Bill Wang - Week 7 - More Like a Salad (Miso Soup: Electric Boogaloo)
In my last blog post, I talked about the "melting pot," a phrase commonly used to describe America: a place where immigrants from all over the world gather, and "melt together" to form American culture. The term "melting pot," over time, has grown to be a household idiom defining America.
The term holds an illustrious history, appearing in America around the late 18th century, and has persisted throughout our lexicon, withstanding the current of time, and the upheavals of history. While the term itself finds rare usage, it remains rooted in the brains of every U.S. citizen, and stands as a subconscious name tag, one that proudly displays "American."
Surely some young, idiotic, pedantic child won't find an issue with this cornerstone of American identity, history, and hope?
Sadly, being an obnoxious and captious idiotic-pedantic child, I shall now grace upon my ostensibly apathetic audience my unwarranted commentary on the phrase: "melting pot."
Two words. Cultural Assimilation.
As Americans, people from distinct ethnicities and cultures, why should we endorse "melting" into each other?
To further lead into this line of thought, let me propose another question:
When you think of a stereotypical American, who do you think of?
This may just be a "me problem," but I feel like the general consensus on the imagery of an average American person is someone who is white, or considered white.
When we narrow the picture down to a single substance, such as in the "melting pot," we end up throwing away all the other ingredients for what we believe is an "average citizen."
This train of thought neglects the minorities: the poor, the homeless, the laborers, and the people of color.
We can't just take an entire civilization, and "melt" them down. Instead, we must embrace all of our individual identities, so that we can build a unique American culture.
If we push and accept the idea that there is a single American identity, under the existence of a cultural hegemony, our self-propagated social institutions will inevitably enforce a normative, leading to cultural assimilation. While I am no expert, from what little I know about the American identity's presence in the media, I doubt that the assimilated culture will favor the Indian family that lives down the street.
This is why I think that a salad is a slightly more appropriate phrase. In a salad, all the parts come together to make a whole: something that is made better, or more unique, because of its diverse ingredients. Salad similarly holds cultural value: Jello salads were a symbol of fortune, and can represent an extension of the American dream; and the rising popularity of healthy consumerism can enhance the spiritual significance of a change from a problematic phrase towards the better.
In addition, salads are a large source of fiber and, surprisingly, Vitamin C.
In conclusion, salad tastes good.
Also, vinaigrette instead of salad dressing is really underrated.
(more about salads https://www.tastingtable.com/691856/vegan-vegetarian-cooking-avant-garden-nix-vedge-agern/)
Hi Bill! Reading your blog this week as well as last week has been quite the journey. I love the personal tone you use to capture your thinking, as it creates an entertaining and meaningful discussion. I feel that both the melting pot and salads serve as sufficient examples. You worried that the melting pot analogy takes away the elements that make each culture unique and forces everyone in America to submit to a uniform identity. Another way to look at the melting pot analogy is that America only works when every element is embraced, just like how a soup as a whole is tastier only when every ingredient is taken into account. The salad performs a better job of highlighting the individuality of each culture, adding depth to the meaning of diversity in America. Obviously, forcibly assimilating all Americans into the traits of nativism is wrong. However, unity is also an important factor. Americans, along with any analogy used to represent them, are united not because of similar looks or practices but because of their united loyalty and citizenship under one name. I feel that it is important to address this in order to emphasize the importance of national identity. We ought to share a level of bond with fellow Americans; otherwise, we might forget how much the nation has provided for its citizens.
ReplyDeleteHi Bill! I appreciate the continuity of the topic you chose from your last blog post to this one, as it allowed you to elaborate more on some topics that were not explored as much in the first blog. The issue of assimilation versus individuality is long standing, but I believe there is a fine line in the middle that can ensure the best of both sides. The perspective you argued for in the blog post leaned towards the side of individuality, where you argued that America should be diverse with discernable parts, like a salad. To further your metaphor, I believe that the common dressing that unites all components of the salad could represent the values shared between all Americans; other differences between components of the salad could then represent the unique parts of each group in America. Thus, groups in America could celebrate their differences while still being united by some commonalities that keep them united as Americans. On another note, the structure of this blog post, with its multiple one-sentence paragraphs, made the blog engaging because it felt fast-paced with a clear progression of ideas.
ReplyDeleteHey Bill! It is nice that you continued your blog from last week, or at least connected back to it. This reminds me of when Peter was making his posts on the Kung Fu Panda movies. It's interesting for you to replace "melting pot" with your salad analogy, as it's a new perspective for me and definitely something that I haven't really thought of. However, while I definitely think that the term "melting pot" certainly does have some limitations in representing the complexity of American society, it's not really fair to suggest that it completely negates the existence or contributions of minorities. The idea of the melting pot, even though it may not be entirely clear, was originally supposed to symbolize the blending of diverse cultures, not to erase it. Also, your point about the stereotypical American being white does show a significant problem in societal perceptions, but it also oversimplifies what makes an American identity. America’s identity has always been very diverse, and the idea of an “average American” is definitely becoming more diverse as the country grows. It’s good how you encouraged a more inclusive understanding of what it means to be American, beyond just the stereotypical ideas that people generally have. I also really like your writing style, which has humor and some personal reflections, something that makes the post a lot more relatable and interesting.
ReplyDeleteHi Bill, this was such an interesting topic and I love the way that you adapted your blog based on your blog from two weeks ago. Although the topic of your last blog was about how America is a melting pot, this time you reflected on your words and came to the conclusion that it is a salad instead. This journey of realization that you included adds a raw and unfiltered essence, making your blog unique and enjoyable. Symbolizing America as a salad sums it up perfectly. So many different cultures have been thrown in together in order to create a multicultural country. I feel so lucky to live in America, especially the Bay Area every day because of the diversity and different cultures that I am able to experience. For example, I am able to have Indian food one day and then Japanese the next which is such a luxury that can be taken for granted. I especially like the fact that different cultures are able to shine and have a voice, despite there being so many present in the Bay Area. For example, I am a Christian which is a somewhat rare religion for Indians to have. Despite this, there are multiple churches in Fremont alone that are made for Indian Christians, specifically the ones from Kerala. It is so astonishing that a place with so many different cultures is able to make the most of each one.
ReplyDeleteHey Bill, it is so interesting how you connected your last two blogs together. I agree with your metaphor that salad suits America better than a soup since it is a chunker mix of items, where each component makes up a group in America. Although I still think soup fits America better like a more chunky soup like chicken noodle soup rather than smooth tomato soup. America is still a blend of culture and ethnic groups and since soup is cook rather than cold salad the flavors mix together more, such as being able to taste the taste of chicken throughout the chicken noodle soup. But still when you chew into that bit of carrot or noodle you still taste majority of its pure true flavor.
ReplyDeleteHi Bill, I really love how you’re always able to effectively convey your ideas through a piece that achieves a balance between logic and emotion. In this blog post for instance, you skillfully managed to weave in humor and informality, while simultaneously prompting readers to reflect on the underlying issue at hand through rhetorical questions. Overall, you brought an intriguing focus on the common phrase that is often used to describe our nation: “melting pot.” I agree that while such a title might stand to simply symbolize the diversity that enriches America, it inadvertently downplays the significance of individual cultures and experiences that exist as they are, perpetuating an image that aligns with the narrowed perspective shaped by cultural assimilation. Your suggestion to replace this term with an alternative, such as “salad” is compelling, as it allows greater recognition for the individual components — of colors, languages, and cultures — that collectively make up America. The metaphorical salad highlights that each ingredient retains its identity, avoiding the notion of being “melted” to fit the stereotypical image of an American, as you mentioned. Moreover, your observation raises an important question regarding how we can redefine the “average American” to be more inclusive and accurately encompass the nation’s true diversity. But perhaps, moving away from the concept of a “melting pot” and embracing the term “salad” is a good first step.
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