Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for the Montpelier Bridge
If you’re looking for community, mental stimulation and a sense of order in your life, there’s a local group that has the answer: mah jongg.
Every Thursday afternoon in the dining room of Penzo Pizza, these mah-jongg players come together to socialize and connect.
For them, the tabletop game provides a community of friends, a safe space to come together and a mental challenge.
“Mah jongg helps to take my mind off these challenging times we’re in,” said Catherine Donnis, one of the players.
Mah jongg is a game of luck and skill. To play, a dealer distributes 13 tiles to each of the players, who sort, draw and discard tiles to create winning combinations.
Mah jongg is spelled many ways, such as májiàng in traditional Chinese, mahjong and mah-Jongg in other areas. It dates back to 19th century China and has since spread around the world. The Penzo Pizza group follows the National Mah Jongg League, formed by Jewish-American women in 1937 in New York City.
Members appreciate the mental stimulation mah jongg provides; it never gets boring, they say. One player, Corina Rose, found that the game helped in her recovery after a brain injury.
Hope Charkins admits it can be confusing at times.
“If you have a headache, that’s just fine,” Charkins said.
“It’s not for everybody,” Donnis said. “But if anyone wants to play, drop in and someone will teach you.”
Penzo Pizza is not the only place where community members can play mah jongg. Groups play at the Montpelier Senior Center, the Beth Jacob Synagogue and the Bear Pond, where the owner is teaching a class on the game.
The Penzo Pizza group came together organically. Some began playing at different restaurants before Covid, while others began playing online during stay-at-home orders.
Eventually, Lynn Dreher of Moretown formally organized the group. When Dreher moved, she passed leadership of the group to Chandra Cranse.
Members mentioned the appreciation they feel for each other. They value meeting face to face in a heavily digitized modern world.
Loneliness can do serious damage to your health. Seven percent of Vermonters report always or usually feeling socially isolated from others, according to the Vermont Department of Health.
Playing mah jongg is not only a way to relax and exercise the brain — it helps people stay socially connected.
Michele Clark said she was never into the idea of playing but eventually decided to join. Her “oh-what-the-heck” decision to give mah jongg a try led to a new community of friends.
The players of the Penzo Pizza mah jongg crew have a soft spot for one person outside their group, their server and friend, Tyler Penzo. They appreciate Penzo’s kindness and good spirit, while he enjoys seeing them every Thursday and catching up.
To the members of this group, Mah Jongg is more than just a game and the regular Thursday meetings at Penzo Pizza are more than just a time for gameplay.
“This is a respected space,” said Gretchen Stahl. “We bring stories that are hard to sit with.”
If the group had a motto, it would be this quote from actress and mah jongg fan Julia Roberts: “Mah jongg makes order out of chaos.”