The Tradition Of Rhubarb

The Tradition of Rhubarb

The whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:14

Two Chinese families were joining us for their first-ever American barbecue on a Sunday afternoon in July, so the American families in our group brought quintessential barbecue fare as we define it here in Central Minnesota. For dessert, I made a rhubarb crisp with rhubarb plucked straight from my garden.

As we pulled out dessert, our Chinese guests said they had never seen rhubarb, and the conversation around the table turned to explanations of what it was. Fruit? Veggie? Herb? Stem? The debate raged on for ten minutes about its classification. Stories of how American grandmothers used rhubarb were shared around the table. Attempts to describe the plant turned into a foray into my garden for a specimen, and as we passed the leafy stem around the table, I remembered the childhood trick my father taught me.

Soon, small bowls of sugar had been passed out, the stem had been chopped up, and our Chinese friends were dipping their rhubarb into sugar and eating it fresh and raw—just as countless Minnesotans remember doing as children. We laughed, posed for funny photos with our sugar-encrusted rhubarb, compared notes and stories, and made memories.

This was my third American holiday hosting Chinese guests. I’ve learned that the best conversations and most poignant memories are made over simple traditions rather than attempts to impress our international guests with fancy cuisine. Sharing my life and my traditions becomes a bridge into conversations in which I catch a glimpse into the lives and traditions of others. Soon enough we are so busy sharing and laughing and comparing notes that we see one another’s humanity first and foremost. Isn’t that what it means to love another as yourself? To extend hospitality and friendship, and engage in conversation about what it means to live in different cultures. To reveal God in our thoughts, deeds, and words to those who come alongside us.

—Julie

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Invite someone from a different country or culture to share a meal.