My grandfather was born in Swatow, China. Being a person whose ‘old village’ is Swatow is a big part of my identity. In the diaspora in California, France, Thailand and around the world I’ve met people who feel similarly. The food and language is a part of the culture, but also similarly the sense of service and help and support for others.
In this video (no subtitles sadly) at 11:17, is a scene that resonates with me. There, a bunch of people decide to put up a ‘great feast’ on the streets for the low income elderly people locally. The details of how they prepare this feast, and all the traditional foods (which are also foods that I know well), the sense of feeding people, getting people together, helping each other. Getting through hard times through community and delicious and amazing food. I think that’s carried me through my life; even though I’ve never been to Swatow. (Too emotional for me; I wanted to wait. But this video gave me a good sense of what it’s like.)






