, her family usually gets together and eats hot pot together.

The young girl introduced the dish to her friends in the US and many people loved it. Irene Kim said: "I really like hot pot. Whenever we celebrate something, we eat hot pot."

This year, Zhang prepared a hot pot with two compartments. One compartment contained the spicy, bright red broth typical of Sichuan style. The other compartment was for those who did not like spicy food.

Unlike other traditional dishes during Tet, hot pot is very easy to prepare. This is a plus for young people who do not have enough time or experience to cook many dishes.

Zoey Gong (27), a Chinese national who moved to the US 11 years ago, said: "To cook a traditional New Year's meal, many dishes take a lot of effort. So cooking hot pot to invite friends is much easier."

Michelle King, a history professor at the University of North Carolina, said the main appeal of hot pot is that it fits well with family or friends. "You can't eat hot pot alone, you definitely have to eat it with other people," she said.

Cold Rice Pizza: My Family's '3 R' Principle for Tet

Every time Tet comes, every member of my family always mentions the 3 R's - Reuse, Reduce and Recycle to limit shopping without reducing the happy atmosphere.

Just looking forward to Tet so I can laugh and joke around with dad's misshapen banh chung

Even if I go far away, I still look forward to coming home for Tet.

Remembering the old Tet holiday, wrapping my father's legs around the bakery, tasting the fragrant gai biscuits

A worker standing below will cut the cake into pieces about 8cm long. The reason they are called thorny cookies is because they have spikes on both sides like the back of a salamander.

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