No one is at a more "Chinese time of their life" right now than everyone who, uhh, isn't actually Chinese at all. Let me explain: An absurdist social media meme has people, specifically Westerners, leaning into "being Chinese" in the form of tongue-in-cheek sentiments that accompany tasks like drinking hot water, a common traditional Chinese medicine practice, or eating congee.
"First morning being Chinese," reads the caption on a video of a person making hot lemon water. "This week's grocery haul after recently being diagnosed as Chinese," says the text in front of a spread featuring napa cabbage and oyster sauce. "You've met me at a very Chinese time in my life," claims a video of a guy eating dumplings. Is it all a little stereotypical and weird? Yes, as some people have pointed out. There are ample legitimate reasons to take issue with the trend, as Zeyi Yang and Louise Matsakis explained in Wired.
But, as Yang and Matsakis concluded, the meme also represents a fascinating turning point: a new, albeit performative, embrace of Chinese culture in the U.S., where China has long been a boogeyman and its culture considered with skepticism. As also explained on the anthropology video channel Anthrodorphins, these memes are both ironic and sincere, underpinned by the real power struggle between the two countries. According to this interpretation, China was once stigmatized, but its recent representations on social media symbolize a level of modernity, efficiency, and functionality that feels lacking to some people in the U.S., and therefore desirable.
This optimism around Chinese culture is mirrored in the kinds of businesses not only expanding across the United States right now but also finding success — especially Chinese food and beverage chains. Luckin Coffee, which has more locations in China than Starbucks and emphasizes a tech-enabled "100% cashier-less environment," started its expansion in the U.S. last year. Hot pot chain Haidilao is committing to new U.S. expansion, and in late December, Mixue, the world's largest fast food chain as of last March, opened in New York City with stunning demand. Of course there was: Everything on the menu costs less than $5.
As the Times reported in December, an oversupply of food and beverage businesses like these in China is leading tea chains Heytea, Chagee, and Naisnow and burger chain Wallace to also enter the U.S. market. These Chinese businesses could reshape the American dining landscape, as they already have in areas with a high density of Chinese students. These expansions come, the Times added, as American brands like Starbucks pull back in China due to all the competition.
Is Americanness a selling point around the world right now? Well, Canadians, for one, will tell you that the answer is a resounding "no." Chineseness, however, has a quickly growing appeal in the U.S.. Bring on the $1 Mixue soft serve.
