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I liked this passage: I found this transformation both puzzling and intriguing because Chinese food became popular among Americans during an era of pervasive a

I liked this passage: I found this transformation both puzzling and intriguing because Chinese food became popular among Americans during an era of pervasive anti-Chinese sentiment. Similarly Mexican food is very popular in a period of anti-Mexican sentiment...

zghst 12y ago
There isn't much of an anti-Mexican sentiment but a sentiment against non-American Hispanics plopping down here illegally and telling American people how their immigration policy should be while straining our systems, brazenly breaking laws, etc. How does one proclaim to be for American citizenship when they can't speak the language? Or know of its history? Or rally for a free American citizenship while waving the flags of their home country while demonizing Americans who disagree with them? Why should America be the only country that should forcibly open up its borders to third world opportunist?
- joshuapants 12y ago
  Which language should they learn? Keep in mind that there is no official language in the US.
  - zghst 12y ago
    To understand and interact with 99% of Americans, you need to know English. Pretending that English isn't a solid part of the American fabric is silly.
rdtsc 12y ago
In a certain way one can say the society has not allowed them to participate in the labor pool, to take "jobs" away, but they are tolerated if they are compartmentalized as servers of exotic foods. In other words they can't be seen as equals, they have to be servants making and serving food. That is not unlike the anti-Mexican sentiment as well. Also, remember my mother-in-law's comment a while back. She is the typical American, grew up in the 50s, white middle America. She said to me she felt pretty adventurous and liked exotic foods. And I asked what those food are and she said Chinese. I thought it was interesting. It kind of made it seem like Chinese food was this exotic unusual food one ate to be adventurous and feel like they are experiencing other cultures in a way. (Nevermind that the American Chinese food, often doesn't taste like real Chinese food)
hga 12y ago
There's also a very big difference between having "anti-Mexican sentiment", for example being against any further legal immigration for the foreseeable future, and having sentiment against Jose and his family who run your favorite Mexican restaurant. People who, if you're smart, you get to know, and with enough people doing that, help the "melting pot" metaphor do its magic. Getting back to Chinese restaurants, for a long while I lived in a small apartment on the same block as the Cambridge, MA Necco factory. Not all that long after moving in, a Chinese restaurant opened up in the building between our apartment and the major thoroughfare. We made a point of getting the owner's phone number so we could call him if we noticed anything happening to the restaurant.

zghst 12y ago

There isn't much of an anti-Mexican sentiment but a sentiment against non-American Hispanics plopping down here illegally and telling American people how their immigration policy should be while straining our systems, brazenly breaking laws, etc. How does one proclaim to be for American citizenship when they can't speak the language? Or know of its history? Or rally for a free American citizenship while waving the flags of their home country while demonizing Americans who disagree with them? Why should America be the only country that should forcibly open up its borders to third world opportunist?

joshuapants 12y ago
Which language should they learn? Keep in mind that there is no official language in the US.
- zghst 12y ago
  To understand and interact with 99% of Americans, you need to know English. Pretending that English isn't a solid part of the American fabric is silly.

rdtsc 12y ago

In a certain way one can say the society has not allowed them to participate in the labor pool, to take "jobs" away, but they are tolerated if they are compartmentalized as servers of exotic foods. In other words they can't be seen as equals, they have to be servants making and serving food. That is not unlike the anti-Mexican sentiment as well. Also, remember my mother-in-law's comment a while back. She is the typical American, grew up in the 50s, white middle America. She said to me she felt pretty adventurous and liked exotic foods. And I asked what those food are and she said Chinese. I thought it was interesting. It kind of made it seem like Chinese food was this exotic unusual food one ate to be adventurous and feel like they are experiencing other cultures in a way. (Nevermind that the American Chinese food, often doesn't taste like real Chinese food)

hga 12y ago

There's also a very big difference between having "anti-Mexican sentiment", for example being against any further legal immigration for the foreseeable future, and having sentiment against Jose and his family who run your favorite Mexican restaurant. People who, if you're smart, you get to know, and with enough people doing that, help the "melting pot" metaphor do its magic. Getting back to Chinese restaurants, for a long while I lived in a small apartment on the same block as the Cambridge, MA Necco factory. Not all that long after moving in, a Chinese restaurant opened up in the building between our apartment and the major thoroughfare. We made a point of getting the owner's phone number so we could call him if we noticed anything happening to the restaurant.