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John Burns College Writing 112 Section 71 March 28th, 2007

The Cultures around You are the Cultures inside You

Geeta Kothari’s, “If You Are What You Eat, Then What Am I?” is short story from the perspective of a young woman with two contrasting cultures. Geeta Kothari was raised, for the most part, in the United States. Her mother, however, is from India, a country with a culture dissimilar to that of the United States. Geeta has little first hand interaction with her Indian cultural background, and longs to try American cuisine such as bologna, hot dogs, or salami. These foods, however, are forbidden by her mother, who wants Geeta to embrace her Indian lineage, and make it a part of her life. Her mother spends evening after evening trying to teach Geeta to prepare Indian suppers, but finds that Geeta is unable to reproduce the delicacies of her Indian culture. So what does it mean that I cannot replicate my mother’s dal? She and my father show me repeatedly, in their kitchen, in my kitchen. They coach me over the phone, buy me the best cookbooks, and finally write down their secrets. Things I’m supposed to know but don’t. Recipes that should be, by now, engraved on my heart. (Pages 28-29) Geeta fears that she will lose much of her meaningful contact with her Indian culture. She fears that she will not be able to make her mother proud by passing down the intricate recipes to her children. As I read the essay, I found myself making the following conclusion: Our surroundings are what dictate our culture, not our past. My entire life has taken place in an American culture, therefore I know more about this culture, from its pastimes to its subtleties, than any other culture in the world. Although I can learn about other cultures, without being a part of that culture for a period of time, I can not hope to have the same grasp on foreign culture as I do American. Geeta is not by any means alone, it is universally known that just about all African-Americans, particularly at the conclusion of the Civil War, feel a similar way. After spending multiple generations away from their home continent of Africa, African Americans have lost all the traditional African culture they would have had had they not been subjected to centuries of American culture. Many African Americans have never been to Africa or have more than a few first hand experiences of true African tradition. Few African Americans could prepare a true African delicacy, yet this would not be so if there was no detachment of the people and their homeland. Come to think of it, I can only make a few Polish foods, and I am 50% Polish. Turnovers, a cookie, are delicious and all, but I would feel lost if I were to visit Poland on my own, or even with my family. Asian-Americans, African-Americans, and all others who are not native to this country, myself included, are in an American culture now. Whether we like it or not, it is likely that we will become increasingly “American”, and less harmonious with our ancestor’s homes. With so much global transition in today’s world, we often overlook the struggles of those who have difficulty fitting into a foreign culture. It is not an easy task, but it is even harder to fit into a culture without being a part of it. Geeta’s mother is to be commended for trying to bring a sample of Indian culture into her daughter’s life, but she can only put a drop of Indian culture in a bucket of the American way of life. Living far from the comfort of people who require no explanation for what I do and who I am, I crave the foods we have shared. My mother convinces me that moong is the easiest dal to prepare, and yet it fails me every time: bland, watery, a sickly greenish yellow mush. These imperfect imitations remind me only of what I’m missing. (Page 29) Geeta may feel that these “imperfections” are her own fault, but she shouldn’t. Geeta’s cultural exposure is biased far in the American direction, and Americans have never been able to prepare meals native to India, we microwave hot dogs and brew beer at our leisure. Few families not native to India prepare Indian food, maybe it is because we don’t have a taste for it, maybe it is because we think it is too difficult, and maybe it is because we don’t have the time to seek out the ingredients for an Indian recipe in our local supermarket. The end result being that it is impossible for Geeta to absorb a significant amount of Indian culture, because there is only a trace of Indian culture in America. Geeta’s presence in an overwhelmingly American culture is what limits her ability to be as Indian as her mother, sad as it may seem, if Geeta continues to have far greater American cultural exposure, there is little chance she will share her mother’s deep Indian cultural abilities which she so greatly longs for.John? 23:28, 30 March 2007 (EDT)