Recently, we celebrated his 100 Days with a dinner at a private club. Yes, we did NOT have a Chinese banquet. This isn’t too unusual with the Canadian generation (as many of us still want to honour heritage), but make changes so that it would be closer to things we like rather than what our parents expect. Of course, sometimes, it isn’t without a fight (my parents were okay with a non-Chinese dinner, but tried to get me to give out REAL red ginger eggs (i.e. hard boiled eggs) rather than egg shaped gingerbread cookies). We had about 45 people, made up of family and close friends dining on a buffet dinner of beef, fish, pasta and more.

I’m sure some of my parents’ friends were a little critical, but they definitely didn’t show it. They were polite and really enjoyed themselves. I’m also sure that outsiders looking in might find it odd as well. Usually these people come in the form of overly politically correct individuals who love to write about appropriation. I guess you can’t really appropriate your own heritage, but you sure as heck can bastardardize it. Would those egg-shaped gingerbread cookies be bastardization? To some, yes (though the bakery I ordered from thought it was a pretty cool twist on tradition). Someone I spoke with recently said fusion cuisine was “ruining” cultures and that one shouldn’t be “messing” with culture. If that’s the case, then I’ve been guilty many times over (see my cheddar mooncakes) and celebrity chefs like Susur Lee are even MORE guilty. Why is it wrong, anyway?

Many cuisines are twists. Hong Kong milk tea (black tea with condensed or evaporated milk and sugar) is a twist. So is yeen yeung (Hong Kong milk tea with drip coffee. Basically a simplified dirty chai). Most cha chaan teng dishes are twists on western cuisine. We don’t consider it “fusion” as it’s very low bar, diner/greasy spoon types of cuisine. It’s kind of “reverse” North American Chinese food. Fusion cuisine is very class-based. And yes, I find it sad that the over politically-correct find it wrong. Is it a millennial thing to correct the past? We can’t do that. We can only discuss why we think views of the past were wrong in our context and why we need to overcome what was done. We can’t erase it and expect all of us to do things the old way. What if we don’t want to?

I really don’t want to raise my son in a world of such hostility. I’m already feeling it myself and it’s extremely stressful. In fact, it’s ignorant to expect a child of immigrants to ONLY adhere to the old culture and do things the “old world” way if we are living in 2019 and exposed to many different cultures (especially when you’re living in a city like Toronto). Diversity is important, but we can’t sort and separate different cultures into different boxes. That’s called segregation and I thought that ended a long, long time ago. You sort and organize, say, socks. You don’t Kondo people or cultures. Cultures also change overtime. And I think so-called “diversity experts” don’t quite understand this. Fusion is cool.

What are your views on this? Was what I did “wrong?” Should I have done this the “traditional” way?

The post Twisting Tradition: Bastardization or Not? appeared first on Cynthia C. Mintz.

I find that this perspective often comes from so-called “liberals” who are trying to be very politically correct because they want to ensure that they “understand” other cultures and want to make sure that they’re not offending anyone (these individuals are usually multi-generation Canadians and/or first or second generation with family from the British Isles or France).  What they don’t realize is they are actually doing the opposite.  And are also “othering” these groups, making them feel even more “different.”  Please, people, we aren’t museum exhibits.  We’re people.  These views ALSO come from immigrants, but that’s a bit more understandable (but only if they’re family and only if they’re “of a certain age” if you know what I mean).

We need to be allowed to form our own views and interpretation of culture, food, fashion and so forth based on our personal experiences and what shaped us.  If we didn’t have a grandmother who knew how to cook and was able to teach us how to make cultural foods the “proper” way (rather than boring, comfort food-ish fusiony meals) then we won’t know how to make so-called REAL homemade traditional foods.  Besides, what’s “real” anyway?  There are Chinese diaspora all over the world and not everyone is off the plane from Hong Kong or mainland China.  Some came by way of the Caribbean and haven’t even set foot in East Asia (other than to visit) since the 19th century.  So what of them?  Jamaican-inspired Chinese food is very fusion-y.  So is Hong Kong’s cha chaan teng cuisine (most of it is kind of low end, but you’ll find dishes like baked pork chop and rice and the island’s so-called national drink, Hong Kong milk tea (image below)) Is it fair to criticize them?

All I’m saying is I’m really unsure if I feel comfortable with all of the separation/what someone can can’t do due to appropriation/bastardization these days.  I think it only separates us as individuals and makes immigrants and first generation – especially people who are NOT of British or French descent – more like museum exhibits and objects than human beings.  And sadly, it isn’t JUST multigeneration Anglo/Franco-Canadians feeling this way.  I hear it from people who are no more than two generations off the plane/boat as well.  I’m not sure if it’s just brainwashing or ignorance, but it DOES bother me.  Perhaps I’m just sensitive.

I realize I’ll be heavily criticized for this post, but hey, I’m allowed to voice my opinion, right?  I shouldn’t be considered “stupid” or “ignorant” as I often am in certain Facebook and other online circles, but I often wonder if THEY are the ones who’re not too bright or if they’re just playing devil’s advocate.

First image: By AlexLMX/Shutterstock 

Second image by author, via Prospere Magazine

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