Amelie Liu finds intersectional identity through matzo ball soup

The table is set. She gazes over the typical Thanksgiving dinner spread of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy. Yet at the end of the table sits a holiday dish most memorable to senior Amelie Liu: her family’s matzo ball-wonton soup, which combines both her Chinese and Jewish backgrounds into a single flavorful dish. For Amelie, this is the centerpiece.

One essential component of the dish are matzo balls, which are made from ground matzo, an unleavened flatbread. The meal from the bread is then rounded into aerated spheres, which Amelie and her grandmother place in a rich chicken-and-vegetable broth. 

Amelie also prepares wontons, made from a sticky dough that cements itself to her hands. After kneading the dough, she folds them into delicate pouches ready to be steamed. Careful not to burn her tongue before taking a bite, matzo ball-wonton soup delivers a taste that makes Amelie smile. The comforting taste reminds her of the valuable time spent with family and the pride she has discovered in her identity.

Amelie has eaten dumplings with her family on Rosh Hashanah and latkes for Chinese New Year, which she prepares with her grandmothers. Blending the cuisines of her background is an important staple for Amelie and her family’s traditions, which they share with others.

Amelie believes incorporating matzo ball-wonton soup into her family’s Thanksgiving traditions is a central part of her family’s identity and a reminder of the time they have to spend with one another.

“Having the matzo ball-wonton soup at the end of the table, and having everyone go around, and my mom making everyone take a serving of it was really special,” she said, “just as an homage to my identity and honoring that, and my siblings at this dinner table with my whole family.”

Cooking provides Amelie a way to bond with family members, but it has also been important in helping her find pride in the intersectionality of her family’s heritage

“I think that cooking has been really profound in my journey in terms of discovering my identity,” she said.

During the holidays, Amelie’s extended family travels from across the country. Even so, the unique traditions that have come to establish what Thanksgiving means to Amelie are experienced and shared with all who share their dinner table.

“We have a lot of UChicago students or Ph.D. students who are international students who don’t have a place to go for Thanksgiving,” Amelie said about her family’s connection to the University of Chicago, “so it’s a blend of many different people.”