Emily Nguyen, Week #5: British Beans For Thought
I’m American. I despise the British (cuisine).
Just like the precious British tea which Americans found so horrid, we threw it overboard, I openly detest whatever “food” the Brits like to eat. My friend on the other hand, loves the British…and their dastardly sustenance. But this friend of mine, oh bless her, is also an American like me. Why on earth should I even stay friends with such a traitor to our nation of greater eats?
Well, why should I tie a person’s value to the stereotype they should portray?
(Nobody told me to do such a thing…but I naturally wandered toward this perspective when lightheartedly conversing with my friend).
The stereotype in question is that Americans should not be quite fond of the British, or of whatever disgraces they happen to be conjuring in their kitchens. Of course, not all Americans really openly dislike the British people—its been hundreds of years since some certain events occurred. A person can’t hold a grudge for that long. But there are lots of patriotic zealots out there ready to maul anyone who disagrees with their “factual” beliefs; the fact that one can be so passionate about a belief they hold to be true to the point of willingly pouncing on those who don’t share their world views is a bit impressive, and scary. People can be so critical of opposing sides, yet still form deep bonds with each other despite contrasting mindsets.
In this way, society is full of contradictions. Like British-lovers and right-minded people being the closest of friends, even if their values are on totally different continents. I find that American society is one of the most contradictory societies, especially with its polarized state of politics, media, and the widening trench between the sides Americans align with. Honestly, I’m a bit scared that I immediately come to joke about cutting ties with “friends” because they simply possess an absolutely wrong take on food—it’s like I’ve expected the people I’ve hung out with, cried to, and listened to, to be exactly like me. I know I’m exaggerating our disparities to make things funnier and more debatable, (because who doesn’t like a lively clash?) but reflecting on this behavior does lead me to wonder about how impossible bonds can be, and how impossible it feels to mend the implications of America’s differences.
I still think British food is distasteful and undeserving of the title “cuisine.” But obviously, I am never splitting with my friend (if I did, I might blog about it as a part two to this one). Because clashing, hot takes—albeit within debates for comedic purposes—shouldn’t be what defines a person, or their contribution to society’s assumptions. A Vietnamese American can hate on Brits and a Taiwanese American can adore the British in the same breath, and nobody will bat an eye to that. This nation is full of blends and incompatibilities—but it makes America unique with the swirls of opinions from people who call it home all the same.
While the message of this post speaks to a much broader issue, I find the topic of stereotypes in cultural cuisine particularly fascinating—recently, I came across an Instagram reel created by a Mexican immigrant in the United States. She talked about how originally, like many other members of the international community, she dismissed American cuisine as insignificant and solely comprised of deep-fried fast food like McDonald’s and KFC. However, when she immi grated to the U.S. and began exposing herself to soul food, American Chinese food, Creole food, and more, she began to appreciate the true culinary diversity of the United States that many online “food critics” fail to recognize. In that video, she explained all this as she made one of my favorite American dishes—chicken pot pie. That video had multiple effects on me: the primary one was hunger (obviously), but another was a deepening disbelief at the fact that many people continue to believe stereotypes about American cooking. Political polarization is not a uniquely American trend—hyper-nationalism is on the rise all over the world, from India to Japan to the UK, and political atmospheres are becoming increasingly hostile (think Nepal, Madagascar, and Indonesia). In these times, it becomes easy to dismiss other nationalities and their respective cultures in a race to declare each of our own as superior. Yet, in addition to ensuring that our differences don’t override basic human connection, it’s important for us to truly understand and respect the variety and complexity of each other’s cultures to create a more interconnected world. Thank you for sharing this post, Emily. (P.S. Despite this entire comment, I still would not eat whatever monstrosity you have pictured over there for a million dollars).
ReplyDeleteEmily, the way you presented this argument as one that first discusses food but then evolves into one that discusses the broad ideas of preference of one’s own kind is one that I, myself would have never been able to come up with. This is such an important conversation to have because one of the main reasons hate is so prevalent in our country is because we put so much importance on each other’s beliefs and whether or not they match our own. The current political climate is so tense because no one is willing to accept that there are rights and wrongs in every belief; we look more for things to disagree with rather than looking at the things we do agree with. This has led to us becoming so divided as a nation. We are defined by our beliefs, whether that be our opinion on British food or our opinion on who is a “true American.” Your idea of the “widening trench between the sides Americans align with” is one of the best analogies I’ve heard about this subject. I really appreciate you bringing this topic up and presenting it in such a lighthearted yet still deeply impactful manner.
ReplyDeleteHi Emily, I love how you use the simple example of you and your friends' disagreement over British food as an allegory for the false sense of unity and unbreakable bonds that make up America. I appreciate your analysis of your joke and how you realize how real it felt. This moment of self reflection gave a great example of just how ingrained the idea that one’s belief is the only one that exists and you can’t coexist with someone who doesn’t believe the same thing is ingrained into American society. I also enjoyed the use of parentheses as it added humor into your blog and broke up the seriousness of the topic. Hopefully we never get part two to this blog, although i’m sure it would have been an amazing blog.
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