PRgal

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.

If the OTHER teachers are Miss Bunting haters, imagine the kids...

What's interesting is this: Eddie wanted to go hip hop, while I wanted to be presented as a debutante (not really sure how I was influenced because debutante balls, save for 18th birthday parties girls of Philippine descent have, are very rare in Toronto, even among "old money" WASPs)!

The thing is, the FOB parents probably can't smell it - they're "nose blind" to these foods while we aren't. I'm sure they find cheese gross, just as I wasn't able to walk into a Chinese grocery store when I was small because it was so stinky. Glad that the ones now don't smell (probably because there's better ventilation) and they're much bigger - a "real" supermarket that just happens to have a lot of Asian foods.

But not every kid wants or needs to be too academic. And it's usually STEM subjects that the parents are obsessed with. What if someone likes literature? Why can't a kid be well-rounded? What's wrong with a bit of tennis? I think some Asian parents are way too focused on (certain) academic subjects.

I thought the (nouveau riche) Honger kids all went to (old line) private schools. There certainly were many at mine and when I went to university, a (white) girl from Vancouver in one of my classes said that her school had a lot too. I agree with you that the Canadian experience is (probably) different. In my experience- based on friends and acquaintances, anyway - we're A LOT less FOBBY up here so there are fewer clashes between the kids and parentals. ETA: My parents' (non-work) friends were mostly other Hong Kong Canadians, but I had friends from all over (okay, mostly Chinese or Jewish). Both my parents worked outside of the Chinese community (dad was (and still is) in finance and my mom worked in IT until the early 90s when she decided to stay home). Again, I'm not sure if this made a difference. The people I knew whose parents worked (mostly) within the Chinese community (i.e. accountants, dentists, doctors, real estate agents, etc...) had FOBBier parents, but not FOBBY in the sense I read/hear about in the US.

Another question: What's everyone's definition of FOB? To me, FOB falls into two categories: Trashy FOB: Bad sense of style (as in they wear cheap and ugly clothing), doesn't speak English (well), really unaware of Canadian/American culture. Nouveau Riche FOB: I see A LOT more of these around here (I bet Vancouver has more). I guess you can say that their sense of style is bad as well - all they care about are brand names. They're the ones with the Louis Vuitton bags, CL shoes, weekly/daily blow outs, etc... for the women (about seven years ago, I was shopping at a higher end department store and a woman loudly proclaimed (in Cantonese) that Tory Burch flats were "not worth the purchase" because the name wasn't "big enough." Keep in mind that this is Toronto and I wasn't the only person in the store who understood her). Both men and women seem to have an obsession with Mercedes (or as Cantonese speakers call it, Ben-see) or BMWs (Bo-Mah in Canto) and live in McMansions. Think Real Housewives of_____ and their spouses! The younger generation is just as brand obsessed as the boomers and older Xers, but they're more likely to experiment (shop up-and-coming brands, for example). And more likely to live in condos in the city rather than suburban McMansions. Though some of the older crowd would move into a condo after the kids have left.

For those of you who're Asian with immigrant parents: Were they really as FOBBY as the Huangs/FOBBier? Based on what I've been reading from some of you guys, my FOB parents really aren't that FOBby at all! I may have had a somewhat Tigerish grandmother and mom who sent me to Kumon and believed that an old line, girls-only prep school was better than performing arts school for university readiness (not to say that I did NOT like my girls' school experience, despite the very catty classmates (ESPECIALLY from the Hong Kong girls)) but I had a "Canadian" childhood as well. I went to Brownies (and yes, my mother helped me sell cookies), had a bike, skated, etc... Besides Kumon even through summer, I also went to day camp - enrichment camps (computers, science, journalism, though I had my way a few times and did drama and art) - but still day camp (and one overnight (music) camp in high school after lots and lots of begging. They DID NOT want me in the wilderness. Instead, they wanted me to go to sleepaway "camp" at a university where I'd be in a dorm).

I'm not surprised that they made the black kid the racist one. I've received more ignorant comments from blacks/other non-whites regarding East Asians than from white people! Still, he should have been sent to the principal's office as well.

The kid Eddie was having a conversation with while waiting for report cards was a bit sadd. We know that Eddie was jealous of the white kids because he was stuck being after school tutored by his mom, but the kid seeing Louis playing basketball with his sons kind of broke my heart. Glad that the kid was asked if he wanted to join in. If Eddie is the "Kevin Arnold" of the series, I wonder if this kid is going to be...Paul...

Koreanized versions of American food sounds like my grandmother's cooking. Lots of roast chicken marinaded in soy sauce with a bit of ginger. Same with pork chops. Lots of rice, too. But that was at dinner. The only non-Chinese dish my grandmother did well was her homemade bolognese sauce...she even ground meat at home! I can't replicate that because I always end up adding bottled tomato purée (along with fresh tomatoes). We ate it with rice. At least I didn't have to live through soya sauce spaghetti. YUCK. We went to our fair share of McDonald's, Harvey's (a Canadian burger chain that does customized burgers (i.e. you can choose your own toppings), Pizza Hut, etc..., though. I have a feeling that my family and our circle was just more integrated than others. Maybe it's just a Toronto thing? I have to admit that I relate to the Johnsons on Blackish more than the Huangs. But there have only been two episodes of FOB. Question: Do we know whether the grandmother is Jessica's mom or Louis'? I am assuming Louis, since it's more typical for the mother to stay with the son than the mother to stay with the daughter.

I find it interesting that in the US, both South Asians and East Asians are categorized in the same group. Up here in Canada, "Asian" is often exclusively East, while South Asians are defined as, well, South Asian. Technically, in our census forms, some ethnic groups are further subcategorized than others. For example, South Asians seem to be grouped entirely together, while Koreans, Chinese and Japanese are sub-grouped into individual countries of origin/heritage. I wonder if they'll eventually introduce a brand-obsessed, shopaholic cousin...there were plenty of those at my school growing up (I'm a few years older than Eddie - was in 15/16 in 1995).

I was forced to do Kumon when I was a kid (early late 80s/early 90s). It was probably 99% East Asian and the remaining 1% were a few white Jewish kids (not a lot of South Asians at that particular centre). Yep. Rings true. The actual slide shows (rather than PPT) reminded me of those bad ol' days, too... (by high school, teachers preferred overheads, since they can reuse the sheets).

Did you eat any American food at all? My mother was the one who introduced me to grilled cheese. Her grilled cheese sandwiches are what I now call croque etudiant - Wonderbread with Kraft Singles and ham, cooked in a toaster oven. In other words, it's a poor man's croque monsieur. I could be rude and call it croque ghetto, too. Anyway, I wasn't really able to relate to the food situation, but definitely homework (my grandmother was crazier than my mom. She was really pro STEM subjects (even though she knew nothing about them) and was really against me liking history)

Maybe it's just my area, then. Most of us had parents who were accountants, doctors, etc... Even the kids whose parents had primarily Asian clients/patients took sandwiches most of the time. I saw rice or noodles once in a while, but it was definitely not everyone. Not even the kids who were FROM Asia. We DID use tin pencil boxes and mechanical pencils before the white kids though. However, unlike the other Asian kids, my pencil case was Beatrix Potter while theirs were Hello Kitty. ETA: I hope you kept the dumplings somewhat warm. Most East Asian foods aren't that great at room temp (save for some noodles - though better cold (as in refrigerator cold, in a noodle salad) -, rice paper rolls and Chinese barbecue stuff).

The show rings true a bit for me. I don't remember my parents saying "I love you" to me at all. I'm sure they did when I was a baby, but no one remembers anything before age two or three! What I did find a bit exaggerated were the school lunches. I don't think any of the Asian or first generation any ethnicity kids at my school taking ethnic food to school - at least not entirely ethnic food. I often took sandwiches with (left over) Chinese filling, like soya sauce roast chicken or something like that. Anyway, more details in my blog post.

Made quinoa and chopped vegetables (cheated and bought them pre-chopped) in a slow cooker as a side dish. The recipe I used said to set it on high for 2-4 hours, but it was done at around 1 1/2. Quinoa was light and fluffy.

Wasn't he married at that time? Seventeen year old boys usually aren't married, so he would have been in his 20s. Still, Violet was likely older (probably 30s), making her...a cougar.

I think it's really only since the 90s that society has been more accepting of unwed mothers. Murphy Brown kind of changed things (yes, I realize that she's different, since she's not a teenager or even a 20-something college student). It's now increasingly difficult to adopt privately as more and more women choose to parent.

Marigold is more or less the same age as Betty on Mad Men, but without the advantages that Betty had as a child. Even though she's the daughter of a farmer, there are likely still expectations of her, and for her to have a mom and a dad in a "real" family rather than being raised by a single mom who had her without being married would still have been seen, in the 1920s, as "bad." We aren't talking about Marigold as an adult in the 1940s or later, we're talking about how people would treat her while she's a child and a teenager in the 1930s. Even if she's able to get into good schools like Cheltenham Ladies' College or Roedean (i.e. boarding schools girls in her cohort would have gone to), how would her peers see her? I'm sure people talk, and boarding schools are full of bullies. She's going to have better opportunities by attending the local school. She'll probably end up working in a factory during WWII and then will marry a returning soldier. I don't think she'll be destitute. Margie might seem crazy to us, but she's just trying to be protective. I'm a prospective adoptive mother and should we be matched domestically through private adoption, it will likely be open. However, we're advised to set boundaries. For example, we might see each other once a year, or Skype every other month.

Or even minorities not in the same minority group. A while back, I tried explaining the differences between racism towards East Asians and blacks to a black woman. She was one of those "minorities are minorities and we all experience it the same way" types that I thought only came from (usually older - as in over 50) white Protestants (and often women). I don't know how the Jewish (or Muslim) girls felt about chapel at my school, but regardless of religion, a good number slept (how they did so without getting caught, I DO NOT KNOW). I know that there were few non-Christians in the choir. The only ones who were vocal about chapel were self-proclaimed atheists. Even around Passover? WOW. Then again, I live in Toronto and in a higher income area (yeah, I know, stereotype). One of the (relatively smallish, compared to the suburbs) supermarkets has a kosher section, though I don't seem to notice it at Whole Foods.

So now they want to send Marigold off to a "school" in France? Is it in an old house in Paris all covered with vines? Just wondering...

Brunch: Wish. One of the few places that actually takes brunch reservations! My favourite items on the menu include their French toast, Nutella sandwich and Eggs in Purgatory (basically shakshuka under a different name). Another favourite of mine is Lola's Kitchen, which is great if you're vegan/vegetarian. Both restaurants also serve dinner. Third favourite: MoRoCo Chocolat. THEY HAVE SIPPING CHOCOLATE!!! Definitely order THAT to finish off your brunch. So much richer than your regular hot chocolate/cocoa! Also a great spot for afternoon tea. Chinese (dim sum): Lai Wah Heen if you want something on the higher end or Pearl Harbourfront if you want traditional cart service. There are also plenty of places in the suburbs. Toronto's Cantonese cuisine is Hong Kong style authentic, and it's actually very difficult to find North American Chinese food (i.e. chop suey and egg rolls. Ask any Chinese person for egg rolls and they'll give you something sweet). If you're looking for more (modern) Taiwanese/Shanghainese style, Lee Chen Asian Bistro is great for soup dumplings, though there are more authentic places in the suburbs. Whatever you do, DON'T GO TO CHINATOWN for Chinese food unless you want to go really, really cheap and eat at sort of hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Toronto's Chinese community generally won't eat there unless they're coming from the office. Other Chinese/Chinese-inspired places you might want to try include DaiLo (interesting note: They originally wanted to call the place GwaiLo, but (probably) had to change it because it's a racial slur for white people), Lee or Bent (both are Susur Lee restaurants). I would also suggest Luckee. I personally like that it serves dim sum at dinner, but some people think it's a bit overrated). Indian: The Host Indian Cuisine or its more modern/fusion cousin, 259 Host (in the financial district). Utsav in Yorkville is also good. "Canadian" Food: Bannock, especially after a day of shopping at the Eaton Centre. They also have brunch. Pizza: My favourite mini-chain, Magic Oven, especially if you want vegan or Pizzeria Libretto (another mini-chain). If you want Roman style, there's Tutti Pizzeria, a newly open and hidden place in Yorkville or Buca (the Yorkville location is more seafood inspired, while King Street is more meat). Pizza is served with scissors. Middle Eastern: Fat Pasha (Israeli-inspired cuisine - portion sizes are fairly large and made to share. Definitely order the cauliflower) or Tabule (love their falafels). Mexican: Wilbur Mexicana for tacos, Los Colibris for something sitdown. Expensive Date Night: Sassafraz or ONE Restaurant, both in the tony Yorkville area of Toronto. Another favourite is La Société, especially in the summer when they open their lower patio. Ice Cream: Summer's Ice Cream. It's seasonal - they're usually closed between November and March. Another place to try is Gelato Simply Italian, which has two locations in the city. Other places: Brownstone Bistro (general restaurant with pretty much everything), Origin (two locations, including one in the suburbs), Trevor Kitchen + Bar (they have complimentary cotton candy) as well as the restaurant at The Beverley Hotel.

Hotel restaurants and a few other places as well.

Rice cookers are great! I don't make ride much anymore (quinoa, bulgur, feel, etc... have pretty much replaced rice) but like you said, they're really handy. Still need to figure out how to make other grains in the machine though. I also love my chopper/food processor and slow cooker (stews, slow cooked apples (a favourite at Thanksgiving 2014) and hot cereal). ETA: I should also add that I love my Breville Smart Oven! There are only two of us, so this is perfect for weeknight dinners. I don't use our regular oven unless I'm cooking for company. :)