Book 1 Random Post

As an immigrant child, I was immediately drawn to America Ferrera’s “American Like Me” book description. Although I was born in the United States, I spent most of my life outside of it. When I was living abroad, I always felt too American or too foreign. Yet, when I moved back to the States, I didn’t feel “American” enough The idea that home is everywhere and nowhere simultaneously captures the struggle of figuring out where I truly belong. Ferrera’s book, with its stories from immigrants, their kids, and those connected to multiple cultures, reflects the challenges of finding yourself and fitting in as an American. As I’ve experienced, being American is a mix of good and bad, and I’m eager to read more about what others think it entails.

I’m about 1/3 of the way through the book and really enjoying it so far. Interestingly, many of the stories bring up the topic of food. Jenny Zhang and Reshma Saujani share experiences of getting teased for their lunch choices—Chinese food for Zhang and Indian vegetable curry for Saujani. I resonate with their stories because I, too, was embarrassed to bring Chinese food to school, fearing it would be too smelly. I still remember my classmate criticizing me for slurping my soup noodles while living in Germany. A seemingly harmless comment stuck with me for years, and I felt I couldn’t be proud of my culture. 

Almost every summer, I would visit my grandparents in Los Angeles. During one of the years, I joined a YMCA summer camp. I remember begging my parents to buy me a lunchables meal to bring to school instead of fried rice and short ribs. My parents could not understand why I would willingly eat flavorless “white-people” food instead of seasoned and sophisticated dishes. I thought I would be judged for being different when, in reality, these “differences” are what makes me unique. Jenny Zhang talks about a similar experience, connecting me with her story. I eventually stopped bringing lunchables and white bread sandwiches to my summer camp. To my surprise, the (mostly white) kids were all extremely receptive to Asian food. One boy even encouraged me to bring Chinese food every day, which made me feel much better.

After moving to China, I learned to appreciate my culture even more. Chinese cuisine became my go-to, and I loved it. I’m glad to see more people accepting Asian cultures, but it took time for me to take pride in my background. From the girl afraid to eat Asian food at school to the one who now eats it 90% of the time, my journey over the past decade shows much growth. I hope younger AAPI kids can grow up in a place where they don’t feel the need to hide their cultural identity.