Amy Tan is My Mother?

To be honest, when I read the story "Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan, I was unable to connect with the story. Even with a Chinese upbringing, for some reason I did not connect to everything that Tan was portraying. Foods like "slimy rock cod" or "dried fungus"? Never heard of it. And what are fish cheeks? Never in my sixteen plus years of life have I seen any of my family, friends, or relatives even mention fish cheeks. What is everything that Amy Tan is describing? Have I been growing up living a lie and thinking that I live in a Chinese culture? The answer is no. It turns out that I am not Amy Tan, my mom is. My mom has subconsciously assimilated into American culture. I can see it in her cooking. The "slimy rock cod" that Amy describes is now fish filet or a delicious salmon. The dried fungus is now mushrooms cooked with potatoes. Everything that my mom cooks has lost its Chinese, exotic nature; she has assimilated into American culture when it comes to cooking. No, I don't eat rice every night; in fact, it is more common that my mom makes Italian pasta, American hamburgers, and even Mexican tacos. My mother is trying to shield me from the exotic nature of Chinese food in fear that I won't accept it and instead giving me what my American companions are probably eating. My mom, like Amy, has fallen victim to the pressures of fitting into white society, and my non-Chinese meals reflect this fact. But I don't mind. Her cooking is delicious, and I sure as heck would rather eat a mouth-watering salmon than a "slimy rock cod".