Back in February my roommate Will made up his mind that he needed
to write more. Will’s already a great writer, he currently works at a digital
advertising agency as a content writer. But, as one would expect, he became
tired of writing about “Five Potted Plants that Look Great on Patios” and “Ten Creative
Uses for a Self-Storage Unit”. In order to expand his repertoire and reinvigorate
his writing prowess, he dragged me and my roommate, Mason, along with him to
the Chinese Culture and Cuisine Festival.
Make no mistake I was far from eager to experience what I
imagined would be a few hours in a tourist trap. We pulled up to Margaret T. Hance
Park, the one that’s literally on top of the 10 in downtown phoenix, to a scene
of paper lanterns, Chinese characters and hundreds of tents serving as
temporary vending stalls. I immediately felt skeptical of the ‘finanscape’ that
I found myself in. Tents hosting the likes of Costco Whole Sale and the Arizona
Republican Party were dotted in between people selling stir fry noodles and
hand crafted tiny wooden desk buddhas.
Try as I could, I couldn’t seem to shake the idea that
everything at the festival put forth a capitalist veneer. Everyone was trying
to sell something, food, trinkets, Costco memberships, the whole ‘MAGA’ thing.
A stage in the middle of the park served as an anchor to the whole event.
Performances of traditional Chinese theatre, Chinese tea ceremonies, karate
schools, Dragon Dances, and the yo-yo master “Julius the Up and Down Man” entertained
crowds that had found their way through the seemingly impenetrable mass of
vendors. The talents and culture of the performers almost seemed as if they
were a counter point to the State Farm Insurance and Fry’s Food Stores ‘vendors’
that had taken residence near the stage.
I can’t decide how the Chinese Culture and Cuisine Festival
made me feel. The ‘finanscape’ of white popup tents around the festival
imparted a feeling of a tourist trap/cash grab that left me skeptical of the
authenticity of the experience. However, the Chinese culture that my roommates
and I did soak up was unmistakable. Perhaps the best way to experience the
festival is to focus on the true culture that is being presented and to concede
the tent selling Costco memberships as a necessary evil in order to expose
yourself to genuine people who are excited to share their heritage with you.
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