Chapter 11
New Mulberry English Course: Class 6, Oxford University Press
“The first time our family was invited out to dinner in America, we disgraced ourselves while eating celery. We had emigrated from China to this country and during our early days here, we had a hard time with American table manners.”
A tale called “The All-American Slurp” involves a string of embarrassing episodes in the life of a Chinese family who move to America and go to dine with their American neighbours. The story succeeds in instilling a feeling of embarrassment for the way the Chinese family dines, inevitably setting the West as the benchmark for mannerisms. Another instance is when the Chinese family does not seem to know what a buffet is and experiences shame.
The Chinese family, in emulating American dining values, is assumed to become culturally superior. This story promotes the 'othering' of a community and reflects the imperial control of the West that continues to persist.
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