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It started with Crazy Rich Asians. How mahjong is booming across the US
Thriving mahjong clubs in places like Denver are fostering community and connection across generations and cultures
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The smell of sautéed prawns wafted through the event hall behind Hot Shot Coffee in Denver, in the US state of Colorado. Cody Peeler, stood behind a rice cooker and a hotplate, worried the aroma would offend the cafe’s clientele.
But to the dozens who had gathered on a Saturday morning in January to play mahjong, it was a most welcoming sign. It meant Peeler’s mapo tofu gumbo station was open.
Food is a central component of the free monthly meet-up, the Honour Tile Society. Peeler and his partner, the club’s founder, Tiffany Leong, are both chefs and now run the food pop-up, Magnolion, at their mahjong events. The club’s first meeting was in March last year. Leong said she can count on 40 to 60 people to attend each month.
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“Games move really quickly,” Leong said. “You do have to front-load a lot of rules into your brain, but once you get going, it’s really fast-paced and it’s not like some long, arduous tabletop game.”
The game’s rise to popularity
The game of mahjong – where players draw, stack and discard tiles carved with Chinese symbols or characters – has exploded in popularity across the US in recent years. In Denver, neighbourhood or pay-to-play organisations have given players new outlets, although there are plenty of old ones as well, depending on what rules they follow.
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