On September 25, 25 members of the NYU Shanghai community gathered for the inaugural event of the NYU Shanghai Reads program, that is, a close reading event centered on the book of the year, Chop Suey, USA: The Story of Chinese Food in America by Yong Chen. Facilitated by Global China Studies Assistant Professor Ka Lee Wong, the event explored the book’s central question: what makes food “authentic”? Participants analyzed how Chinese-American dishes like chop suey are not simply “inauthentic” food, but powerful symbols of cultural adaptation and immigrant resilience. The discussion highlighted that the topic moves beyond a single culture to expose a universal process of how people use food to negotiate belonging. Community members shared personal reflections, with some noting how the evolution of Chinese food in America challenges any fixed idea of authenticity - authenticity is often a matter of perspectives.
Inspired by the themes of adaptation in Chop Suey, USA: The Story of Chinese Food in America, on October 21, the Instructional Services Librarian, Vanessa Lawrence, and the Digital Scholarship Librarian, Fan Luo, guided the NYU Shanghai community in a collaborative project: building a shared digital recipe book with 20 students, staff, and faculty members. The session explored the role food plays in connecting us to feelings of home, especially when we are away from it. Participants shared stories and recipes for dishes that bring them comfort, discussing how these recipes often need to be adjusted or adapted in a new location—whether due to ingredient availability or for a new audience. Through building a recipe book together, the community contributed to a living document that celebrates how we preserve and transform the taste of home. Attendees left the event with a deeper appreciation for food as a connector and with a copy of the compiled community cookbook to cherish. A digital NYU Shanghai Community Recipe Book is available on the NYU manifold platform.
In a hands-on NYU Reads event on 11/18, moderators Tianyun Hua (GPS Postdoc Fellow) and Huiyi Chen (IMA Teaching Associate) guided 45 participants in exploring how food and plants create a "language of belonging." Inspired by Chapter 4, “The Cradle of Chinese Food,” from Yong Chen's Chop Suey, USA, the session traced the intertwined routes of migration, plants, and community. The event delved into how the acts of cooking, planting, and foraging can cultivate new senses of space and home. Through case studies on Southern California’s home farming and New York City’s spring foraging within Asian American communities, participants reflected on the powerful relationship between plants, food, and space-making. The workshop concluded with a series of immersive, osmanthus-themed activities. Attendees engaged in scent sachet making, osmanthus drinks tasting, and experiencing firsthand how plants and food can serve as a living, sensory language that connects us to place and to one another.
On January 28, a talk titled "The Rise of Noodle Nationalism: The Story of Ramen and the Evolution of Japanese Modern Cuisine," given by Professor Barak Kushner of the University of Cambridge, was held as part of the NYU Shanghai Reads program featuring the book of the year, Chop Suey, USA: The Story of Chinese Food in America. The event drew more than 60 participants, including students, faculty, and community members. The talk began with an introduction by Professor Ka Lee Wong from Global China Studies, who framed the talk in relation to the book program and highlighted how the history of ramen parallels themes raised in Chop Suey, USA: migration, adaptation, and the political meanings embedded in everyday food. Professor Kushner traced ramen’s long evolution from its Chinese origins to its transformation into a defining symbol of modern Japanese cuisine, emphasizing how social change, international politics, and economic conditions shaped its rise. Participants engaged actively during the discussion, raising questions about authenticity, appropriation, and the role of food in shaping national identity. Adding to the atmosphere, ramen was ordered for attendees, reinforcing the evening’s theme by pairing historical analysis with shared eating. The combination of scholarship, discussion, and food created an accessible and intellectually engaging event that embodied the goals of the book program.