So while I was in Taipei this weekend for Halloween, Eric and I managed to get some time to visit the National Palace Museum which contains all of the treasures that we’re taken out from China during the Chinese Civil War. The origin of all of the pieces are from within Beijing’s Forbidden City. The museum had way too many pieces for us to be able to look at all of them. But, the two pieces that really struck out to me and are some of the most prized possessions were the “Jadeite Cabbage” and “Meat-Shaped Stone”.
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May24
I’m not really a fan of Starbucks, but I can’t deny that they have the most convenient hours and locations. So, I went to Starbucks to get some work done while getting my daily dose of caffeine and ordered a grande iced coffee. There I am, sitting next to the window just doing some work, minding my own business, when the lady that rung up my order comes over to talk with me. In appearance she seemed Chinese and somewhere between her mid-40s to 50s (you can never really tell with Asians, seriously). She asked where I was from and I shared how I don’t speak Mandarin because my mom and dad speak different dialects of Chinese and she shared how she understood Cantonese and Mandarin.
Next thing I know, she’s offering me a free refill on coffee. I politely reply, “Oh, it’s okay, I don’t want too much caffeine” (true story, by the way, since Starbucks basically injects extra caffeine to keep Consumer USA up and running). She then offers that the next time I come to Starbucks she can give me a drink for free. I thank her and then go on doing my business. I turn around, and she’s back, offering me a complimentary lemon tart (which was pretty delicious, too). I was so taken aback by my interaction with her; if she weren’t an old Asian lady, I’d say she was hitting on me!
From my small conversation with her, there was a sense of minority connection–or more specifically Chinese connection. We didn’t even exchange names; although, in hindsight I regret not asking. But, I really have been noticing one of the great blessings of Chinese culture is that sense of family ownership. I mean, think about how pretty much every Taiwanese living in the DC metro area knows every other Taiwanese person here. There was some immediate sense of almost shared experiences and community just because of our Chinese or Taiwanese heritage.
The past few weeks, I’ve been reminded of a conversation I had about cultures in God’s kingdom with a friend. Sometimes I don’t think we see our culture or race or heritage as a blessing from the Lord or even something that should be seen or discussed. But, just as our gender has a role in God’s kingdom, so does our race and ethnicity. They are purposeful blessings that we should use to further God’s kingdom not just ignore.
