Standing on a chair, a can of wasabi peas in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other, my Chinese 101 professor made eye contact with me. I was enthralled by her theatrical pedagogy but, like any language learner, terrified of making mistakes. After all, my last gaffe was a class favourite and not something I was particularly proud of, despite my forays into improvisational comedy.

We were learning about the ba structure, an important aspect of Mandarin that helps one describe the modification of objects. I took a reluctant jab at answering her question and, to my surprise, properly described grabbing a pea with chopsticks – a small step in a long journey that would ignite my interest in Chinese culture, language and community.

A central theme was food. But I didn’t know the half of it until I met Sun Quan during my second year. Over a shared love of theatre and football, we became close friends. Sun invited me to Ningbo, Zhejiang province, in 2014.