“To this day, I wake up at times, look in the mirror, and just stare, obsessed with the idea that the person I am in my head is something entirely different than what everyone else sees.” [1] This is relevant because Eddie was raised in an Asian American household whose Taiwanese parent's came fresh off the boat. Eddie's demeanor in his writing and his attitude makes the reader (I) believe he was ashamed of his cultural background which later led to his insecurities growing up. Eddie struggled with his identity and often explains that he got my made fun of because he was asian. His emotions channeled his behavior growing up and he would attack anyone as a self-defense mechanism. As Eddie grew older his struggle with his identity became more apparent. In high school he hung out with the wrong crowd and sold drugs because he thought he was good at it.
One of the most beautiful things about the world is the different cultures and people that make it up. "Chinese people questioned my yellowness because I was born in America. The white people questioned by identity as an American because I was yellow." [2] I noticed diversity was a common theme in Eddie's memoir because he explains that he enjoys playing basketball and listening to hip-hop music. At first glance, one would make the connection to stereotyping- playing basketball and listening to hip-hop music is supposed to only interest people of Africa-American cultures, right? Although Eddie struggled in his own identity he embraces other cultures diversity and didn't let stereotypes define who he was as he got older.
"There were so many gaps in my American culture understanding because we just didn't get it at home." [3] This book does a great job explaining the troubles immigrants experience growing up in another country. For example, this past summer I studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain. I spoke little to no spanish and within 24 hours of getting off the plane I had extreme culture shock. My cell-phone could only receive calls on wi-fi, water was no longer free, and I had to hang dry my clothes because dryers were considered a luxury. My circadian rhythm was now waking up earlier, taking 2-3 hour naps during the afternoon, and eating dinner at 10 p.m. After reading this memoir, I could relate to Eddie because my first week in Spain was not easy and I felt extreme homesick trying to adjust to the Spanish culture I was living in.
Personally, I enjoyed the reading and the way Eddie's story unfolded. Eddie's memoir is the definition of the American Dream. Eddie spent most of his life growing up in a dysfunctional household with no direction from his emigrated Taiwanese parent's to finishing law school and opening his own restaurant in New York. Eddie was able to take control of his life, despite where he came from, and overcome his insecurities. This story teaches us the different obstacle life can throw at you and ways to overcome the hardest struggles. I found that the ending of the book showed irony because Eddie spent most of his life finding himself when in reality his calling was right in front of him as he followed in the footsteps of his father. Eddie now owns a restaurant called "BaoHaus" in New York.
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| Eddie Huang, owner of "instant-success" restaurant called BaoHaus in New York |
[1]Eddie Huang. Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir. (New York, Spiegel & Grau, 2013), pg.42
[2] Huang, Fresh Off the Boat, pg. 171
[3] Huang. Fresh Off the Boat, pg.69
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