Reading Response 1:
Stealing Buddha’s dinner pt. 1
Throughout the first portion of the memoir, Bich Minh Nguyen makes a point to express to the readers the significance of food. Growing up with little to nothing, food became a delicacy to her and her sisters. The significance of food, especially fruit, to Bich and her family members is actually beautiful to me; how they set the fruit at Buddha’s and the ancestors’ altars and how the girls saved the fruit for as long as they could. Simply the fact Bich explains that the fruit was associated with the altar in general proves how important and special the fruit was within their family. The fruit symbolizes the bitter-sweetness of their family coming to America and having hope for the future while trying to maintain their vietnamese identities. I love the way in which Nguyen describes the food she sees, smells and tastes. One of my favorite lines in the memoir is when she is talking about the first birthday cake she has ever seen; “It was oblong, covered in rosettes and pink and white frosting, a vision of wealth and excess. The sugar flowers quickened my heartbeat, hinting at a whole new level of sweetness.” I specifically admire the way she draws parallels between how she senses the food and other aspects of her life/ internal conflicts.
Later on throughout the memoir, the love and significance of fruit is still present, but grows to become a love for certain types of food, American food. At this point in the story, Bich’s love for food seems to turn into the desperation of trying to fit in and become what she calls “normal”. She says “Because I could not, because our household did not, I invested such foods with power and allure” to depict that American food would always be better in her eyes. She felt as if she would never quite be an equal in terms of the food in her house or the thoughts in her mind. She wanted to fit in so badly that she viewed American foods a normality and something that had the potential to separate her from her peers and reminded her everyday of what she was missing. She also uses food to depict her unhappiness.
Bich discusses how when Rosa made the children ask before taking snacks, and set stricter rules within the house, she felt unhappy. Although this incident doesn’t seem like it would have much significance, it really did play a role in Bich’s childhood. Rosa’s character throughout the memoir never quite seems to understand Bich or the other members of her family. There definitely seems to be a huge barrier up between their lives as if they are living in very separate worlds.
Why does she think American food is "better" or more "real"--a word she often uses throughout the book? And why do you think Rosa behaves the way she does with the children? Is there a part of her that does understand? Nice response!
ReplyDeleteAbby,
ReplyDeleteI agree that altar tradition was beautiful! Bich's internal conflicts really did come through as she develops her interests in American food. I agree, too, that there seems to be some barrier between the members of her family. I believe that they are all, in their own ways, trying to fit in and be a family in America.
Abby, in your first paragraph you describe the significance of fruit to Bich and her family: You describe how important the fruit is for Buddha and how important the ritual is. The fruit is important to Bich because it is her connection or bridge to her Vietnamese heritage. In the next paragraph you describe Bich’s shift from loving fruit to craving American food. This can be interpreted as her desire to assimilate to American culture.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Bich associates “the Real life” with American foods. The most interesting however is that after all she prefers Vietnamese foods to American ones, generally speaking. That shows “the Real” was not American ones, but Vietnamese ones, ironically. Sometimes people long for what they cannot get, but it was just because they don’t know how good theirs. On the other hand, I like Bich’s attitude towards food. She just follow her tastes. She likes Phos and even American desserts, so nationality of foods doesn’t matter. The important is whether it is tasty or not. Her decision is based on her instinct, not on cultural or political policy. This attitude is adaptable to everything in social life. The little girl had very simple heart and truly loved to eat. “Just follow your thought”, I personally got this message from Bich.
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