One of my Classmates have written an essay, I have to answer the questions mentioned in the other document.
Rezahi 6
Sohaila Rezahi
Prof. Vogt
ENG 112
10/05/2020
Analyze, evaluation and response essay
“Craving the Other”
In the article “Craving the Other” Soleil Ho asks that “If a dish hasn’t been eaten or reimagined by a white person, does it really exist?” and her following answers to this question, “Over time, you grow to associate nationalities with the quaint little restaurants that you used to frequent, before they were demolished and replaced with soulless, Americanized joints.” She explains that Asian food culture in America is not authentic and truly does not possess Asian culture. In addition, Vietnamese and other Asian food cultures are not appreciated in the correct way. Although it can be true because of her personal belief, I disagree that food reimagination and Americanized food joints harm Asian food culture.
In introducing her topic, Ho shares her childhood experience that “My favorite snack was a weird kind of fusion: a slice of nutrient-void Wonder Bread sprinkled with a few dashes of Maggi sauce, an ultraplain proto–banh mi that I came up with while rummaging through my grandmother’s pantry” It can explain that even she herself had a choice of eating foods which she preferred to eat. In addition, it shows that even people of many cultures have a choice to make when it comes to consuming food. For instance, as a restaurant owner, I can claim that personal food choices differ by every single person. If someone prefers their food to be less spicy, it means that he or she is interested in my food but wants to enjoy it in his or her own way. In this case, I can share the same food with people who are not accustomed to my food culture.
Ho described that “Eventually, a hole-in-the-wall reaches critical white-Instagrammer mass, and the swarm moves on to its next discovery, decrying the former fixation’s loss of authenticity”. By doing so, she expresses that White Instagrammers often think about cashing their food by selling videos and pictures online. In my idea, it not only brings sparks to Asian cuisine but also shows the appreciation of a culture. This way both parties can profit from sharing food pictures online. It can make a food culture popular and represent cultural beauty. In addition, helps Instagrammers to make money. In addition, Ho adds critics to her article “Alton Brown’s “Asian Noodles” episode of Good Eats” and “that typically “chinky” erhu music that so often plagues any mention of Asia in media” also “These items speak to the Westerner as cultural connoisseur and authority”. According to Ho, just by tv shows about some spice market and displaying Chinese music, American people think that they have discovered Asian culture which is not true. I think It can be true that these kinds of tv shows cannot display every aspect of Asian culture but their main mission here is to introduce Americans to Asian food cultures.
Cultural evolution can happen in a place like America because it is a multi-nationality country. Ho also describes how food choices differed throughout her life from childhood to adulthood. For instance, “The same people who would have made fun of me for bringing a stinky rice-noodle salad to school 10 years ago talked to me as if I were the gatekeeper to some hidden temple that they had discovered on their own” and “When I entered my first year of college in Iowa, a strange pattern began to emerge as I got to know my classmates. “Oh, you’re Vietnamese?” they’d ask. “I love pho!” And then the whispered question—“Am I saying that right?” It can be obvious that food culture will differ and change from the past to what it is nowadays. Food evolution can happen to American food as well as Asian food. For instance, Ho included that “When I tell white Americans about the Maggi-and-margarine sandwiches and cold-cut rice bowls that I used to eat” also “By putting leaves of cabbage kimchi on a slice of pizza, you’re destroying the notion of the nation-state and unknowingly mimicking the ways in which many Korean American children took their first awkward steps into assimilation, one bite at a time, until they stopped using kimchi altogether”. Ho might agree that these examples are in support of her claim that bringing changes to a food destroys it, but it can also prove that bringing changes to food causes food evolution.
Americanized Asian foods can be beneficial for Asian cuisine. Personal food choices often matter to every person. Since people often choose their food preparation methods it can be a personal choice and it cannot damage an authentic cuisine. Food and cultural appreciation can bring people closer and this is possible only by sharing Asian foods with American people. In such a manner it shows the beauty of Asian cuisine. Food evolution is another reason that Ho says it can harm a food culture, in contrast, it can bring joy among people. Soleil Ho stated that “You look at a map of the world and point a finger to Mongolia. “Really good barbecue” From her viewpoint readers can perceive that she uses these kinds of examples to explain American people are only interested in Asian food, not their country, and their culture. I think it can be a weak claim. For instance, people who are interested in food talk about food in general, and people who are interested in the politics of a country, their only viewpoint is about politics. Overall, from her article, I can assume that it is a personal opinion which is not adaptive and relatable to other cultures or the majority of people from Vietnam and American people. For instance, although Soleil Ho added her real life event such as childhood memory, her family stories, there is no strong evidence to show that most people appreciate Vietnamese culture in the wrong way.
Work Cited
Soleil HoView profile » Soleil cooks for a living and writes sometimes. When she was in kindergarten. One Woman's Beef with Cultural Appropriation and Cuisine. www.bitchmedia.org/article/craving-the-other-0.
