Dating outside of your culture is all fun and games until you have to explain to your significant other why you’re stuffing a dirty nickel inside of a dumpling or wearing a red thong in the middle of January. Let’s face it: The Lunar New Year is filled with traditions that, unless you grew up in an Asian household, can be difficult to articulate.
My mom is Chinese and my dad is Mexican, so he had a lot of learning to do about my mom’s culture (and vice versa). As a queer man who lives in one of the most diverse cities in the world, there have been plenty of times that I’ve dated people of color outside of my own culture and had to teach them how to celebrate the Lunar New Year as well. Unfortunately, since I can’t hold a man down, I’ve had to give the spiel every year, and I’m starting to get tired.
On top of that, the Lunar New Year can feel isolating. It’s a holiday associated with so many tender memories of family and home, and it can be difficult to feel like no one around you is making a big deal out of it. Worse still is when your significant other doesn’t remember it’s the Lunar New Year and you have to passive-aggressively remind them. So those lucky enough to be dating Asian baddies who celebrate LNY, I decided to make your life easier. Here’s my advice, as well as some friends’, about what you can do with or for your significant other to show them you care about the holiday.
Go Out To Eat Dumplings Together — Or Better Yet, Make Them At Home
Lunar New Year traditions vary widely throughout the diaspora, as the holiday is celebrated in China, South Korea, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries. But for many households, there’s one constant: dumplings. I’m not just talking about a plate of 10 or so dumplings, which would probably be a regular amount for a regular day. I’m talking about an excessive, borderline-gluttonous amount of dumplings.
Just like many Americans can remember having way too much turkey or mac and…
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