My first seder night was with people from NNLS who don't go to Assif (or maybe not so often) but I had seen them before. I have seen the first time people hitting with spring onions other people. They did not use the root to hit just the leavy bit. The children just made more brutal then it should be. We hit each other when we sang dai daiyenu... I learnt it is done in the Iranian community of the host's mother. They had no rice nor kitniot anyway to my disappointment. He tried to keep a mixture of ashkenasi and sfardi custom. When I was invited to Peach Shabbat dinner they were all ashkenasi and had rice and kitniot.