A young person contemplating between Malaysian curry and teriyaki turkey during Thanksgiving preparations

A text message arrives from my sixteen-year-old daughter Hao Hao during her school day: "We should prepare teriyaki sauce."

I glance at the time and grin. It's lunchtime. Students aren't meant to use phones during class, so my usual reply would be questioning why she's messaging. Instead, I appreciate these wonderful midday notes. She frequently shares photos of her classmates' impressive lunches that outshine what I've packed. One friend's mother crafts beautiful notes in elegant cursive daily—on a banana, no less. Her cheerful English accent seems to flow through those curved letters. I've attempted to replicate it, but my messy marker scrawl sliding off the banana's uneven surface just doesn't compare. Nevertheless, Hao Hao photographs both bananas side by side, and her friends enjoy our playful banana message competition.

Today's note, though, concerns Thanksgiving Eve. Each year, we host a celebration one night early—Wednesday, hence "Thanksgiving Eve"—featuring a large international potluck gathering approximately sixty of our dearest friends. Our companions bring the most remarkable dishes from every corner of the globe, and for years we didn't bother with turkey. Yet an unexpected turkey gift one year prompted me to attempt teriyaki turkey with sticky rice stuffing (typically, I don't prepare meat). Last year, I discovered how to create teriyaki sauce from the beginning.

A Taiwanese friend insists on knowing my formula. "What's the cooking duration?" I can't recall. "At what temperature?" I don't remember. "How large was the turkey?" I'm unsure. She's astonished to discover I've only prepared turkey two or three times. I explain it was fortunate that it succeeded. I nearly forget to purchase it several days early for defrosting.

This year, we're as occupied as always with academics, employment, writing, athletics, friendships, a sick pet, sending invitations, establishing a social media event, attempting to tidy the house before guests arrive—and my daughter texts the week before Thanksgiving suggesting we prepare teriyaki sauce.

I can't resist smiling.

Creating teriyaki sauce isn't difficult, but making it from the beginning requires some time and attention. I must locate the formula again, ensure I possess all ingredients, crush the garlic, peel the ginger, sterilize the containers, turn off the device, set aside the phone, play Frank Sinatra. Enjoyable to do with all the children!

Naturally, Thanksgiving (Eve or otherwise) isn't truly about cuisine. As I explained to youngsters in my recent discussion on Asian harvest celebrations, it's genuinely about people—all the relatives and companions we consider home. And in this respect, all our various cultures truly share more similarities than differences.

In Laurie White's video presentation "Race in this Place: A Community Conversation" presently exhibited at the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History for the Understanding Race Project: Look at Race in Our Community, I discuss the obstacles and benefits of moving beyond the "international potluck" approach, to venture out and genuinely connect with people. When we initially relocated to the midwest, attendees at our gatherings used to separate along ethnic boundaries, which startled me. The Caucasians assembled in the living area, the Asians congregated in the family space, and the Asian Americans and African Americans moved back and forth between the two groups. However, through the years, my companions from all my various communities have progressively gotten to know one another—one individual, one dish, one discussion at a time—and now everyone crowds into my kitchen with the repaired ceiling and the blue and red Tamang fabric on the wall. And the dialogues—in so many varied accents and languages—are remarkable.

The key is homemade teriyaki sauce. And bravery.

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang is a second-generation Chinese American from California who currently divides her time between Michigan and the Big Island of Hawaii. She contributes to various publications and teaches Asian Pacific American History and the Law at the University of Michigan and University of Michigan Dearborn. She is a sought-after speaker on Asian Pacific American and multicultural topics.