Philosophy of a Kind

Being �American� Asian

Assimilation
25 September 2006

Being “American” Asian

         September 21, 2006, 7:28 pm, the phone rings in shrilling volume. My petite-size mother picks up the cordless device. The slightly dim room reflects her short cropped black hair. Dark brown orbs eyed the object in her hand before reaching out with a yellowish-pale, worn, finger and pressing the talk button. Her visage stoic and she said in slightly accented English, “Hello?” Now imagine without the shrill tone, the cordless ability, the talk button, and the words “你好”. Assimilation, in context, is the idea of one culture becoming submissive to the dominant culture. But to experience it gives a whole new definition. To be assimilated, at any degree, an individual or a group would lose some or a lot of their traditions, adopt a new language, and take in the customs of the new culture. This is what my family has gone through in just two generations. My parents were the first of our family to gain citizenship in the United States. My father arrived in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1985 on Northwest 101 airline when they weren’t able to land in Washington due to weather. He knew near to minimum amounts of the new world’s language. At present day, we speak English at home more often than Chinese or Taiwanese. As was shown above, we have become accustomed to it. Some traditions are no longer celebrated and new ones like Independence Day and the January New Year come in. Even in religion, my family has taken in a different one since we arrived in the United States. My family is bicultural, the assimilation degree of accepting and practicing both cultures.
         Both side of my family originated from Taiwan, one from Tai Chung and another from Mae Lao. Growing up in Taiwan, in the 1960s, was hard and vastly different than today. My father spoke of hours consumed in school and work, but also leisure of freedom in Tai Chung. “I was a student, I went to military service. [I] find first job, I ride motorcycle, I play basketball…I had lots of friends and lots of relatives. And more important, speak Chinese.”[1] Not only was Chinese spoken, but a more specific dialect was commonly used in my family, Taiwanese. This language, a harder one to learn and speak, is used more with the older generations. In religion, Buddhism is most dominant in Taiwan. Visiting temples can be on daily bases or a few times a week. Most of the time, these temples are visited when in prayers and worship. But a lot of household have a section of their house in which they have a small shrine set up. Here, weddings, prayer, worship, and mourn of death takes place. These areas often have the musky smell of in-scent around them and food set out for offering. We don’t have these shrines here in the United States, but there are small Buddhist organizations set up in downtown Seattle where we attended once. Between Taiwan and the United States, there are so many differences in structure and language.
         Traditions that my parents have celebrated since childhood are hard to get rid of. My parents both celebrate Chinese New Year of the Lunar Calendar and they have the same honor of the dead traditions. Chinese customs have a vast amount of honor and respect. We have to give respect to our elders, the dead, and anyone that is older than you. The head of the house is the oldest male in the household. Naturally two to three generations live in one home. Like my family structure for example, my father is the oldest son so my grandfather, his father, came to live with us rather than with the oldest child, my aunt. In marriage, the wife moves into the husband’s home and becomes part of his family. “I have to live here [United States] because my husband lives here.”[2]. This was quoted from my mother when asked why she came to the United States. She came one year after her husband, and made several trips back to Taiwan, but in the end, she is ultimately will return to her husband and his family. Wherever they go, she goes. If to compare with an average American home, naturally there is only two generations consistent of parents and child. The only exception would be if the grandparents are unable to take of care themselves. Within family structure, my family kept it the traditional three generations.
         Unlimited resources can change a family’s style. Food, in Taiwan, is upheld in loads of appreciation and very important. Different types of food are eaten on different occasions. For holidays such as the New Year, moon cakes are brought. During an average breakfast in Taiwan, the dish is rice that is has been cooked into an almost soup-like substance. This dish, if translated directly, is called ‘Sea Rice’. Lunch can be a wide range of food but it always has a main dish of rice or noodles and side dishes of vegetables and on special occasion, meat. For dinner, it is usually the same as lunch, but there is more on the table. In present day, my family continues to cook dinner with rice and varieties of vegetable and fish or meat. However breakfast and lunch are more American style with cereal and apples and sandwiches. As mentioned, meat was only eaten during holidays since it was harder to get back then. Here in the United States, you are able to access the meat section in your local grocery store. Another easy access is the technology. In Taiwan, any type work was done by hand or on paper. Even school supplies, like glue, were handmade and there were no modern technology such as a computer, calculator, or television. “Change. I think, how can I describe that? Lifestyle, well, here I have more chance to work with high tech. [chuckle]”[3]. Here in the United States, with these advance technology available, our personalities change with them. My parents, who grew up in Taiwan, have a wise and knowing air surrounding them as they lived most of their lives without technology and were used to hardship. As for my uncle, he came to the United States in 1988 as a young adult[3]. He has become skilled in working with computers and is more relax and up-to-date to the fast changing world. This would effect my family because the future generations would rely on the technology without ever lifting a finger to do daily chores or field tending.
         Although my family has taken in and accepted the lifestyle of the United States, we still keep the traditions that we are able to practice. Language is a concept in which is easy to practice daily since communication is practically inevitable. Also, with my parents, aunts, uncles, and grandfather growing up in Taiwan, it is not uncommon to find family gatherings and dinners to be full of jibes in the mix of Chinese and Taiwanese. Some traditions are kept and others fall away. We are able to celebrate major events of the Chinese culture like New Years and we conduct it with the traditional gifts and food, but we also celebrate holidays of the American culture. Our religion of Buddhism died out when our family became too busy to drive downtown to visit the Dai-Ai center, a world-wide Buddhist organization. So instead, we found the dominant religion, Christianity. Our food for dinner is in the same style as what our family is accustomed to, but due to busy morning schedules, we found breakfast and lunch as quick simple meals. Technology-wise, there are so many changes noticeable between a generation without technology and a generation with. We have become like most Americans and relied on our advance technology to help us along. As you can see, my family has its own uniqueness of combinations. I wouldn’t mind passing on all the traditions we currently practice because they have become part of me and my lifestyle. It was would be hard to forget them. In a way, the process of assimilation had created a new culture itself. 

Work Cited
[1] L--, Y--. Personal interview. 23 Sept 2006.
[2] L--, S--. Personal interview. 24 Sept 2006.
[3] L--, K--. Personal interview. 24 Sept 2006.