The gods of American Chinese restaurants

This story was adapted from “Gods on the Menu,” one of 25 essays included in Under Gods, a new collection of stories from the diverse history of religion in America.

On a busy Sunday at a Chinese buffet in Lumberton, North Carolina, I was surrounded by well-dressed Hispanic families. An older white couple, the man with a large wooden cross around his neck, told me I’d chosen a good place to eat. But I was here to research religion, not sample lo mein. I noted that the cash register was decorated with Jesuses; a statue of a laughing Buddha, more properly known as Bu Dai, had been placed next to fake Labubus for sale.