Cultural Analysis Written Exam PDF

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Cultural Analysis Written Exam...

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Cultural Analysis Response Culture can be understood through a myriad of traditions across the world. Some cultures have an emphasis on their widespread religion which dictates many of their follower’s practices. Some cultures strongly identify with specific holidays and have different gift-giving or praying traditions that make the holiday so unique and personal. Widespread, though, is the importance of food throughout different cultures across the world. Firoozeh Dumas’s “Sweet Sour and Resentful” and Amy Tan’s “Fish Cheeks” remind readers of the ways in which food represents one’s culture and specifically, how American culture and cultural duality challenge the ways in which one feels partial to his or her native foods. As America is possibly the largest melting pot in the world, there are so many different American experiences that make-up one’s life here. Amy Tan and Firoozeh Dumas are examples of first and second-generation immigrants that struggle with identity because while they are having a more traditional American experience, their parents might be clinging to their original culture and native country. This, for Tan and Dumas, challenges their beliefs and understandings of culture and readers can tend to feel a struggle between American culture and their native culture as practices-- specifically, in their writings, food is a great example of how that line can be crossed between cultures. Dumas is unique in her writing as she has memories of living in both Abadan, Iran, and also Newport Beach, California. In the very beginning of her piece, “Sweet Sour and Resentful” she reminds readers of her experiences in Iran and America. She writes that in America, “We said ‘hello’ and ‘have a nice day’ to perfect strangers, wore flip-flops, and grilled cheeseburgers next to our kabobs” (Dumas 1). Here, she is wrapping up the traditional American experience while

still reminding readers of her culture, through a reference to food. Universally, one can understand that there are foods specific to one’s culture, like kabobs in Dumas’s example. Dumas is giving readers a short glimpse into the cultural duality she focuses on throughout the rest of the piece. Dumas goes on to recall the experience of cooking a large meal for the other Iranian immigrants in their town. She focuses on the pain her mother endures in order to cook this meal and make it extremely traditional for their guests. Her mother values their culture and community over comfort and health when it comes to this extravagant meal. Dumas, on the other hand, recognizes the struggle and pain her mother goes through and considers that the American part of her culture might be fighting against her Iranian culture when it comes to this meal. For example, she mentions that when her mother grocery shops in a traditional American market, she comes homes with questions like, “‘Why don’t they let fruit ripen here?’ ‘Why are the chickens so huge and flavorless?’ ‘I couldn’t find fresh herbs’” (Dumas 1). In this case, the battle of cultural duality is won by the traditions of Americans because her location does not necessarily allow her to cook with ingredients that she would otherwise have great access to at home. Amy Tan, while still using food to distinguish between her two cultures--Chinese and American-- has a different experience when it comes to feeling a particular pull to her American culture, but being reminded of her Chinese culture by her mother who refuses to let her forget where she is from. Tan encounters this dilemma when inviting her White boyfriend for Christmas dinner, a valued tradition in America. Tan believes that for her sake, her mother should cook a traditional American meal, but Tan’s mother disagrees. In fact, Tan writes, “What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas? What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked proper American manners? What a terrible disappoint-ment he would feel upon not seeing

a roasted turkey and sweet potatoes but Chinese food?” (Tan 1). She worries about her mother’s native culture being represented through a meal and that it’s vastly different menu would change the way her very American boyfriend would think of her and her family. Where Dumas struggles with seeing her mother have such a pull towards their culture because it is ultimately bad for her mother’s health, Tan is worried about her mother being an embarrassment as she is ultimately trying to prove herself as an American girl. The cultural duality both of these writers experience shapes the way they ultimately view both of their important cultures. Dumas understands and respects her original culture, but worries for her mother’s consistent urge to provide for all Iranians. She understands that her two cultures are vastly different, but has an important grasp of what she prefers to pull from each culture in order to live a content life. Her mother, on the other hand, seems to be grasping so hard on to their native culture, it is bleeding her dry at times. Tan, on the other hand, feels a pull towards the American culture and believes in identifying strongly with that culture, regardless of what her mother feels might be more important. Her mother believes in the importance of holding on to their culture as Tan even writes, “It wasn’t until many year later- long after I had gotten over my crush on Robert- that I was able to fully appreciate her lesson and the true purpose behind our particular menu. For Christmas Eve that year, she had chosen all of my favorite foods” (Tan 1). Tan and Dumas’s experiences with their mothers, culture, and food are examples of how cultural duality can differ among all immigrants and their experiences can urge a complete dual culture that adds value to their lives, even if they do not necessarily understand it from the beginning. References Dumas, Firoozeh. “Sweet Sour and Resentful”. Tan, Amy. “Fish Cheeks”....