lunch

[kasia]

i was a bit disturbed after reading an advice column printed in koream magazine. in one of the letters, a reader described how her son was being teased at school because she packed him kim chi, etc., for lunch. the advice columnist told the reader to stop packing such lunches and rather to make her son "normal" lunches, such as pb&j sandwiches. what kind of advice is that??

if my son were being teased, i would have a talk with him about how ignorant his classmates are, how he has a right to inform them of their ignorance, etc. why in the hell would you teach your kid to assimilate and be ashamed of his own culture at such an early age??

at my school, kimbap, dim sum, etc. were seen as cool lunches.
what are your opinions?



<!--EDIT|kasia|Aug 23 2002, 09:52 PM-->

[johnny]

maybe it's just the smell....usually, fobs parents pack kimchee......who the frick cares anyways. I love a nice doh-shi-rak packed with kimchee and bab yammy yammy :)

[angel nympho]

i'd get bibimbap sometimes for lunch.. a lot of people brought noodles and kimbap n stuff.. all the white kids wanted to try it.

kimchee is kinda smelly.. so i wouldnt bring it.

[deez nuts]

My mom used to pack me homemade chasiubaos for lunch. Yeah I got alot of slack, but not only from the white kids but also from the asian kids. The white kids were generally more curious about what I was eating. I remember I used to swap a couple of buns for his snacks.

It's bad advice that columnist give. But young kids are always gonna be picky and make fun of other kid's lunches if it's foreign to them. I mean the kimchee does draw attention to itself by the pungent odor. Well at least she didn't pack him stinky tofu.



<!--EDIT|Chasiubao_Boy|Aug 23 2002, 05:33 PM-->

[tapestrybabe]

i remember my first year in college.. i had this korean female roommate... She was all cool... yet.. she would have kimchee in the dorm room... and yeah, it was stinky.. it wasnt the most pleasant smelling odor...

yeah, the advice that columnist gave was totally wrong... i mean, how are you suppose to teach tolerance.. if your made to make others feel ashamed of their own culture... altho yeah.. like everyone else says.. it does have an unusual, strong odor.. so i think ppl should be aware that.. others may comment on it... when they do have kimchee amongst others who are not use to it...

[angel nympho]

little kids will make fun of ANYTHING.

[kimpossible]

Oddly enough, I know a Korean woman who is forcing her kids to Americanize like crazy. She forbids them from speaking Korean in public and won't let them eat kim chi for breakfast. The last time she was over she asked me what I advised. I told her emphatically that there is zero reason to either not speak Korean in public or eat kim chi any time they pleased.

She dismissed me as a an idiot foreigner and said I wasn't Asian enough to understand. While I can't defend whether or not I'm Asian enough, I told her that caring what ignorant white Americans think is a waste of time.

But who am I to judge; my mom was spanked as a little girl until she stopped speaking Japanese.

[Saiko]

What horrible advice. Who hired the columnist? <_<
Me, I would choose a foreign (non-stinky and delicious) lunch over a cruddy PB&J sandwich anyday. What does kimchi taste like?

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by Hello_Hapa@Aug 23 2002, 07:01 PM
Oddly enough, I know a Korean woman who is forcing her kids to Americanize like crazy. She forbids them from speaking Korean in public and won't let them eat kim chi for breakfast. The last time she was over she asked me what I advised. I told her emphatically that there is zero reason to either not speak Korean in public or eat kim chi any time they pleased.

She dismissed me as a an idiot foreigner and said I wasn't Asian enough to understand. While I can't defend whether or not I'm Asian enough, I told her that caring what ignorant white Americans think is a waste of time.

But who am I to judge; my mom was spanked as a little girl until she stopped speaking Japanese.
hah! why did she ask your advice then if she's not ready to accept it and even go as far as dismiss you as a foreigner!

was she dismissing you as a foreigner as in "westerner"? or foreigner as in not american?

[Saiko]

That's so silly. Forcing America into your kids. I know that a lot of Asian parents are so stuck on "honor" and not "losing face", but that's silly. There's nothing shameful about embracing your culture in anyway at all. It might even be good. I know a lot of people are fascinated with my culture and they like to come over and eat my food. They even ask me to teach them my language. But that usually ends up in them running around swearing at people in Chinese. :rolleyes:

[tapestrybabe]

Originally posted by Saiko@Aug 23 2002, 08:04 PM
What does kimchi taste like?
Hmmm... i tried it a couple of years ago... its like a spicy cabbage and radish dish.. but there are many different ways to prepare it.... and ummm.. it has a pretty funky taste to it all. Ppl who try it the first time.. may not like it right away. Its kinda something you learn to acquire in growing to like...

http://www.kimchi.or.kr/english/

[Arex]

Bring on the durian, I say! If the kids tease him about the stench, he can chuck it at them. That'll teach 'em.

Alex

[kimpossible]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Aug 23 2002, 05:04 PM

was she dismissing you as a foreigner as in "westerner"? or foreigner as in not american?
As in wai guo ren (or the korean equivalent in her case). Sorry for the commie pinyin, I just don't feel like using my chinese wordprocessor. I'm the token whitey and pack mule of the fobs. I process everyone's paperwork, help them find jobs, make the phone calls for them, take them to costco. You name it.

That's why she was over and asking me. Why didn't she believe me? Who knows. She also gets pissed off when everyone is speaking Mandarin yet continues to come over. I think she's kind of a nutter.

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by tapestrybabe@Aug 23 2002, 08:13 PM
Originally posted by Saiko@Aug 23 2002, 08:04 PM
What does kimchi taste like?
Hmmm... i tried it a couple of years ago... its like a spicy cabbage and radish dish.. but there are many different ways to prepare it.... and ummm.. it has a pretty funky taste to it all. Ppl who try it the first time.. may not like it right away. Its kinda something you learn to acquire in growing to like...

http://www.kimchi.or.kr/english/
shit if i had korean parents, i'd tell them to bring on the raw minced beef for lunch!

[angel nympho]

hehehe, honestly, white kids are pretty curious about what we eat n stuff. all my white friends beg me to go with them for korean bbq... just to make sure i order them something that they'd like.. lol

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by Arex@Aug 23 2002, 08:21 PM
Bring on the durian, I say! If the kids tease him about the stench, he can chuck it at them. That'll teach 'em.

Alex
but a durian would never get passed the front door of the school! they'd think you're carrying a weapon! hahhah!!!

http://www.ecst.csuchico.edu/~durian/img/durian.jpg

[kimpossible]

I hear that. I can eat stinky dou fu but not that fruit.

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by Hello_Hapa@Aug 23 2002, 08:22 PM
Originally posted by SunWuKung@Aug 23 2002, 05:04 PM

was she dismissing you as a foreigner as in "westerner"? &nbsp;or foreigner as in not american?
As in wai guo ren (or the korean equivalent in her case). Sorry for the commie pinyin, I just don't feel like using my chinese wordprocessor. I'm the token whitey and pack mule of the fobs. I process everyone's paperwork, help them find jobs, make the phone calls for them, take them to costco. You name it.

That's why she was over and asking me. Why didn't she believe me? Who knows. She also gets pissed off when everyone is speaking Mandarin yet continues to come over. I think she's kind of a nutter.
i guess she just wanted you to tell her what she wants to hear. which is that she is doing the right thing. she probably just needed reassurance. but in this case what she got was that she was doing things all wrong! hahhah!

[Saiko]

Mmm. Spicy cabbage is good. But durian I've never liked. I've always been sickened by it's stench. When I tried it once, it tasted bad too. Tasted like its smell, if you know what I mean. >_<

[karizma]

>> at thanksgiving last year my aunts n cousins split a durian for dessert...i looked at the spikey shell and immediately left the room. that thing looks scary as hell...can you imagine chucking that at someone?? not only would you have to deal with the spikes but when it explodes on you you'll be covered in that awful stench...i seriously cant stand it...it makes me wanna yak >_<

>> as for school lunches i always but hot lunch from school so no one made fun of me...if not id have luncheables or sandwiches...once in a while a cha siu bao but most of the kids wanted some rather than made fun of me...of course if i brought like chicken feet they might make a face or two haha

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by karizma@Aug 24 2002, 12:32 AM
>> at thanksgiving last year my aunts n cousins split a durian for dessert...i looked at the spikey shell and immediately left the room. that thing looks scary as hell...can you imagine chucking that at someone?? not only would you have to deal with the spikes but when it explodes on you you'll be covered in that awful stench...i seriously cant stand it...it makes me wanna yak >_<
yeah hahhah actually once in a while in comedic movies you'll see durians used as weapons. and those motherfuckers aren't going to explode on your head because they're hard as hell! but seriously you can do some damage swinging one of those around.

[karizma]

>> ahahah...attach them to a chain and wahlah...instant mace.

[bigwong235]

all through elementary school i brought a thermos w/hot food in it cause i didn't like cold sandwiches... (yes, i was THAT kid). most of the kids wanted my food cause it smelled okay and looked good.

junior high i stopped doing it, cause well, i didn't want to be different. had to eat my stupid cold sandwiches...

senior year, i finally stopped caring what ppl thought and started bringing my good lunches to school again. i came to the conclusion that it's senior year now, and these ppl won't think less of me if i bring *gasp* something WEIRD to eat! and, this was shortly after i had finished dominating my school. :D ;)

[deez nuts]

It'll all go away when they go to high school and start heading out for lunch, because it's the cool thing to do. And then the whities will get curious and try different Asian cuisines buahahaha!



<!--EDIT|Chasiubao_Boy|Aug 24 2002, 11:34 AM-->

[Saiko]

I've always gone out for lunch. No cold bland sandwiches for me. I'd either go out and buy food, or I'd stop by at home and get some good food and then go back out to hang. Chicken and curry and stuff beats the hell out of bread and cold meat. But some sandwiches can be good. It's just that it's not as fresh when it's been sitting around in your locker since morning. >_<

[kimpossible]

Originally posted by karizma@Aug 23 2002, 09:53 PM
>> ahahah...attach them to a chain and wahlah...instant mace.
lol

[angel nympho]

thru high school, i always just went off campus for lunch anyway... sometimes out to get some fast food w/ friends, and sometimes we'd just herd back to my pad for some RAMEN! :D

[johnny]

I miss high school lunchies....at the time I thought they were the worse, but now that I'm older I see the value and taste in good ol' cafeteria food. :P

[Green_Jade]

you are all making me crave kimchie, while i sit here chugging cough syrup..blach. man... i want kimchie fried rice with bean sprout soup..that'd kill my cough...

middle school... my mom packed lunch for one year than i started eating school lunchies... frosh year in HS,..schoool... after that, i stopped taking lunch and toook extra classes... mmm electives.

[Craig]

I see nothing wrong with students bringing Kim Chee for lunch. Hell, they'll probably always see you as a foreigner, so why not milk it for all it's worth. I'm not Korean and had never tried Kim Chee when I was younger, my parents kept making me eat American food.

If I was going through the public school system again and had known how good Kim Chee tasted, I probably would have brought it to school. I remember people would always complain if I would eat something like "corn nuts" because they didn't like the smell. Then I would complain that a bunch of the girls wore a ton of makeup and perfume and I didn't like the smell. That would shut a lot of people up pretty quickly.

I have brought Kim Chee to lunch at work many many times.



<!--EDIT|Craig|Oct 7 2002, 12:51 PM-->

[thaite]

Damn, I love kimchee and I'll acknowledge that yes, it's pungent, I don't find it stinky at all.

And, my aunt owns a durian farm and yes, my brothers and I have thrown them at each other. :lol:

[karizma]

>> ahahaha...my cousins always had olive fights at my auntie's house....but oh man...it could never compare to fricken DURIAN fights....damn...BW can i goto the farm for a visit? :D

[wylin]

in HS i ate cafeteria grade pizza, taco boat, hamburgers, and terriyaki yummers 2-3$ and ur nutritional needs are met who can ask for more. maybe if they had soylent green it woulda rocked more.

[thaite]

Originally posted by karizma@Oct 7 2002, 05:41 PM
>> ahahaha...my cousins always had olive fights at my auntie's house....but oh man...it could never compare to fricken DURIAN fights....damn...BW can i goto the farm for a visit? :D
Of course! The farm (in Rayong (http://www.clickthai.de/scripts/map.pl?0022452)) mostly runs itself, I think. They just have people collect the fruit during harvest time, which I don't when that is.

She also has sort of a bungalow house on the property that she rents out during the tourist season.

[bwc]

Originally posted by Hello_Hapa@Aug 24 2002, 02:22 AM
Originally posted by SunWuKung@Aug 23 2002, 05:04 PM

was she dismissing you as a foreigner as in "westerner"? &nbsp;or foreigner as in not american?
As in wai guo ren (or the korean equivalent in her case). Sorry for the commie pinyin, I just don't feel like using my chinese wordprocessor. I'm the token whitey and pack mule of the fobs. I process everyone's paperwork, help them find jobs, make the phone calls for them, take them to costco. You name it.

That's why she was over and asking me. Why didn't she believe me? Who knows. She also gets pissed off when everyone is speaking Mandarin yet continues to come over. I think she's kind of a nutter.
she is a shame to all chinese.
Her kids will be looked down upon by other families, sadly enough, and then she'll realize her mistake <_<

[Andrew]

I used to grab spring rolls from a stand on the local university campus at lunchtime. Tasty! Oddly enough, the police shut them down (http://www.dailytexanonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/06/24/3d16c18ef219c?in_archive=1) earlier this year because the stands were a front for a fencing operation.

[mydnyht]

NORMAL LUNCHES??? Oh, the nerve!!!!!! In that case, you'd need to talk to a school administrator, and see if you could put on a show or something educating those severely small minded students.
That is just SICK... NO TWO PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME DEFINITION OF NORMAL!!! Ohh, that makes my blood boil... :pissed: :pissed: :pissed: