Growing up, I would join my mom and uncle on his trips to Chinatown in New York City once or twice a month to buy groceries.
Those trips to Chinatown were my opportunities to practice some autonomy. I would do my Christmas shopping at the little shops in the basement of a building on Elizabeth Street. I would go off and get boba or ice cream while my mom shopped on Mott Street. My mom and I would divide and conquer as I got older and I would go and buy oranges or vegetables while she picked the fish and told the fishmonger how to prepare the fish.
Who knew that those regular trips would be so formative?
I guess anything can be formative. I’m lucky that these were such fond memories and safe experiences that helped me become me.
