"You are realistic, and others relate to you." I embrace the word Asian American. I like my cultural background, although it's taken years to embrace the duality of it. But we're not all alike. I can't tell you how many times I've been confused with someone else because we look "like twins"--and this still happens with my kids. (In fact, I heard a comment today!) Anyway, Asian Americans are a huge group comprising of people from over 48 distinct places. We're not all the usual "model … [Read more...]
My Bamboo Generation
May 5, 2014 Leave a Comment
"Sow melon, reap melon; sow beans, reap beans." -Chinese proverb Bamboo is hardy. It's one of the first plants I ever received and requires little care. Whether placed in soil or a vase of decorative stones, it revives with a douse of water. According to feng shui rules, it attracts good luck and fortune. In fact, I featured bamboo centerpieces at my wedding. However, in Cantonese, there's a term known as "jook-sing." It refers to a hollow bamboo pole used as a measuring tool. But really it's … [Read more...]
Literature that Crosses Cultural Boundaries
March 10, 2014 4 Comments
"Observers can see a chess game more clearly than the players." -Chinese proverb A writer friend posed this question to me the other day: Is it okay to write material beyond your own culture? I think so. The point of fiction is to explore and imagine. We need to be able to capture new perspectives and lives unfamiliar to our own. Maybe observers can see the "chess game" more clearly; perhaps outsiders will depict different cultures well. Besides, we wouldn't have the neat novel that is … [Read more...]
Who Am I?
June 18, 2012 3 Comments
Hahmbahlaahng: allAncient Han language, dialects of northern China, and foreign languages collude to form Cantonese. The word hahmbahlaahng came from the spoken language of northern China during the Yuan dynasty. While "hahp" means all, "bala" is an empty morpheme, a sound without meaning tacked onto the end of an adjective. What happens to our identity when we, like the Cantonese dialect, come from multiple origins? Best-selling novelist Lisa See's lineage holds both Chinese and Caucasian … [Read more...]
