{"id":61743,"date":"2025-04-01T01:00:26","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T09:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/?p=61743"},"modified":"2025-04-02T09:41:47","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T17:41:47","slug":"photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/","title":{"rendered":"Photo Essay: Connecting Manhattan&#8217;s Chinatown Elders Through Food and&nbsp;Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>A version of this article originally appeared in The Deep Dish, our members-only newsletter.\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/become-a-member\"><em>Become a member today<\/em><\/a><em>\u00a0and get the next issue directly in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>All photos by Jake Price<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-simple post-capital-letter\"><p>When thinking of Manhattan\u2019s Chinatown, many vibrant places and events come to mind\u2014New Year celebrations, bustling restaurants, and lively shops lining the streets. One place that probably doesn\u2019t, but should: the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cpc-nyc.org\/programs\/family-support\/open-door-senior-center\">Open Door Senior Center<\/a>, where there\u2019s hardly a dull moment. The cafeteria, hung with red lanterns, swells with the conversations of regulars and the aroma of Chinese favorites like beef with black bean sauce, pork spare ribs, and stir-fried bok choi.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<div class=\"pulled-sidebar pulled-sidebar-right\"><div class=\"pulled-sidebar-title\">Food Mutual Aid Stories<\/div><div class=\"post-image-caption align-left\"><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Food-Mutual-Aid-illo.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Food-Mutual-Aid-illo.jpg\" alt=\"A colorfully hand drawn image of diverse people working in food mutual aid, from a bbq'er to someone holding a bowl of rice, and more\"><\/a><div class=\"post-caption\"><p>Illustration by Nhatt Nichols<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/03\/03\/indigenous-food-reciprocity-as-a-model-for-mutual-aid\/\">Indigenous Food Reciprocity as a Model for <span class=\"il\">Mutual<\/span>\u00a0Aid<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/03\/12\/photo-essay-standing-in-the-gaps-with-feed-durham\/\">Photo Essay:\u00a0Standing in the Gaps With Feed Durham<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/03\/12\/in-chicago-an-environmental-organization-feeds-community\/\">In Chicago, an Environmental Organization Feeds Community<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/03\/24\/this-san-francisco-food-pantry-is-a-labor-of-love\/\">This San Francisco Food Pantry Is a Labor of Love<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/\">Photo Essay: Connecting Manhattan&#8217;s Chinatown Elders Through Food and Culture<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>When they\u2019re not eating or talking, the seniors take painting classes\u2014or play mahjong, Ping-Pong, and bingo. They sing Peking opera and dance Broadway musical numbers. Holidays are celebrated with joyful group fanfare.<\/p>\n<p>The director of the center, Po-Ling Ng, founded the organization in 1972, with funding from the city\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cpc-nyc.org\/\">Chinese American Planning Council<\/a> and, later, the state of New York as well. Now in her mid-70s, she is not without humor\u2014or youthful vigor: She says she still feels like the 23-year-old she was when she arrived in Manhattan from Hong Kong.<\/p>\n<p>Food, she says, plays a key role in drawing people to the center. \u201cA lot of [them] say, \u2018I like to go to Open Door because I love the taste of Chinese food.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>Ng personally helps deliver Chinese meals, which she coordinates through\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/donate.citymeals.org\/page\/75655\/donate\/1\">Citymeals on Wheels<\/a>, to isolated seniors in the community. \u201cBecause they live alone, they feel like they have a very boring life,\u201d she says. \u201cStaying home creates mental problems\u2014they\u2019re constantly thinking about bad things. On top of that, they struggle with medical costs, living expenses, and housing issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Using food as a pretext, she checks in on people to see how they are doing, which allows her to assess their psychological state, help connect them with home healthcare aides, and, if they\u2019re not too infirm, invite them to Open Door.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-image-caption align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-4.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-4.jpg\" alt=\"Many describe certain foods they miss, so Ng works with Citymeals on Wheels to provide them. (Chicken with oyster sauce, baked pork, and Chinese-style bok choy are favorites.) Here one of Ng\u2019s volunteers brings food to You Hai Chen.\"><\/a><div class=\"post-caption\"><p>Many elders describe certain foods they miss, so Ng works with Citymeals on Wheels to provide them. (Chicken with oyster sauce, baked pork, and Chinese-style bok choy are favorites.) Here one of Ng\u2019s volunteers brings food to You Hai Chen. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<\/div><div class=\"post-image-caption align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-5.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-5.jpg\" alt=\"Choo Tung in her home, with a fresh delivery from the Senior Center. Some seniors Ng visits have lost spouses and say they want to remarry or find new partners, and ask her for help in meeting people. Ng encourages them to come to the center so that they might make new friends.\"><\/a><div class=\"post-caption\"><p>Choo Tung in her home, with a fresh delivery from Citymeals. Some seniors Ng visits have lost spouses and say they want to remarry or find new partners, and ask her for help in meeting people. Ng encourages them to come to the center so that they might make new friends. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<\/div><div class=\"post-image-caption align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-6.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-6.jpg\" alt=\"Siu Kuen Tam, 86, leads the daily bingo game.\"><\/a><div class=\"post-caption\"><p>Siu Kuen Tam, 86, leads the daily bingo game.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\"><em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p>When seniors arrive at the center, Ng ensures that their meals are both culturally and age appropriate. For instance, while the menu has a brown rice option that\u2019s popular in the West, she insists that white rice also be available. She says, \u201cThey like the white\u2014I mean, it just smells really good!\u201d In her conversations, she has learned that what suits one generation isn\u2019t necessarily right for another: People aged 60 to 75 generally prefer harder rice, while older patrons favor it softer. As they sit around the tables, those who came for the food begin to form new relationships and integrate into the community of elders.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-image-caption align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-7.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-7.jpg\" alt=\"Chong Liang Zhao, 79, left, the Peking opera instructor at Open Door, rehearses with a student.\"><\/a><div class=\"post-caption\"><p>Chong Liang Zhao (left), 79, the Peking opera instructor at Open Door, rehearses with a student. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<\/div><div class=\"post-image-caption align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-8.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-8.jpg\" alt=\"Each year for Valentine\u2019s Day celebrations, Ng invites a couple on stage to commemorate their marriage. Here Qi Xiong He, 78, has just lifted the veil of his wife, Ju Ying Zhou, 66. Traditionally the veil is lifted when the couple are alone in their bridal chamber after the wedding ceremony.\"><\/a><div class=\"post-caption\"><p>Each year during Valentine\u2019s Day celebrations, Ng invites a couple on stage to commemorate their marriage. Here Qi Xiong He, 78, has just lifted the veil of his wife, Ju Ying Zhou, 66. Traditionally the veil is lifted when the couple are alone in their bridal chamber after the wedding ceremony.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<\/div><div class=\"post-image-caption align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-9.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-9.jpg\" alt=\"A photo on the wall in the table tennis room at Open Door, taken several years ago. After a championship match, someone donated a whole roast pig to the players (and friends) to enjoy.\"><\/a><div class=\"post-caption\"><p>A photo on the wall in the table tennis room at Open Door, taken several years ago. After a championship match, someone donated a whole roast pig to the players (and friends) to enjoy.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<\/div><div class=\"post-image-caption align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-10.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-10.jpg\" alt=\"Ng celebrates Lunar New Year 2025 at Open Door with police officers from the local precinct, as well as the center\u2019s supporters and regular visitors.\"><\/a><div class=\"post-caption\"><p>Ng celebrates Lunar New Year 2025 at Open Door with police officers from the local precinct, as well as the center\u2019s supporters and regular visitors.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>A couple years ago, the surgeon general identified loneliness as a major public health concern,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf\">an epidemic<\/a>, in fact, making Open Door\u2019s welcoming role more critical. Yet the center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cpc-nyc.org\/programs\/family-support\/open-door-senior-center\">struggles with funding<\/a>\u2014none at all last year, so even small things like repairing the front door become hard to afford. And expenses could rise if federal cuts to social services increase the need within the community.<\/p>\n<p>But for Ng, it\u2019s never been about the money. \u201cIf you don\u2019t love your job, it doesn\u2019t matter how high you\u2019re paid\u2014you\u2019ll suffer. But I don\u2019t care. I lead a simple life. After 56 years of working in the community, God has given me good health, and I don\u2019t want to retire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<div class='ctx-module-container ctx_default_placement ctx-clearfix'><\/div><span class=\"ctx-article-root\"><!-- --><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A version of this article originally appeared in The Deep Dish, our members-only newsletter.\u00a0Become a member today\u00a0and get the next issue directly in your inbox. All photos by Jake Price When they\u2019re not eating or talking, the seniors take painting classes\u2014or play mahjong, Ping-Pong, and bingo. They sing Peking opera and dance Broadway musical numbers. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1056,"featured_media":62911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[485,43604,4480,3264],"tags":[],"coauthors":[13104],"class_list":["post-61743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-access","category-food-mutual-aid","category-health","category-nutrition"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.6 (Yoast SEO v25.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Connecting Manhattan\u2019s Chinatown Elders Through Food, Culture | Civil Eats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Open Door Senior Center in Manhattan welcomes community elders in an effort to stave off loneliness and hunger.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Photo Essay: Connecting Manhattan&#039;s Chinatown Elders Through Food and Culture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Open Door Senior Center in Manhattan welcomes community elders in an effort to stave off loneliness and hunger.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Civil Eats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Civil-Eats\/56766540637\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jakeprice01\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-01T09:00:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-02T17:41:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1199\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jake Price\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CivilEats\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CivilEats\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jake Price\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jake Price\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/person\/dcc83b3fe8c961eb923aaa514f301804\"},\"headline\":\"Photo Essay: Connecting Manhattan&#8217;s Chinatown Elders Through Food and&nbsp;Culture\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-01T09:00:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-02T17:41:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/\"},\"wordCount\":619,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Food Access\",\"Food Mutual Aid\",\"Health\",\"Nutrition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/\",\"name\":\"Connecting Manhattan\u2019s Chinatown Elders Through Food, Culture | Civil Eats\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-01T09:00:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-02T17:41:47+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Open Door Senior Center in Manhattan welcomes community elders in an effort to stave off loneliness and hunger.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-1.jpg\",\"width\":1199,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"An elder heads toward a table of friends at Manhattan\u2019s Open Door Senior Center. (Photo credit: Jake Price)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Photo Essay: Connecting Manhattan&#8217;s Chinatown Elders Through Food and&nbsp;Culture\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/\",\"name\":\"Civil Eats\",\"description\":\"Daily News and Commentary About the American Food System\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Civil Eats\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/logo.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":455,\"caption\":\"Civil Eats\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Civil-Eats\/56766540637\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/CivilEats\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/civileats\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/person\/dcc83b3fe8c961eb923aaa514f301804\",\"name\":\"Jake Price\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/db13577de166019bed1d2e41278e853d\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/JakePriceHeadshot-1-150x150.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/JakePriceHeadshot-1-150x150.jpeg\",\"caption\":\"Jake Price\"},\"description\":\"Jake Price is a New York City-based photographer and filmmaker. After working as a photojournalist and producer at the BBC and The New York Times, he shifted his work to filmmaking and immersive media production. Price\u2019s many projects have been awarded by the World Press Photo and have also been displayed internationally.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/jakeprice.com\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jakeprice01\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jakepricenyc\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/author\/jprice\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Connecting Manhattan\u2019s Chinatown Elders Through Food, Culture | Civil Eats","description":"The Open Door Senior Center in Manhattan welcomes community elders in an effort to stave off loneliness and hunger.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Photo Essay: Connecting Manhattan's Chinatown Elders Through Food and Culture","og_description":"The Open Door Senior Center in Manhattan welcomes community elders in an effort to stave off loneliness and hunger.","og_url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/","og_site_name":"Civil Eats","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Civil-Eats\/56766540637","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jakeprice01","article_published_time":"2025-04-01T09:00:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-04-02T17:41:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1199,"height":800,"url":"http:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jake Price","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@CivilEats","twitter_site":"@CivilEats","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jake Price","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/"},"author":{"name":"Jake Price","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/person\/dcc83b3fe8c961eb923aaa514f301804"},"headline":"Photo Essay: Connecting Manhattan&#8217;s Chinatown Elders Through Food and&nbsp;Culture","datePublished":"2025-04-01T09:00:26+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-02T17:41:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/"},"wordCount":619,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-1.jpg","articleSection":["Food Access","Food Mutual Aid","Health","Nutrition"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/","name":"Connecting Manhattan\u2019s Chinatown Elders Through Food, Culture | Civil Eats","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-1.jpg","datePublished":"2025-04-01T09:00:26+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-02T17:41:47+00:00","description":"The Open Door Senior Center in Manhattan welcomes community elders in an effort to stave off loneliness and hunger.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jake-Price-Poling-NYC-Chinatown-1.jpg","width":1199,"height":800,"caption":"An elder heads toward a table of friends at Manhattan\u2019s Open Door Senior Center. (Photo credit: Jake Price)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/04\/01\/photo-essay-the-heart-of-chinatown\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Photo Essay: Connecting Manhattan&#8217;s Chinatown Elders Through Food and&nbsp;Culture"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/","name":"Civil Eats","description":"Daily News and Commentary About the American Food System","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#organization","name":"Civil Eats","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/logo.png","width":800,"height":455,"caption":"Civil Eats"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Civil-Eats\/56766540637","https:\/\/x.com\/CivilEats","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/civileats\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/person\/dcc83b3fe8c961eb923aaa514f301804","name":"Jake Price","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/db13577de166019bed1d2e41278e853d","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/JakePriceHeadshot-1-150x150.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/JakePriceHeadshot-1-150x150.jpeg","caption":"Jake Price"},"description":"Jake Price is a New York City-based photographer and filmmaker. After working as a photojournalist and producer at the BBC and The New York Times, he shifted his work to filmmaking and immersive media production. Price\u2019s many projects have been awarded by the World Press Photo and have also been displayed internationally.","sameAs":["https:\/\/jakeprice.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jakeprice01","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jakepricenyc\/"],"url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/author\/jprice\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1056"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61743"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63081,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61743\/revisions\/63081"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61743"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=61743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}