Story: Manners and social behaviour

Neighbours gather at the Chong house at Flatbush in Auckland for a 'pot luck' dinner, where everyone has brought a plate of food to share. This gathering was initiated by the Chongs to foster cross-cultural understanding in their immediate neighbourhood. The pot luck meal is a variant on the older New Zealand custom of requesting 'ladies a plate'. The idea is to reduce the burden on the host or person organising a social event by sharing the responsibility of providing food.