S01.E13: So Chineez

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Jessica is concerned that her family has lost their Chinese identity and wants everybody to try and reconnect with their heritage.

[SmithW6079]

This show would be so much better if Eddie wasn't there. This episode was amusing, and I liked Jessica's concerns about maintaining their heritage, but only the scenes with Jessica and Louis, and the younger boys. Every time Eddie was on the screen, my enjoyment level plummeted. The character is such a douchebag.

Maybe if the show comes back next season, Eddie can go to his room and we never see him see him again, just like Judy Winslow or Chuck Cunningham.

Edited April 22, 2015 by SmithW6079

[MaryMitch]

Aw, come on, he's a middle school kid. No middle school kid is likeable.

[peeayebee]

I agree that Eddie is the least appealing character on the show. 

 

I liked the grandmother pretending to be Topanga.

 

Jessica serving chicken feet was pretty funny. "Eat your feet!" followed by the boys screaming and running away.

 

The Mandarin teacher cracked me up.

[biakbiak]

I agree that Eddie is the least appealing character on the show. 

 

I liked the grandmother pretending to be Topanga.

 

Jessica serving chicken feet was pretty funny. "Eat your feet!" followed by the boys screaming and running away.

 

The Mandarin teacher cracked me up.

Except the chicken feet were raw!

[Camera One]

This episode was okay, despite the premise having potential.  

 

I thought Eddie's facial reactions in the principal office were pretty funny.  I think his faux-gangsta attitude is still kind of cute for this age.  I can see it being grating if it continues into the teenage years, but I'm fine with it so far.

Edited April 22, 2015 by Camera One

[niklj]

I thought this was probably one of the stronger episodes in awhile, it managed to be pretty thoughtful without being too preachy and had some pretty good jokes (sometimes I feel like it can get too on-the-nose). The Topanga stuff was classic.

 

Agree with the others that the younger boys and the parents are the highlight of this show, though. Hope this show gets renewed regardless.

Edited April 22, 2015 by niklj

[Racj82]

I was hoping there would be no complaining about Eddie this week simply because he was barley in it. So, I figured there wouldn't be anything to bother people. But, alas, no. I just don't have a problem with Eddie so I can't relate. This is the rare show where I feel everyone brings something to the table.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I don't know why, but I laughed so hard at the Chinese teacher yelling at the class.

 

Brian's face when Eddie told him that he actually him his home phone number instead of Topanga's was hilarious. I mean, I knew it was coming but it was still funny. Loved his grandma just saying yes to everything Brian asked her on the phone. And then the realization on his face when he was dressed in his leprachaun costume and he ran into Eddie's grandmother.

 

Wolfgang Chang's logo was ridiculously bad.

[barbedwire]

I liked it.  Grandma never disappoints.  And all of them forgetting her at the end (after proclaiming themselves as good Chineez) - LOL.  The license plate.  Wanting their school work on the fridge instead of the drawer - all good stuff.  Best part was Emory and Evan deciding the time to move in with their art work when Eddie was showing Jessica the F he got.

[Rockstar99435]

I know I sound like the biggest fanboy but I love this show. I even love Eddie. Yeah, he's annoying and kind of a douchebag, but he's 12. That's pretty standard. And I loved how he stood up for his culture when the one kid started making fun of China. And I loved the look of pride on Jessica's face when she saw him do it. So sweet. 

 

Jessica dressed like Chun-Li from street fighter and the principal explaining that they thought it would be racist to give China to Eddie were tied for my favorite moments. Followed quickly by the younger boys getting pissed that Eddie's F made it to the fridge and Louis failing to get his boots off and declaring shoes allowed in the house.

 

I'm sad that the show is over until next year. 

[SmithW6079]

I was hoping there would be no complaining about Eddie this week simply because he was barley in it. So, I figured there wouldn't be anything to bother people. But, alas, no. I just don't have a problem with Eddie so I can't relate. This is the rare show where I feel everyone brings something to the table.

To me, that just shows what a poorly drawn character he is, or maybe that the young actor isn't up to the challenge of carrying a show. I just find his faux gangsta wannabe schtick to be annoying.

 

I was kind of surprised that with Jessica's insistence on doing things the Chinese way, she didn't say anything about names. If I'm not mistaken, she and Louis are immigrants, not first generation, so they wouldn't they have had Chinese names growing up? 

[tearbender]

I can see why Eddie rubs some the wrong way but I think Hudson Yang is doing a great job yet he rarely gets praise, and this is coming from someone who is unimpressed with the majority of child actors on television these days. He's got a much tougher job to do as an actor than the younger boys who are naturally adorable. Also ,despite the voiceovers I don't think he's really been put in the position of carrying the show, after the pilot. The show wisely splits the heavy lifting between him and the parents. I think he does a really good job of channeling real life Eddie, especially with his over-exaggerated swagger to his glares at the teachers. I thought he was fantastic in the scene when he stopped laughing and told off his classmate

 

The youngest boy's little shriek when the chicken feet hit the table was my favorite part of the episode.

 

I was waiting with baited breath for though for Jessica to say something insulting about Jamaica, but luckily they swerved.

 

The ratings aren't the best but I have a good feeling about this show getting renewed. There's a lot of good potential storylines as they move through the 90s decade and the kids grow older.

Edited April 22, 2015 by tearbender

[Unraveled]

Juggling two cultures is something that I still struggle with. I really like how they portrayed it here. It seems like they were fine with balancing both when they were in DC and in daily connection with other Chinese people. However, in Florida, it seems like they are doing a lot more American things than Chinese, eating American foods, joining a Country Club, and even wearing shoes inside the house!

 

I was kind of surprised that with Jessica's insistence on doing things the Chinese way, she didn't say anything about names. If I'm not mistaken, she and Louis are immigrants, not first generation, so they wouldn't they have had Chinese names growing up? 

I'm going to assume that it's for the television. And it seems like maybe both Louis and Jessica immigrated as teenagers or in their 20s. That could also explain how they have accents, but can still speak perfect English. Not to mention that their children basically don't know any Mandarin besides curse words. I went to Korean school every Saturday morning for a good 5-7 years when I was younger. It makes sense that they didn't really bother in Florida since the nearest one is 2 hours away.

[Ankai]

The shoe thing made me chuckle. My family do not typically wear shoes in the house, we usually have slippers or sandals (yep, sandals and socks) for when we are inside the house, but are pretty lax about it, and don't make guests take their shoes off. I have sandals in my apartment for when I am inside, but I will sometimes keep my shoes on if I need to go out the other door. My parents have some White Asiaphile friends who are a bit more strict with their no-shoes policy and have little slippers for everyone at the front door.

 

Chicken feet are fine. They taste like chicken...at least when they are cooked. I am not sure about the chicken in the episode.

 

The spoken Chinese was...well...

 

Perhaps it was a deliberate behind-the-scenes decision to not involved politics, but I found it a little strange that the "China China China" presented in the show was the People's Republic of China, as opposed to the Republic of China. I get that the point of all of that was about cultural roots and not the question about the status of Taiwan, but I still found it to be distracting. I forget what the Taiwan-Mainland relations were back in 1995, but I don't think that they were all that chummy. 

[EyewatchTV211]

I'm going to assume that it's for the television. And it seems like maybe both Louis and Jessica immigrated as teenagers or in their 20s. That could also explain how they have accents, but can still speak perfect English. Not to mention that their children basically don't know any Mandarin besides curse words. I went to Korean school every Saturday morning for a good 5-7 years when I was younger. It makes sense that they didn't really bother in Florida since the nearest one is 2 hours away.

I'm guessing they do have real Chinese names. In the first episode when Eddie starts at the new school, the teacher tried to introduce him with a difficult name and was super relieved when Eddie told her to call him Eddie.

[TheRabbi]

I just love this show, and really hope it gets renewed for next season.

 

My favorite part was the younger kid "Hey Mom, I want to work on my Mandarin.  Can you teach me how to say 'Can you repeat that in English Grandma?'"  That is such a brilliant joke.

[fishcakes]

I don't know why, but I laughed so hard at the Chinese teacher yelling at the class.

 

I'm laughing just thinking about that guy. His facial expressions killed me. Going by him, you'd think speaking Mandarin was physically painful.

 

I'm sad that the show is over until next year. 

 

So am I. There are only a handful of sitcoms I watch now and most of those I can take or leave. I don't feel like this show is going to be a classic like Seinfeld or The Office, but it's the only one that I look forward to every week.

 

 

The shoe thing made me chuckle. My family do not typically wear shoes in the house, we usually have slippers or sandals (yep, sandals and socks) for when we are inside the house, but are pretty lax about it, and don't make guests take their shoes off.

 

I can't wear shoes in my house unless I know I'm going right back out. Even slippers seem like shoes to me, so I'm always either barefoot or in socks, which is why I inwardly cringe when guests don't remove their shoes. All I can think is that they're getting sidewalk gunk on my carpet. I never tell anyone to take them off though because it seems like it's a touchy subject for some people. Also, I think some people's feet might be worse than their shoes.

[Ankai]

Oh, I can wear socks or be barefoot sometimes, but sometimes, I do not trust the floor to not have something to poke at my foot. However, I usually do not wear shoes around when at home. I remember as a kid, going to another kid's home and was surprised to learn that they kept their shoes on in their own house.

[Unraveled]

I grew up in a shoe-free house and still maintain it in adulthood. I think it's more than an Asian thing now. People don't want to get their carpet/floors ruined with dirt and other crap from outside. But I definitely remember it being an odd thing growing up. It felt weird to tell my Western friends to take off their shoes when they visited my house.

 

The Chinese teacher was odd, not in the way that he spoke loudly, but in his high-pitched voice. I remember learning Spanish in middle/high school. My teachers never spoke in English. It involved talking slowly and loudly, and gesturing wildly, all in Spanish.

 

I think it was a little odd that the childrens' Chinese was that bad. Mostly because the grandmother lived with them, and the boys seem to like her and hang out with her. Except for a few choice phrases, the grandmother basically speaks Chinese.

[memememe76]

The shoe thing was the best bit (that, and the "Bull Crap" line). I hope this show can last a few years, so they can have a scene where Jessica yells at the tv screen while watching Sex & The City, and starts bitching about that ungrateful Carrie whining about removing her heels at some other person's home.

 

I found Eddie quite likeable in this episode. But I admit that I can't foresee myself ever really *loving* this character. I think the show kinda realizes that the parents are the true centre of this show, yet it's Eddie who is the narrator. I don't think they need the voiceovers.

[paulvdb]

Perhaps it was a deliberate behind-the-scenes decision to not involved politics, but I found it a little strange that the "China China China" presented in the show was the People's Republic of China, as opposed to the Republic of China. I get that the point of all of that was about cultural roots and not the question about the status of Taiwan, but I still found it to be distracting. I forget what the Taiwan-Mainland relations were back in 1995, but I don't think that they were all that chummy.

I am white myself and am not very familiar with the Taiwan-Mainland relations, other than knowing that they don't get along very well. But when a white teacher assigns China he is most likely referring to mainland China. Of course Eddie or Jessica could have asked to be assigned Taiwan, but in this context I am not surprised that China was referring to mainland China.

[HawaiiTVGuy]

I grew up in a shoe-free house and still maintain it in adulthood. I think it's more than an Asian thing now. People don't want to get their carpet/floors ruined with dirt and other crap from outside. But I definitely remember it being an odd thing growing up. It felt weird to tell my Western friends to take off their shoes when they visited my house.

The Chinese teacher was odd, not in the way that he spoke loudly, but in his high-pitched voice. I remember learning Spanish in middle/high school. My teachers never spoke in English. It involved talking slowly and loudly, and gesturing wildly, all in Spanish.

I think it was a little odd that the childrens' Chinese was that bad. Mostly because the grandmother lived with them, and the boys seem to like her and hang out with her. Except for a few choice phrases, the grandmother basically speaks Chinese.

I think the Chinese teacher was based on the kid's imagination as it sounded very much like Beijing Opera style of speaking. I am also surprised the kid's Chinese was so bad although it is not unusual for their reading/writing to be horrible and their speaking be behind their listening. And the younger kids having worse Chinese is actually realistic too as it seems like Eddie has a pretty good communication going with Grandma.

[HawaiiTVGuy]

I am white myself and am not very familiar with the Taiwan-Mainland relations, other than knowing that they don't get along very well. But when a white teacher assigns China he is most likely referring to mainland China. Of course Eddie or Jessica could have asked to be assigned Taiwan, but in this context I am not surprised that China was referring to mainland China.

That would be reasonable, although every single island nation in the Caribbean seems a bit over-kill. Regarding the preference by the Huangs' vis-à-vis China or Taiwan, it depends on the parents if their family was part of the 1949 retreat by the KMT. If they were they probably didn't think of any difference between China/Taiwan as the KMT platform for decades was that they ruled China, from Taiwan. If they were part of an earlier migration then yeah, it might have stirred the pot. Around that time period the DPP was gaining support and a groundswell of anti-China and anti unification was growing.

[solotrek]

I think it was a little odd that the childrens' Chinese was that bad. Mostly because the grandmother lived with them, and the boys seem to like her and hang out with her. Except for a few choice phrases, the grandmother basically speaks Chinese.

 

The boys always spoke to the grandmother in English though and she'd respond in Mandarin. Definitely more difficult to speak than understand for any language I think.

 

I grew up in a shoe-free house and still maintain it in adulthood. I think it's more than an Asian thing now. People don't want to get their carpet/floors ruined with dirt and other crap from outside. But I definitely remember it being an odd thing growing up. It felt weird to tell my Western friends to take off their shoes when they visited my house.

I remember hating shoes in general. So while the rest of the family wore slippers, I'd just go barefoot. But maybe the slippers thing is ingrained in China, because I got a lot of spankings for not wearing slippers (as the only ABC) before my parents ultimately gave up. I guess spanking your child almost everyday for not wearing slippers is something that gets tiring. However, most my white friends took off their shoes at home and automatically took shoes off when coming over. The only thing we did differently was the slippers thing. I still maintain a no shoes policy, but I don't like telling people to take off their shoes. There's always one person who leaves their shoes on and tracks snow/dirt/sand/mud EVERYWHERE.

[SmithW6079]

I think Hudson Yang is doing a great job yet he rarely gets praise

Fair enough. Maybe it's that I can't stand the character Eddie, which might be a reflection of the real-life Eddie's douchiness.

[Unraveled]

The boys always spoke to the grandmother in English though and she'd respond in Mandarin. Definitely more difficult to speak than understand for any language I think.

While I understand why they want to do that for American audiences, it is very odd. Jane the Virgin does this too (the daughter/granddaughter speaks in English, but the grandmother speaks in Spanish). It doesn't make very much sense as it means both parties understand the other language but choose to speak in two different languages.

[EyewatchTV211]

While I understand why they want to do that for American audiences, it is very odd. Jane the Virgin does this too (the daughter/granddaughter speaks in English, but the grandmother speaks in Spanish). It doesn't make very much sense as it means both parties understand the other language but choose to speak in two different languages.

I've worked in multiple schools with large bilingual populations. Several times I have heard this being the case when it is mostly just the grandparent who speaks another language - parents tell us that the children will respond in English. Sometimes it also happens when the parents speak the other language, depending on their level of understanding of English. As someone else above said, understanding/listening skills come more easily than speaking skills. So it actually does make sense that they might speak to each other in different languages even if there is shared understanding of one language or the other. Also, while it seems like the boys all learned English first on the show, it is not uncommon for children who are not native English speakers to also go through a phase where they only want to speak English.

 

In one crazy case (if I am remembering correctly), the parents both spoke different languages of China (maybe Shanghaiese and Cantonese) and the child only spoke English. No idea how that household managed.

Edited April 23, 2015 by VMepicgrl

[pookat]

The whole issue of second gens understanding, but not speaking the parents' native language is extremely common. I think that is actually one of the most authentic parts of the show. I did the exact same thing growing up and was actually once told by a teacher of mine that I reminded her of the American Born Chinese kids she knew.

It is also fairly common for a number of immigrants, especially people I have met from India and China, that adults have learned English back home and have a pretty good grasp of understanding the language, but perhaps lack the experience or confidence to comfortably speak English.

Even today, when I meet people from overseas, they will often approach me speaking in their native language, but I reflexively answer in English. Don't even get me started on how many Caucasians have chastised me for not maintaining my roots through the language (which was actually the theme of this week's Blackish).

Edited April 23, 2015 by pookat

[DrSparkles]

I didn't get the Topanga stuff. Did I fall asleep?

[Taylorh2]

I live in CO. There have been times when I've heard parents speak to their kids in Spanish, and the kid will answer in English.

[Rockstar99435]

I didn't get the Topanga stuff. Did I fall asleep?

 

She was a character on Boy Meets World. The white kid was a fan and wanted to talk to her so Eddie gave the kid his phone number and had the grandma pretend to be Topanga. (Although he should have realized it was a scam because Topanga is the character, not the actress.)

 

I see the parents speak native language, kids speak English all the time with my Hispanic students.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Rockstar99435

[Ankai]

That would be reasonable, although every single island nation in the Caribbean seems a bit over-kill. Regarding the preference by the Huangs' vis-à-vis China or Taiwan, it depends on the parents if their family was part of the 1949 retreat by the KMT. If they were they probably didn't think of any difference between China/Taiwan as the KMT platform for decades was that they ruled China, from Taiwan. If they were part of an earlier migration then yeah, it might have stirred the pot. Around that time period the DPP was gaining support and a groundswell of anti-China and anti unification was growing.

I sort of get it, it was more a feeling that I could not shake. The part with the flag distracted me the most. Yes, maybe the school provided the flags and Eddie's parents did not see it, but that was definitely the Communist flag, not the flag of Taiwan. That is purely political, not cultural, and whether it says something about America's relationship with China or the show itself trying to sidestep the issue, it just came across as weird. I sort of understand the reasoning...besides, what American knows what Taiwan's flag looks like? Still, there was a part of me that had trouble accepting it.

 

Okay...so we have covered the joke about the shoe...the part about the flag...a little bit about Jessica's outfit that could have gone down to her feet, but didn't...a bit about the spoken Chinese (did Evan and Emory suddenly not understand Grandma or was it because they were asking something complex from her for once?)...and the Chicken feet...but what about the cheese? Jessica seemed to be more shocked about the bacon than the cheese, which kind of amused me, since Chinese traditionally have eaten pig products (if not entire pigs), but dairy was considered something that barbarians dealt with. Jessica seemed to have a mild obsession with cheese, given her line about that cheese later in the episode.

[JustaPerson]

Did anyone notice that one of the directions on the packet the chinese teacher put in front of the boys said "寫在西班牙語" (I write in traditional chinese sorry it was in simplified as 写在西班牙语) which is "write [these phrases] in spanish"? That was perplexing and hilarious!

Edited April 24, 2015 by JustaPerson

[Raja]

Did anyone notice that one of the directions on the packet the chinese teacher put in front of the boys said "寫在西班牙語" (I write in traditional chinese sorry it was in simplified as 写在西班牙语) which is "write [these phrases] in spanish"? That was perplexing and hilarious!

Well they are in Florida

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I grew up in a no shoes house and I love the fact that I can lie on the floor to watch tv without worrying if someone stepped in dog crap before they walked on the floor and now I have dog crap cooties in my hair.

 

I think it was a little odd that the childrens' Chinese was that bad. Mostly because the grandmother lived with them, and the boys seem to like her and hang out with her. Except for a few choice phrases, the grandmother basically speaks Chinese.

The whole issue of second gens understanding, but not speaking the parents' native language is extremely common. I think that is actually one of the most authentic parts of the show. I did the exact same thing growing up and was actually once told by a teacher of mine that I reminded her of the American Born Chinese kids she knew.

A lot of second generation kids I know said that their parents spoke to them in their native language as children but once they started school, they spoke more English at home. Obviously that wasn't a conscious choice from six year olds, but what happened naturally. Later in life, they could still understand what their parents were saying in Chinese/Spanish/whatever but many of them could no longer speak the native language beyond simple words (heh, mostly food).

 

That totally makes sense to me because I remember when I was learning languages in high school and college, I often understood what the teacher was saying but I couldn't conjugate the verbs and come up with all the vocabulary words quickly enough to have a conversation (well, maybe a really slow conversation). I am not an expert on language acquisition but I get being able to comprehend what is being said but not being able to respond in the same language.

 

On a related note, HBO has a new installment of their East of Main Street documentary series for Asian American heritage month. They have uploaded some of the older segments including this one which features a bunch of kids who were interviewed about being Asian American (my favorite part is when the kids are asked what nationality they are and one kid says, "My nationality is soccer"). At one point they are asked what languages they speak and specifically what languages they speak at home. The answers vary but there was more than one kid who said they answer their parents in English. The producers ask some interesting questions and the kids are really candid so this segment was really entertaining. Definitely worth a watch.

[JustaPerson]

That's pretty true I think. Like Eddie, my parents are also immigrants from Taiwan. They insisted my brother and I speak chinese with them at home, but we both refused and it ended up being chinese on one side and english on the other. Nowadays it's more like a half english half chinese mix (chinglish, if you will.) Thankfully, my brother and I can both speak chinese well (he's probably forgotten how to read and write by now, though I took classes in college and made more of an effort to remember) But he had (chinese/taiwanese) friends who were like the boys. "Painful" is the word he would use to describe listening to them try to speak mandarin. 

 

ETA: English really became my reflexive language, though (well, as long as I'm in the US anyway. I usually adjust when I go to Taiwan or something like that.) Growing up tough, my friends' parents would sometimes falsely believe I didn't know any chinese because I (kinda rudely) would answer only in English reflexively. 

Edited April 28, 2015 by JustaPerson

[Constantinople]

Some small moments that I liked

 

Louis being chased for his tennis ball by the dog.  Not the most original gag, but I think one of the strengths of FOTB is that even when they're not doing a particularly original joke, the execution is done well.  They definitely put the Fresh into it.

 

Evan's quip that a hand turkey used to be good enough for the fridge.

 

The "Swiss" boy telling the "Swiss" girl that they should stay out of it when Eddie was berating his friend for making fun of China

[PRgal]

On English:  My parents did not really teach me any English despite being fluent themselves (educated in English medium schools or by nuns in Hong Kong) because they did not want me to pick up any accents.  I learned and spoke only in Cantonese until I started kindergarten.  By the time I was eight or nine, I was speaking English at home, though my parents replied back in Canto.  I only spoke Canto to my grandparents.  By then, I was pretty much "thinking" in English and became my default language.  That's why I have trouble filling in census forms when they ask me my "mother tongue."  Technically, a mother tongue is the first language you learned which you still speak.  I still speak Cantonese, but it's not my "best" language.

[JustaPerson]

I kind of feel the same. When I ask, my parents laugh and say that of course English is my native language but it feels wrong to call Mandarin my "second language" when really it's somewhere in between. I also remember when i was first starting school, speaking more chinese than english at home and then having english take over. But I've known Chinese just as long, if not a bit longer than I have English. I didn't just up and decide to learn Chinese one day. 

 

And there are still some terms in English I have trouble with because I parents only ever referred to them in Chinese (example: Sheets -- I had no idea which exactly is the duvet, comforter, and sheets my parents always referred to them in the general term of 床單 chuang dan)

[blackwing]

To me, no shoes in the house makes sense.  My biggest issues with shoes in the house is people walking into a nasty public bathroom and then tracking pee and fecal matter and who knows what else all over the house.

 

When the brothers were upset that Eddie's F made the fridge but not their amazing painting, one of them said "yull moe gow chaw!"  That's definitely Cantonese.  But is it the same in Mandarin?

[JustaPerson]

I've really been posting on this thread too often lol 

 

But yea that line really confused me too. It took me a second to realize that was canto because there is a slightly similar phrase in mandarin "那麼搞錯 na me gao cuo" that it sounded a lot like which means "[that's] so wrong!" a phrase that my parents have used often in frustration, which kind of fits (sounds very odd in english but I've heard it used in that context a lot.) I thought maybe the boys were just mispronouncing it at first (or it was mistranslated, I mean the "bull fart" translation was a bit off so I figured maybe) before I realized it was probably canto. Since Eddie's parents are from Taiwan, shouldn't they also know Taiwanese? 

 

ETA: "you've gotta be kidding me" epitomizes that phrase a lot better

Edited May 2, 2015 by JustaPerson

[solotrek]

I think this was the second instance of canto on the show. IIRC, Jessica or someone may have said something in canto in one of the first episodes.

 

I figured Evan knew the Cantonese phrase because they grew up in a larger Chinese community in DC and picked it up from a Canto speaking friend. Similar to how one of my roommates was Korean so I can say a few inappropriate things (and also the word for squirrel) in Korean.

 

Since Eddie's parents are from Taiwan, shouldn't they also know Taiwanese?

I'd assume since the grandparents immigrated from mainland and Mandarin is spoken in Taiwan that they'd be more comfortable with Mandarin. Especially since there was a brief period in Taiwan when speaking Taiwanese was frowned upon and even punishable (the timeframe seems to be around the time they would have been growing up). However, it'd be weird if they didn't know it at least a little bit of it since people still spoke it privately. But for the purposes of the show, grandmother aside, we're not going to see much fluency in anything other than English on the show.

[PRgal]

I kind of feel the same. When I ask, my parents laugh and say that of course English is my native language but it feels wrong to call Mandarin my "second language" when really it's somewhere in between. I also remember when i was first starting school, speaking more chinese than english at home and then having english take over. But I've known Chinese just as long, if not a bit longer than I have English. I didn't just up and decide to learn Chinese one day. 

 

And there are still some terms in English I have trouble with because I parents only ever referred to them in Chinese (example: Sheets -- I had no idea which exactly is the duvet, comforter, and sheets my parents always referred to them in the general term of 床單 chuang dan)

 

Duvets and comforters are similar.  The former is smaller, while the latter is bigger (drapes the bed).  We called duvet covers "pay doi" (essentially duvet/comforter case) in Canto.  I think a lot of "true" English speakers - people who come from English-only homes - are confused as well.

[theatremouse]

Jessica dressed like Chun-Li from street fighter and the principal explaining that they thought it would be racist to give China to Eddie were tied for my favorite moments.

That conversation with the principal was funny, but isn't the point of one of these cultural fair type dealios in school usually so kids are exposed to other cultures and have to research them and whatnot? So even if they hadn't thought it racist to assign him China, it'd be beside the point? Not that every kid is already familiar with their family's country of origin, and couldn't gain something from research, but if the point is to learn about a culture not your own...

[TigerLily20]

That conversation with the principal was funny, but isn't the point of one of these cultural fair type dealios in school usually so kids are exposed to other cultures and have to research them and whatnot? So even if they hadn't thought it racist to assign him China, it'd be beside the point? Not that every kid is already familiar with their family's country of origin, and couldn't gain something from research, but if the point is to learn about a culture not your own...

 

My kids school does an international food fest every year. It never fails that whatever classroom my kids are in they get China (they are half chinese).  The teachers always say something like "we figured they would like to do something they know", and I always tell them they really don't have to keep giving my kids China, we would like to try something else lol.

[Snow Apple]

When the brothers were upset that Eddie's F made the fridge but not their amazing painting, one of them said "yull moe gow chaw!"  That's definitely Cantonese.  But is it the same in Mandarin?

I laughed at that line because my mom says that all the time. But it definitely doesn't mean what the subtitle says. It's more like "You've got to be kidding me!" Not that exact phase, but the spirit of that phase.

[mansonlamps]

I grew up in a no shoes house and I love the fact that I can lie on the floor to watch tv without worrying if someone stepped in dog crap before they walked on the floor and now I have dog crap cooties in my hair.

How exciting to be present at the birth of a new phobia.[/Frasier]

[PRgal]

Off topic question:  Was this the season finale?  Are we not going to see any new shows until September?

[fishcakes]

Yes, this was the last one until this fall. ABC announced that it was renewed a couple of weeks ago.