My calendar software informs me about holidays and such and today it said that May 1 is the “First Day of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month”. I had no idea.
I am not sure what to do with this new knowledge. Perhaps I’ll order some takeout Chinese food to show solidarity with my fellow Asian Pacific heritagers.
It is strange how May 1, which has been celebrated all over the world since 1889 as a day of worker solidarity known as May Day or International Workers Day, is completely ignored in the US even though its origins lie in this country. But as a result of anti-communist fervor, the labor movement in the US distanced itself from it and shifted it to Labor Day in September, which itself has become a pretty ordinary holiday, shorn of any labor militancy.
I think it’s already May 1 in Guam and Sri Lanka, but I think it’s still April 30 in the Western Hemisphere. Good stuff either way.
An interesting question for everyone: how many different Asian cuisines are available where your readers live? For this purpose, we can call certain Israeli food one type of Asian cuisine, and Palestinian food a separate type. Likewise, we will call Indian food as being distinct from Sri Lankan, Pakistani,Nepali, etc. But you can’t count friends or relatives.
Bruce,
I realized that I had jumped the gun and thought that today was May 1. I corrected the post.
As to your question, where I live I have access to (at least ) Chinese, Mexican, Indian, Vietnames, and Thai food and I rotate through them.
It’s 3am on the first as I write, here.
Some “Labour Day”. Businesses and government employees will get Monday off but schools are still open…with online classes only.
Congratulations?
I never associate May Day with workers rights. There is another traditional activity which has pretty much disappeared. As children we would make May Baskets from paper, which we would fill with small bouquets of flowers and leave on the doorknobs of elderly neighbors, simply for the joy of giving flowers.
Apparently it is a rather ancient practice.
https://www.npr.org/sections/npr-history-dept/2015/04/30/402817821/a-forgotten-tradition-may-basket-day
Since our esteemed host hails from an island that is distinct from the Asian landmass and a long swim from the Pacific, can he really celebrate the upcoming APAH Month other than vicariously?
Pierce, cf. British vs. American usage of ‘Asian’.
Tiny quibble for Pierce: Sri Lanka is a part of the Indian continent as it is joined by the continental margin, meaning it is also a part of Asia.
Bruce @1: My suburban city has Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese. Next town over also has a place where the chef is Pakistani and the food is described as ‘Indian, Mediterranean, and European’. The city has plenty of additional options, including various Central Asian and various Middle-Eastern ones. And of course, for the Pacific Islands, there are the Hawaiian places.
@6: cf British vs. American usage of ‘Pacific’. {rolls eyes}
Sonof, you may hereby stop rolling your eyes.
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/asian-be-vs-ae.3682978/
(See, Sri Lanka was once British Ceylon)
John Morales @ # 10: … Sri Lanka was once British Ceylon
I keep waiting for Paul Simon to update his song: “Sri Lanka, silver girl, Sri Lanka by…”