fish

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Fish Cheeks
What does Amy Tan’s mother mean when she says that your only shame is to have shame?
Amy’s mother advised her daughter that there is nothing wrong with one being different from the other people around her. She asks her daughter not to be embarrassed about being a Chinese, but instead embrace her culture and race without having any fears about what other people think. She also advises Amy that despite wanting to be like the American girls, she must always remember to remain Chinese inside (Tan 95).
Tan is very nervous about the encounter between her family and Robert’s. What do you really think she’s afraid of?
Tan was nervous because she was afraid of what Robert’s family might think about the cultures of her family. Since they were Chinese, her mother had planned to prepare the favorite Chinese foods such as the fish cheeks, squids, tofu and other dishes, which Robert’s family might find them to be strange (Tan 93). Moreover, she thinks that her mother had outdone herself by planning to cook Chinese foods that might look very strange to the visitors who were Americans (Tan 93). She is also concerned about how Robert’s family will perceive the customs and behaviors of her extended family. There are some behaviors in the Chinese culture that was considered to be acceptable and polite, but they are perceived differently by the American people. For example, at the dinner party, Amy’s father belched loudly after finishing his meal, an indication of his appreciation for the meal as per the Chinese culture (Tan 92-95).

Describe the Tan family’s meal from Robert’s point of view. What does he see? How do the scene and the food look to him?
In many cases, such types of foods and customs are likely to be strange to an outsider, and therefore, it is not a big deal that Robert grimaced when he was served a whole steamed fish that also had eyes. Robert seems not to appreciate the dishes that are set before him and this made him stare at his plate with a reddened face (Tan 92-95). From his appearance, he does not seem like he enjoyed being part of the dinner and tended to be in shock seeing Amy’s mother serving him with a full fish that contained eyes and all other parts.

Work Cited
Tan, Amy. “Fish Cheeks.” The Brief Bedford Reader (2003): 92-95.