“Rice and Pasta.” That’s what I tell people when they ask what we eat at home. My husband grew up in Shanghai, China, where the men are known to be great cooks. His Chinese dishes incorporate non-Chinese ingredients like pine nuts and zucchini, and his pasta dishes usually involve something stir-fried. I grew up in Northern Michigan, skiing and playing euchre. While not a natural cook, I love eating good cooking and reading about food.
The food we enjoy is a metaphor for how our family brings together American and Chinese cultures. We speak English at home, but our family “lingo” includes a smattering of Chinese words. Our kids (six and three) watch Thomas and Elmo, but love Chinese cartoon heroes like the Monkey King and Xi Yangyang. We celebrate traditional American holiday like Christmas and New Years, as well as Chinese holidays like Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival.
But bringing together two cultures in one family is not as easy as it sounds. In fact, on some days, it seems nearly impossible. I started this blog to share our inspirations, successes, and challenges as we live and learn cross-culturally.
