Read at least 3 students blog short stories about ‘home’ and make a list of the common shared assumptions, values and stories that you find. Post this list on your blog.
I had the pleasure of reading Althea, Karen, and Cherie’s short stories, and here are a list of shared assumptions that I discovered:
- Cultural Traditions and Histories
- Communal Eating
- Family and Intergenerationality
What I found most interesting was that all three blog posts dovetailed on the subject of Chinese New Year. Althea and Karen’s stories were strewn with descriptions of traditional festivities—the red and gold banners, lai see, the fortune box—while Cherie, who reminiscences of a much quieter celebration, was brought to the pinnacle of homesickness by the sound of a lion dance. As Karen learns from her exchange with Uncle Ben, these communal celebrations are important conduit for the intergenerational exchange of cultural heritage, values, and stories. Being Chinese myself, I totally resonate with Althea, who writes, “When my house is decorated in a lot of red and gold decorations it always reminds me of how much my parents value their culture and when I grow up to be a parent I will probably do the same to instill the culture on to my kids.”
Another common vein I found was the centrality of food—quite literally, since Asian dinner tables are round and dishes are placed in the middle—in Asian culture. In Althea’s story, her family gathers for “Tun Yun Fan.” The first word means wholeness, while the second means round; together they reinforce the belief that a circle represents completion—the family is complete when they sit down and eat together. This same idea is conveyed in English through the saying, “everything comes full circle.” Karen’s “tray of togetherness” too is, unsurprisingly, a round box.
As Cherie points out with the #fishballrevolution, people can get really defensive about their food. In Hong Kong, any attempt to regulate street food culture is tantamount to an infringement on home. For Hong Kong native and restaurant chain entrepreneur Alan Yau, the fishball bears two meanings: “It is the quintessential Hong Kong street food and – culturally – it represents the Hong Kong working class like no other institutions can. Street food, and the fishball represent the values of entrepreneurship. Of capitalism. Of liberal democracy. Anthropologically, they mean more than a $5 skewer with curry satay sauce.”
Underlying cultural traditions and ethnic cuisines is the idea that home is first and foremost determined by our relationships and ties with people. Chinese New Year is a time where everyone sets aside their busy schedules in order to focus on re-establishing relationships. I love how Karen and Althea both bring up the fact that they get to interact with their grandparents and extended relatives. Home is one of the few places where intergenerational relationships can be nurtured. Traditionally, it was imperative for all members of the family to come home to eat “Tun Yun Fan” with the family, no matter how far away they were working during the rest of the year. Today, this festival continues to occasion the largest annual human migration worldwide, as migrant workers and Chinese diaspora from around the globe rush home for reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve. Home indeed, is where the heart is.