One of our favorite shows to watch is Fresh Off theBoat. Don’t let the name keep you
away. It’s a very loving comedy about a
Taiwanese family that moves from Washington DC to Orlando, Florida in the
90s. They struggle to keep their Chinese
heritage and culture while trying to be a successful middle class family in
Florida. Throw in a handful of nostalgic
90s references (the oldest boy loves hip-hop and rap) and it’s just hilarious.
It’s also our story.
We relate so much to the Huang family in the show. They are the Asian family living in white Florida, and we are the white Americans living in Eastern Asia. We laugh because we can relate to their struggle to learn a new culture as well as keep their own. For example, on their show you walk into their house and it’s like their own private escape to China. Our apartment is the same way. It’s very Americanized (except for our Japanese Tatami room). Our neighbor kids come over to see how the “other” lives.
It’s also our story.
We relate so much to the Huang family in the show. They are the Asian family living in white Florida, and we are the white Americans living in Eastern Asia. We laugh because we can relate to their struggle to learn a new culture as well as keep their own. For example, on their show you walk into their house and it’s like their own private escape to China. Our apartment is the same way. It’s very Americanized (except for our Japanese Tatami room). Our neighbor kids come over to see how the “other” lives.
They work hard to celebrate their own culture traditions and holidays,
just like we do. In one episode (The Year of the Rat) they
can’t go back to DC for Chinese New Year, so they have to make due with
celebrating in Florida. They are
disappointed when they go to the community center where an Asian Culture
Appreciation group is hosting a New Year’s Party. They are the only Chinese people there and
somehow the white people have gotten all the details wrong. Switch to our lives in Japan, and Christmas
here is very similar. We can’t go home,
but eating KFC chicken and Christmas cake is not our tradition. Thankfully, like the Huangs, we have friends
in our new land that help us not only keep our culture, but share our
traditions.
The third season premiere was this week. The Huang family went to Taiwan to attend a wedding….and experience reverse culture shock. Jessica, the mother, struggled to do things that she was once good at, such as shopping at the night market. (It reminded me of the first time I just completely shut down trying to order at restaurant. Um, what do I say again?) During one scene, Jessica was walking down the street with her three boys. She turned to one of the boys and said “who are you?” She had lost her youngest and another kid was standing with them. (Her son was standing back 50 meters holding a red flag up that said “Mommy!”). I laughed so hard. This is me when we are back in the states. I remember the first time I took Nozomi to the Mall of America. I felt so paranoid and on high alert, because if I lost her, every kid looked alike! They all had blonde hair. This is never an issue when we are the only white family around.
At the end of the episode, the parents were discussing their situation. The father was regretting moving to the US because perhaps he could have had a better life in Taiwan. The mother (who is the proudest of her heritage) said that she had changed. She was glad they had decided to take the risk and come to the US. But they also talked about how they didn’t really fit in either country.
“That’s us!” I said.
And it is.
We’ve weaved our cultures and traditions with the ones we’ve embraced in the many places we've been to become something new.
The third season premiere was this week. The Huang family went to Taiwan to attend a wedding….and experience reverse culture shock. Jessica, the mother, struggled to do things that she was once good at, such as shopping at the night market. (It reminded me of the first time I just completely shut down trying to order at restaurant. Um, what do I say again?) During one scene, Jessica was walking down the street with her three boys. She turned to one of the boys and said “who are you?” She had lost her youngest and another kid was standing with them. (Her son was standing back 50 meters holding a red flag up that said “Mommy!”). I laughed so hard. This is me when we are back in the states. I remember the first time I took Nozomi to the Mall of America. I felt so paranoid and on high alert, because if I lost her, every kid looked alike! They all had blonde hair. This is never an issue when we are the only white family around.
At the end of the episode, the parents were discussing their situation. The father was regretting moving to the US because perhaps he could have had a better life in Taiwan. The mother (who is the proudest of her heritage) said that she had changed. She was glad they had decided to take the risk and come to the US. But they also talked about how they didn’t really fit in either country.
“That’s us!” I said.
And it is.
We’ve weaved our cultures and traditions with the ones we’ve embraced in the many places we've been to become something new.
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