Paper Example on Fish Cheeks: Amy Tan's Crushing Fear of Rejection

Introduction

“Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan is a short story about something that occurred when Amy Tan was a teenager. Amy's family is Chinese, and they invite the minister and his family for Christmas Eve dinner (Tan 1). The mother was planning to cook Amy Tan’s favorite dishes for Christmas Eve. However, still, Amy, who had a crush on the minister's son, was afraid that the minister's family would find it strange concerning the Chinese foods, behaviors, and customs of Amy's extended family. When the guests arrive, Amy always gets annoyed by his family's noisy eating habits with chopsticks and belching of her father, which embarrasses the minister (Tan 2) According to Chinese culture, belching during a meal is acceptable since it shows appreciation for the meal. After the minister and his family leave, Amy's mother gives her skirt as a Christmas gift, and the mother proceeds to inform Amy that in as much she wants to fit in, she should hold onto her Chinese culture (Tan 2) She eventually gets surprised that her mother realized and understood what she felt during that night and learned to be proud of her culture. This paper will identify what Amy Tan identifies as "being American." Making her get ashamed of her own Chinese culture.

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What Amy Tan Identifies as “Being American”

Silence

Amy Tan identifies silence and proper manners as “being American.” Silence and proper manners in Americans are valued, which is contrary to Chinese culture. She was not comfortable with her noisy Chinese relatives, which she was sure would piss off Robert and his family since they were Americans (Tan 1) It is evidenced by her reaction when she learned that Robert and his family had been invited for the Christmas Eve dinner. Questions like what Robert would perceive of Amy's noisy relatives who lack proper manners ran through her head (Tan 1) Due to her crush on the minister’s son, Amy Tan valued silence and “proper manners’ that she perceived as “being American and felt ashamed of the noisy Chinese relatives.

Good Food

Amy Tan also identified good food as "being American." During the Christmas eve dinner. Amy felt that the mother had outdone herself by preparing a strange menu and the food that her mother prepared was her favorite dishes like fish cheeks, tofu, squid, and prawns, and the irony is that she felt they were strange (Tan 1). This is because of the fear of what the minister's family, especially Robert, would feel if they found no roasted turkey and sweet potatoes.

Tan felt roasted turkey, and sweet potatoes were a definition of good food that was American. Tan had this perception because roasted turkey and sweet potatoes were favorite dishes for the Americans. She was expecting that they would be the dish for the day since the minister's family was American and, at the same time, was not comfortable with the Chinese food that she felt were Shabby (Tan 1). At some point, Amy did not want to be associated with her favorite foods, such as fish cheeks, In front of the American family. In the short story, Amy Tan feels like disappearing when her father poked his chopstick below the fish, and plucked out the soft meat, gave it to Amy and denoted that it was her favorite (Tan 2). Amy felt it is not American to do such actions like her father's and eat the fish's soft meat since the minister’s family would not like it.

Table Manners

Tan also recognizes table manners such as silence during a meal as “being American”. According to American culture, it is not good manners to talk while having a meal, unlike the Chinese counterpart, which is noisy. This embarrasses Tan since she feels her family should act in an American way and avoid talking during the meal. Since the minister's family started having dinner, none of them said a word. Although the better part of the dinner (Tan 2)

Belching was considered a lack of table manners. Therefore, according to American culture, belching during a meal is bad manners and not American. Belching was a Chinese norm to show that one was satisfied after a meal. therefore Tan's father is heard belching out loudly, which leaves Amy in despair and embarrassed while Robert keeps looking down at his plate with a reddened face (Tan 2)

Tan acknowledged that waiting for platters to be passed during a meal is table manners, which are American. Americans consider reaching across the table during the meal is a lack of table manners, unlike Chinese. In the short story, Amy's relatives randomly reached across the table to serve themselves. At the same time, the minister's family waited patiently for platters to be passed to them without them reaching across the table (Tan 2)

Conclusion

I am afraid I have to disagree with what Amy Tan acknowledged as "being American." Tan was brought up in Chinese culture, eating the foods she names as "strange "and practicing culture, which was entirely non-American. Therefore, a crush on Robert should not have influenced her to be ashamed of her Chinese norms and culture, and as her mother stated, the only shame she should feel is getting ashamed of the Chinese culture. By engaging with people who perceive and do things differently should not let one forget their practices. Therefore, Tan should acknowledge the American way but also hold onto her culture and practices with avoiding to fit in the American culture or rather getting ashamed of the Chinese culture. "Being American" is for the Americans and should stick to being Chinese by practicing and following the Chinese norms anywhere and at any time.

Work Cited

Tan, Amy, Fish Cheeks, The Brief Bedford Reader, 2000, 92-95. Retrieved from https://www.ncps-k12.org/cms/lib8/CT01903077/Centricity/Domain/638/LA/Short%20Story%20-%20Fish%20Cheeks.pdf