Protected by the Book

By Mark L.

As I thought about the book, I notice the value that Bich puts into the book she reads. They seem to represent as a barrier that protects her from any outside negativity that she does not want to deal with. The picture captures the the importance of the book by being drawn twice the size of the person reading the book. So the book becomes more than a source of knowledge, but also a wall that protects the reader, in this case Bich. The over sized book is titled Harriet the Spy, which is significant to the book that makes Bich curious about finding "truth". The book is represented in the memoir as a novel that influenced Bich to ask questions about everything. So by being oversize, the book screens who will have access to Bich. As the picture shows, the items that are trying to come in are the Christian cross, the American house and the American Flag. These three items are the primary items that Bich has trouble assimilating into or understanding. The things one the inside of the book, on the readers side, are the Library and a notepad. These two items are the tools that Bich used to grow intellectually and create a safe space where she can escape from the real world. The Library being a symbol of knowledge, it makes the note pad as her sketch pad to creating her own truth about how she sees life.

Ripening Anticipation

By Ryan B.

While reading the memoir, I noticed a certain significance in the portrayal of the treatment of food. I am curious to know what everyone thinks of this revelation:

In Stealing Buddha's Dinner, Bich Minh Nguyen uses the abstinence from food as a symbol of appreciation and gratitude, creating a parallel between the older and younger Vietnamese generations. In both Noi's practice of "feeding" the Buddha and the sisters' tendency to stockpile food, Nguyen conveys the importance of anticipation in the appreciation of one's good fortune. The act of refraining from eating food, particularly in times of financial hardship like the Nguyen family endured, communicates an appreciation for the possession of food in both the sisters and their elders.

When Noi places fruit in front of the Buddha statue, she does so to symbolically feed her ancestors. It is a symbol of reverence, and yet, after the food remains in front of the statue for a few days, Noi gives it to the sisters. Because they were not allowed to eat it immediately, their gratitude was more profound: "All of these were set upon the altar before making their way into our mouths, and it was a lesson in patience and desire. We were eating gifts every time" (19). This custom, a vestige of Vietnamese culture from Noi's generation, is truly a method of increasing one's appreciation for life and the ability to eat food. By remembering one's ancestors, one realizes that they have no need for sustenance and thus one gains appreciation for one's own ability to enjoy the fruit, which by then tastes better as a result of this new awareness. This practice exemplifies the role of expectancy and gratitude.

Similarly, when the sisters receive fruit from Noi, they often cherish it for so long that they forget to eat it. This also portrays a respectful anticipation of one's enjoyment; for the sisters, the fruit was so divinely delicious that they enjoyed the suspense of eating it without every actually consuming it. "We held on to oranges and plums, desserts from Noi, saved so long we forgot to eat them" (13). By never eating the fruit, Bich and Anh prove that their true reward is their recognition of the food's value. Through their prolonged desire, the sisters have inadvertently connected with their Vietnamese-Buddhist roots. Their abstinence parallels the moral of Noi's religious practices.

Through this religious symbolism of refraining from indulging one's desires, Nguyen effectively creates a parallel between the older Vietnamese generation and the younger one assimilating to life in America. The two are inextricably linked through their respect for the importance of anticipation, exemplified by their treatment of food.

Noi's Foreignness

By Jonny D.

Noi through the novel is a strong relation to the Vietnamese culture. She is constantly cooking tradition Vietnamese food, and shows how much she practices meditation. Yet when the family goes out to eat at Burger King to receive free Whopper Jr's. She refuses to get one. She does enjoy a few french fries. I found that this shows how resistant she was to assimilate into American culture. Noi did partake in watching TV and eating American food. I found that Noi showed the strength and determination of the refugee community. Her persistence in not adopting American culture helped to form a strong community. 

This rejection of American culture shows that Noi is part of the othered, but she doesn't see herself that way. She doesn't want to be American, because her roots and family are still in Vietnam. Her will to help raise funds for a Buddhist temple shows the commitment she has to her race. This in comparison to Bich shows the determination to assimilate into American culture. She is growing up insecure about her cultural identity, so Bich deciding that she is more American than Vietnamese is important. This comparison to her grandmother exemplifies the difference of the generations. This age difference promotes a compassion between these two characters. Bich's young naivety seeks for acceptance in her American culture, but Noi being proud of her heritage makes her refuse the American culture promoting her foreignness. 

Apples to Apples

By Sasha B.

I chose to draw different versions of an apple which I saw as a reoccurring theme throughout the first three chapters of the book. The first mention of apples on page 7 comes as a symbol of hope given to them from their grandmother as the matriarch of their family and only female contributing to the raising Bich. On page 19 the author describes the eating of fruit as a gift and that she "believed that the transformation from globe to glistening slices involved some kind of magic" (19), and then makes a point to say "it would be years before either my sister or I ever bit into a whole apple" (19). She observed her grandmother holding the special power to help something evolve.  The ending of that chapter shares a change of that transformation process when the author describes how her step mother "cut them up carelessly" (29) when preparing an apple for her. This shows the addition of another matriarch and Bich learns that there are different ways to complete the same task. It is the multiple memories and emotions associated with the apple that inspired me to draw them.