Each week, Lao Lao would bring our family plastic shopping bags filled with vegetables from her garden. Lao Lao told us that she’d learned to garden by watching YouTube. Perhaps reacting to my delight, Lao Lao gestured at her neighbors’ untamed plots. Lao Lao, her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter visited our house for hot pot. Having brought us young people together over this community-garden-to-table feast, Lao Lao faded into the background.

Source: Washington Post February 01, 2024 20:15 UTC