Wong, Janet S. Apple Pie 4th of July. Illus. Margaret Chodos-Irvine. Orlando FL: Voyager Books/Harcourt, Inc., 2002.
How ignorant can parents be—Chinese food on July 4th, in the United States of America? Paaleeease!!
I was taken back to elementary school, sitting in the cafeteria, and rushing to eat my bean tacos before my anglo classmates noticed. Why did Guela (Grandma) pack these? I told her I wanted a sandwich, "con pan blanco" (on white bread). No tortillas! What would they think? I was so embarassed. Didn't she know white people don't eat tortillas? Tortillas were for Mexicans to eat at home, not at school. Some parents just don't know any better.
At the beginning of the story, the little girl might have thought the same thing—my parents just don't understand how things are done in America. She certainly looked worried. I wonder, if secretly, she was hoping no one would come to the restaurant. If no one came, they wouldn't get the idea that her parents were ignorant of American culture.
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3 comments:
When I read your blog, I thought of my dad. He used to tell me the same story about taking tortillas to school and being made fun of. Now, I'm sure he could have made some money selling those home-made tortillas!
I think this book would be a great tool to use in teaching students that different cultures influence our everyday lives, such as the food we eat.
What a great response to this book, Janie. Let's imagine my 5th graders had read the book as a class, and for their writing assignment I had asked them to write on something like the following: "What the 4th of July Means to Me." But one student shares this memory that stems from her reading the text. Wouldn't I be the dumbest, brick for brains teacher if I made her write on the same topic (mine) as everyone else when she's just shown me what topic she'd be more interested/passionate about writing?
I would have loved to have some Mexican food in my sack lunch that my mom packed! I would have been the one off to the side eating with you, Janie! I love mexican food!
I am not trying to make light of your situation at all, but this was my first thought when reading this.
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