PRgal

Cocktails only for formal events is STILL bad to some. I toyed with the idea of a "cocktail style dinner" (which is really food stations and passed apps without much seating) for my wedding, but my husband said that his (Jewish) family expected sit down. Well, so do my Chinese family members, but they're not going to criticize. They'll just accept that it's a "modern couple" kind of thing and maybe even think it's fun. We ended up going sit down because the package was a better deal. To make the post legit: I don't think Marigold is eating any of the ice cream. It's all for Edith.

Doesn't chili already have beans in it (well, usually, anyway)? Or do you mean extra beans? I like chili over rice or quinoa with a dollop of Greek yogurt... And as for dinner tonight, we did Meatless Monday and made tofu parm (a household favourite), serving it with a (store bought) garden salad and some NOT homemade multigrain baguette. Tomorrow, I'm going to make chicken fried quinoa using the leftover grocery store rotisserie chicken from last night (currently sitting in the freezer).

Glad I was in high school by then. My elementary school (in the 80s) had letter grades, followed by a number for effort. A 1 meant excellent effort, a 2 meant very good, etc...

I didn't have BREAD stuffing until I ate it at school (didn't like it), but I certainly KNEW that stuffing went inside turkey, since we did Thanksgiving at my house. Stuffing for us was glutinous/stickey rice (knor mai), taro and some sort of Chinese mushrooms. I still don't like that kind of stuffing. These days, my turkey stuffing is made with quinoa, onions and sun dried tomatoes (often with apples and/or bell peppers, too).

What makes Cincinnati chili different from other chili?

Isn't Marigold a little young for ice cream? I guess Edith is going to do that sad, depressed woman thing - booze and ice cream - all by herself. If she lived today, she'd be binge watching Netflix.

He might not have SEEN mac and cheese, but he probably knew what it was. I didn't eat mac and cheese until I was in middle school because we just didn't make it at home (thank GOD it was the real stuff and not the crap from a box made with powdery grossness). Pasta was spaghetti and meat sauce/bolognese. I find it sad that some immigrant parents just don't like wandering out of their own ethnic community, especially if they CAN/have the luxury to do so (like the Huangs). That's why I thought some of what I saw in the pilot was a bit over-the-top/played up for TV. ETA: I'm not disputing the REAL Eddie's experiences, just saying that I find some of it difficult to believe/understand.

Surely Jessica (and Louis) would have watched some television. They speak English and back in the 80s and 90s, there weren't too many Mandarin language channels. They likely would have a choice of perhaps two. Unless, of course, they lived on VHS tapes and LaserDiscs. And wouldn't the KIDS have said something? I don't know. Maybe I'm not seeing things from my so-called "privlege." As I've said, I was very exposed to both my own heritage and western cultures, and ate spaghetti, pizza, burgers, fries, etc... along with various types of Chinese food. In my circle, I don't think I know ANY CBC who didn't SEE pizza until they were in elementary school. And anything my parents didn't know about, they would have known from me telling them. That's why I find much of the show (so far) a bit foreign. My parents DID go to grad school here, so maybe that makes a difference. However, even THEY find it difficult to believe that some western born kids of immigrant parents are not familiar with western cuisines (this was after I told them about some acquaintances I know from a women's volunteer group I'm with who took some kids out to the ballet. Before the show, they had a three course meal at a restaurant. Some of the kids had never SEEN, let alone eaten, salad. Don't they have books at school? Watch TV ?). The kids are middle school aged. However, there's ONE difference. The kids were mostly from less privileged homes. The Huang household seems middle class.

But can't Eddie just say "American kid" lunches? I assume that the school in DC would have had generic, Anglo kids as well. Lunchables might not have been a thing in DC, but Jessica should know about, say, egg salad or deli turkey sandwiches on Wonderbread, no? Note: I mostly bought my lunch in high school. I usually got the "hot meal" which was the school "special" but sometimes I got sandwiches. The "thing" for some of the girls was to buy a bagel and brick cheese, then nuke everything in the microwave. Kind of gross, looking back....we also dipped our grilled cheese sandwiches in ketchup (and added ketchup to mac and cheese). Now THAT was good :P

I don't know about that. I grew up in the 80s and 90s, and I had trouble relating to non-white (which back then, pretty much meant black) families, save perhaps the Huxtables (which I didn't watch very much) and maybe the Bankses. They just didn't reflect my family dynamic/upbringing. I suppose I would relate well to Jewish families on TV, but there weren't many of those back then, either. As a pre-teen (because "tween" wasn't a term back then) and teen, I mostly watched Growing Pains, The Wonder Years, Blossom, Fresh Prince, Full House and 90210 (the REAL version, lol). I also watched Canadian period shows like (The Road to) Avonlea (which I LOOOOOOVED).

Might not be their legal/official names but names they adapted when they arrived. Surprised that Eddie didn't have an official western name, though. Maybe it's a Taiwanese thing. Legal western names are almost universal for Hong Kong Canadians born this side of the Pacific. I'd say that it's fairly common in the old country, as well. I can count on ONE HAND the number of people I know under 45 with only a Chinese name (two).

I don't really get the fun-shaped foods lady. The only difference between her product and cutting food into shapes using cookie cutters is that you can do many at the same time. I'm surprised no one mentioned cookie cutters during the pitch! And yes, she was annoying.

Question for people here: Do you think socio-economic class contributes to how FOBBY one is perceived to be? Or do you think it's more about where your parents/grandparents are from (I'm assuming most of us are no more than second generation)? Or maybe a bit of both? My parents, especially my dad, grew up hovering on the poverty line, maybe a bit above, but through education, became very successful. I grew up in a very safe neighbourhood and was eventually sent to private school. All of my parents' friends who stayed in Hong Kong were also very successful and their children went to the best schools there (or boarding school in the UK, US or Canada) and a foreign post-secondary education (again, UK, US, Canada). Those who came here had more of a "standard" Canadian middle class life (mostly public schools in good neighbourhoods, though some, like me, went to "old line" type private schools. Kids mostly attended Canadian universities (mostly "brand name" schools like Queen's or McGill)), but were still extremely successful. I can't say that any of my peers "struggled" nor did anyone live in almost squalor conditions in Chinatown. We were all suburbanites. I read some Asian Canadian/Asian American lit in school, but could never really identify with the characters. The whole Chinatown/struggle thing is just not something I really "got" and was completely foreign to me. However, sometimes, I feel that I'm "expected" to understand. I guess that's why I feel that I'm more "connected" with Black-ish than this one (I know, it's not fair, since there have only been two episodes).

Yesterday, it was dinner with the parentals. Tonight = lazy Sunday (aka Downton Day) and we bought a pre-roasted chicken from the grocery store (whole). Will eat half and then freeze the rest for alter in the week (I might make chicken fried quinoa or sorghum (i.e. chicken fried rice, replaced with quinoa or sorghum).

I don't really eat crab, so I can't tell you anything. Is it the nouveau stuff that's better in Van? What are the young chefs doing? We're getting a lot of Jook Sing Cuisine here (my parents are more into the "traditional" foods found in the 905 (i.e. Markham). I never go unless I'm with them, since management knows that I can't read Chinese) - think sticky rice in the form of quinoa and stuff like that.

Around here, fusion/nouveau cuisine is a thing. Most young, children-of-immigrant chefs are doing that (think people like David Chang, but Canadian). I guess they think more "traditional" food is...boring.

I understand the school thing, but I never understood property values. Isn't an increase a good thing? You make more money when you sell. And if you can't buy there, buy elsewhere. Also, Hong Kong immigrants are more westernized to begin with, so you're probably MORE assimilated than you think you are. You might not be playing hockey, but adjusting to western life and culture clashes between you and your parents are just not as great (unless you're talking about classes you want to take at school. I've always been a humanities girl, though my parents wanted me in sciences or finance). As for Chinese food - it's only better because you get better quality seafood. I pretty much only eat fish, so for things like chicken, other meats and vegetarian, it's pretty much the same (or arguably better here - according to my dad). #justsayin ETA: I'm actually MORE conscious of myself in HK than I am here in Toronto. I feel that there, I stand out more as Jook Sing, where as here, I'm quite comfortable. Not much resentment felt, though I thought some of the Chinese girls at school looked down on me as well - a little too Jook Sing for them, as I noted, and they were way, way more brand conscious than me (this was a girls only private school). To them, GAP jeans and Jacob (RIP) sweaters worn on grub day (uniform-free) wasn't "cool" enough (this was the mid-90s, so GAP was still a good thing) and almost as bad as an outfit I bought from some chain store in Hong Kong while I was there for Christmas vacation. Maybe it's because my area was never LARGELY Chinese - always a mix of Chinese, Jewish (probably the bigger group), WASP and some South Asians.

But the lunch thing is also NOT unique to the child of Asian immigrant experience. Canadian celebrity chef David Rocco (Italian) has spoken about being embarrassed of his school lunches (rabbit sandwiches) and there's also that scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, showing the main character as a child and being uncomfortable about HER Greek lunches.

I am so sorry for your loss. My grandmother would be the same age if she were still alive (in other words, a contemporary of Sybbie, George and Marigold). I think she gave away or sold a lot of things (pretty much anything that wasn't lost during WWII) when she moved from Hong Kong to Canada in the 1970s and of the things she kept, they were letters, all written in Chinese, which I cannot read. All I have are photos and the stores she told me when I was a little girl.

That's interesting, Trini! Outside of East and South Asian communities, I think I've only heard FOB used once or twice - by Eastern Europeans. And it came from people who had a good number of Asian friends. But yes, FOB means immigrant, or, sometimes, people who "act" immigrant.

I'm not surprised about the CPS situation. I know of a few people who have reported issues to schools when they were younger, but when officials came to the house, the parents denined that there were problems. A lot of it has to do with Confusianist attitudes - they can't lose face and I also think they want to look like a perfect, middle class family. Asian parents also often deny that depression is an issue. To them, depression is a "middle class invention." The stigma towards mental illness is a lot steeper than in the Anglo communities.

OK, let me introduce myself. I'm PRgal, also known as Cynthia in real life. My parents are immigrants from Hong Kong and came to Canada in the 1970s, several years before I was born (I was born in '79, so I hover between being a Gen Xer and a Millennial, depending on who you ask/what stats look at). I can SORT OF relate to Eddie and his family, but as some posters on other threads have said, the (Hong Kong) Canadian immigrant experience is a bit different from that of (Taiwanese) Americans - especially if you live in Toronto or Vancouver. I've never felt that I was "at the bottom" or that I stood out too much because I'm Asian. There were always Asian kids in my class at school - even in the Jewish-majority (we're talking about only having two or three - four MAX - kids in the classroom during Rosh Hashanah) elementary school I went to for kindergarten. The whole budget conscious parents was somewhat relatable, I guess, but my mom was (and still is in her 60s) fashion conscious and my closet was always a mix of budget and pricier items. Some of my party dresses came from higher end childrenswear shops. We also got our groceries from both Chinese markets (which by the 1980s were more supermarket like, despite being stinky to this CBC) and mainstream stores (which by 2003 meant Whole Foods as they opened their first Toronto location). Finally, I mostly brought sandwiches to school as my lunch and we definitely ate western foods - as I noted in another thread, my mother introduced me to grilled cheese (which I STILL love - more than macaroni and cheese). I had my fair share of Pizza Hut, McDonald's, etc, etc... We even made westernized food at home.

South Asian security guards don't do much either. Black people jealous of Asians' relative success (stereotypically speaking)? They tend to be more aggressive, too. I don't see too many white security guards around here. ETA: I just want to be honest about my experiences. The comments I made were not meant to sound racist. Just FYI.

I think I wrote in another thread that the worst comments I've experienced came from black people. Many often assume that the type of racism that East Asians face is the same as their experiences. While no one has ever called me "chink," I've had weird comments like "It's good to see people like you here - we need more foreigners/diversity amongst conservatives." I don't have an accent (while the (black) guy who made the comment did) and I tend not to think about "diversity" all that much. I'm just...there. Many also assume that I grew up in a less privileged neighbourhood. White people tend not to do that - at least not vocally. If the alarm goes off at a store, I usually turn back to see if anyone wants to check my bag. Never happens...unless the security guy is black. Now this is just my personal experience. I wonder if there's any jealousy here. ETA: I should say that middle class, "liberal" white women (usually "ethnic" - Jewish, Italian, etc...) come next in terms of weird comments. My first name is westernized and it's my legal name. They often ask me WHY my legal name is western and why I'm "ignoring" my culture. WTF??

People were mostly first gen and immigrant in Toronto and I've never had the experience of being part of a "majority" culture at school. It doesn't really matter, since since Grade 3 or 4, there have been more than two or three East Asian (mostly Chinese) kids in my class, so I was never the "odd one." I lived in a fairly Jewish neighbourhood, though. In Toronto, I've found that a good number of Chinese kids had Jewish BFFs if their closest friends weren't also Chinese. As for the Canadian Asian experience being "different" - I wonder if people would say the same if they were from a smaller (non-university) town. Also, maybe being from Hong Kong makes a difference? I don't know many Korean Canadians well, but are their parents way FOBBier than HK Canadians? I know that Japanese are generally NOT FOBBY, since most are not even first gen/immigrant gen, but instead, are descendents of people who were placed in internment camps. As for the name of the show - I, too was surprised. Here in Toronto, a guy wanted to call his restaurant GwaiLo, but at the end, it opened as DaiLo. I guess GwaiLo is different, since it's a slur towards people of a DIFFERENT race.