Cultural Bastardization of Food

The two pieces for analysis, "Eating the Hyphen", a college essay written by Lily Wong, and "Reclaiming True Grits" by chef and author Bryant Terry, seem to me to be about the ways food stereotypes effect cultures that are seen as traditional and how people play into them. Wong's piece, which is titled very well, is about a Chinese American who questions why she embraces eating her frozen dumplings with ketchup over a more authentic option, which would be equally available to her. She appears to view her habit as one that is peculiar, and the way she presents it is very relatable, as I imagine most people have one of those habits that they can't really explain away. Terry's piece is about clearing up misconceptions most people have about African-American soul food, which we tend to think of as fried chicken, mac and cheese, and collared greens -- or more loosely, as unhealthy.

The two pieces are very different in how they convey their messages. As a light criticism, Wong's piece reads exactly how you'd imagine a paper written by a student would. It's a little awkward at times, but its personable tone and self-awareness save it from being a mediocre paper, in my eyes. Terry, as an author, seems to have a bit more control over his piece's direction, using specific rhetorical devices that are more apparent than Wong's. Wong uses mostly personal experience to frame her paper, while Terry utilizes his own anecdotal evidence together with quotes from experts to give his argument more weight. He also notes how African-American people's soul food is generally thought of incorrectly, which is a disservice to just how healthy, local, and fresh real soul food can be. He ends his article with a recipe for the grits he spoke so highly about, which I think he included just as a reminder that he is a professional chef.

I do like the honesty in Wong's paper, as she is very proud of her Chinese heritage, listing foods she loves that would make the average American squirm in discomfort, while also fully accepting the fact that she enjoys a very bastardized version of something from her culture. Terry's piece straddles the line between personal and informative writing, and is fairly entertaining for being about grits.