Found in Translation

The three of them sat at a table at Chili’s Bar & Grill on a buzzing Sunday night. Cheng Zhang and his wife Lianxia Shen had never been to Chili’s Bar & Grill before, and since it was their first time at this American restaurant, they weren’t sure what they should order. This is where Qiang Ding came in with his recommendations.

Qiang Ding, a 23-year-old student who had chosen the American name of Leo, knew what to recommend to them, and even helped them explain to the waiter what they wanted. There they were in an American restaurant eating typical American food, such as BBQ Ribs and French fries, but eating their food in a traditional Chinese way.

Cheng Zhang has only lived in the U.S. for less than a year, and only knows or understands a few Basic English words, such as “thank you” and “hello”. He has a calm demeanor, a warm smile, and you get the impression that behind his eyes lays wisdom and experience. He and his wife are from the city if Urumai in the Xinjiang province of China.

“To experience different cultures is one of the most important things in a person’s life. A single culture is not beneficial for a single person or country,” says Cheng Zhang.

Cheng speaks a few Chinese words to Leo, and Leo translates this to the waiter as a request for extra plates. By the time the waiter returns, Cheng has finished arranging everyone’s plates in the center of the table. He passes everyone a plate and proceeds to serve them a helping of each plate.

Everyone else at the very same restaurant is enjoying himself or herself only to what they ordered and is on their plate, but this is not the Chinese custom. This trio is used to eating by having various dishes at the center of a table, and everyone getting to pick pieces from each dish. Sharing the same dishes feels much more communal to them.

Lianxia tells the story of how she and her husband met ad fell in love. They actually went