Stealing Buddhas Dinner
Stealing Buddha's Dinner is the autobiographical story of Vietnamese immigrant Bich Minh Nguyen and her continuous struggle to fit in and become 'truly American' in Grand Rapids, Michigan during the 1970s and 1980s. Her perception of what 'American' means relies almost completely on media imagery and messages. In a very foreign world, Bich finds refuge in watching television. In a culturally homogenous Midwestern city, her highest aspiration becomes not to be noticed by her peers. When recalling her childhood and teen years in Grand Rapids, she points out that she felt awkward and misplaced due to her physical and cultural coordinates which did not match those of the other kids at school: "I came of age in the 1980s, before diversity and multicultural awareness trickled into western Michigan. Before ethnic was cool. Before Thai restaurants became staples in every town." (Bich 10) Very sensitive and introspective, Bich begins to feel isolated and find comfort in watching television which becomes her strongest barometer of what the Am
Food is central to the book because it is a metaphor of fitting in, i. American society which its values and behavior. In the 1980s, commercials for band-name packaged foods projected an idealistic image of the American family and life. Also, Bich paints a vivid and interesting picture, that of an Asian immigrant fighting misconceptions and hostility in a foreign land, and manages to do so by using a highly unusual metaphor - food - in her recollections of what she ate and most importantly, what she wanted to eat while growing up in a foreign culture. As preposterous as that might sound to some, it makes sense to a little girl who craves acceptance. Moreover, her feeling of isolation is enhanced by the fact that her family does not have ties to the Vietnamese community either. mainstream preservative-filled American foods that appear filled with the hope of being assimilated into American culture. Food becomes redeeming, it becomes the easiest way, in fact, the only way she feels she can fit in and start a new life in America. In her attempt to look, feel and be acknowledged as "more American", she drifts away from her roots, that is Vietnamese culture, traditions and most importantly, food, although the latter is much more sophisticate and complex than the food advertised on television. The best example is her fixation with Wonder Bread and Ho Ho's which is a symbol of her loneliness and conviction that eating lunch like most Americans will make her one and will erase all differences that she struggles with due to her race and cultural background. She replaces her grandmother's tasty specialties - spring rolls, delicate pancakes stuffed with meats, fried shrimp cakes - with food that seem more exotic to the young Bich, i. Bich does not paint a sad picture in her memoirs; on the contrary, her writing is humorous and revealing, subjective but also very faithful to what the eighties stood for.
Common topics in this essay:
Hamburger Helper,
Grand Rapids,
America Bich,
Rapids Michigan,
Ho Ho's,
Minh Nguyen,
Buddha's Dinner,
vietnamese culture,
truly american,
watching television,
grand rapids,
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Acceptance Essays
