So while I never extensively listened to her music, from what I had heard, I had a little place in my heart for Lady Sovereign. As a female rapper, her rapping seemed decent, inflicted with that British accent of hers. And she just seemed like this quirky persona who had some weird-ass, eccentric videos. In short, she did what she wanted and I admired her for it.
So I watched the video for her latest single, "I got you dancing" and was somewhat disappointed to see that she and her background dancers had donned some Indian apparel. When will people learn that dressing up in suede attire, headbands with feathers, and applying random lines of paint on your cheeks does NOT make you Indian and is in fact, offensive. "Oh look at me, i'm one of those craaaazy redskin injuns now!"
SO ridiculous.
Anyway, check out the video. Perhaps i'm 'overreacting.' But I don't think so.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
What I talk about when I talk about not liking food
I love food, ok, don't get me wrong. Food is great.
But at the same time, I don't like food.
I've been trying to reconcile this in my head for the past couple of weeks. It's something that's been sort of in my head for a while, but not really something that I could put into words. It's not that one day I woke up and decided "you know what, I don't like food." I knew that I didn't like it, and in my head I could say "you know what, there's decent reason for this," but I couldn't say what exactly that reasoning was.
A point came a couple of weeks ago where I needed to articulate my feelings. Joyce asked me to be part of her ethnography on Japanese Americans in Chicago, and food was going to be a large part of the interview. When she asked me to participate, I was very enthusiastic, but when she mentioned that food would be one of the topics, I made a face and said something along the lines of "don't get me started on food." At the end of the interview she gave me an opportunity to get started on food, and I couldn't take the opportunity. It could be that I choked, it could be that I didn't know what I meant in my head, but ultimately, I didn't really say anything of substance in response to that question.
So I've been thinking about it more recently. Why do I feel this way about food? (whatever way this is) What brought this feeling (whatever it is) about? Why do I feel such a disconnect from something that I so obviously do not hate?
Now, I guess, what I did not take into account here was the importance of food on a family level. I think that, personally, I am a bit disconnected in this respect. Being 4th generation, I don't think I can say that I have ever eaten real Japanese food, but at the same time, I also don't know what real Japanese food is. Certainly, I've eaten Japanese food, or what I know/think to be Japanese food, and I eat rice with most every meal I eat at home, but I don't think that, necessarily, it is a way to keep us connected to our "Japanese roots," whatever those are, or whatever that may mean.
Things such as Taste of UIC, wherein student organizations sell food representative of their ethnic backgrounds, strike me not necessarily as a point of unity, but as a money making endeavor. Which is fine, I have no problem with that. Whenever someone brings up food related events for AARCC to present, or to try doing for Asian American Awareness Month, I always get a little skeptical. Strikes me as more "Asian" and less "Asian American." It's great for making money, but I feel as though "I am more than the food my ancestors ate."
I know that at events, even AACC centers them around food sometimes. This weekend we're having our end of the year outing, and we're having it over a meal. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. It's not about the food, necessarily, though. Yeah, the food is great, but I think we would all go even if the outing was at a McDonald's (Maybe? I hope? I would!). Food might enhance the experience, but I don't view food as the experience. Like, for example, the Mentor Program pot-luck. Everyone brought food. The event itself, though, wasn't about the food, really. Yeah, food would be there, but so would all these other people you know, and whose company you enjoy. Like, you can go on a really great date, even if the restaurant you go to is shitty.
Ultimately, food is great. I love food, and I don't plan to stop eating any time soon. It's great to sit down with friends and eat, and to sit down with friends and eat new things. Food can be the medium through which you can get people through the door, but it shouldn't be the end of the line. There is so much more out there that defines us and who we are than just what we eat. I guess the take home cliche here would be "we aren't what we eat." I ate bowls and bowls of udon from Japanese restaurants while I was growing up, I doubt that really shapes my identity, and in the event that it does, and it shapes my identity far less than some of my other experiences. So yeah. We aren't what we eat.
I hope that made sense. Sorry if it didn't.
But at the same time, I don't like food.
I've been trying to reconcile this in my head for the past couple of weeks. It's something that's been sort of in my head for a while, but not really something that I could put into words. It's not that one day I woke up and decided "you know what, I don't like food." I knew that I didn't like it, and in my head I could say "you know what, there's decent reason for this," but I couldn't say what exactly that reasoning was.
A point came a couple of weeks ago where I needed to articulate my feelings. Joyce asked me to be part of her ethnography on Japanese Americans in Chicago, and food was going to be a large part of the interview. When she asked me to participate, I was very enthusiastic, but when she mentioned that food would be one of the topics, I made a face and said something along the lines of "don't get me started on food." At the end of the interview she gave me an opportunity to get started on food, and I couldn't take the opportunity. It could be that I choked, it could be that I didn't know what I meant in my head, but ultimately, I didn't really say anything of substance in response to that question.
So I've been thinking about it more recently. Why do I feel this way about food? (whatever way this is) What brought this feeling (whatever it is) about? Why do I feel such a disconnect from something that I so obviously do not hate?
Now, I guess, what I did not take into account here was the importance of food on a family level. I think that, personally, I am a bit disconnected in this respect. Being 4th generation, I don't think I can say that I have ever eaten real Japanese food, but at the same time, I also don't know what real Japanese food is. Certainly, I've eaten Japanese food, or what I know/think to be Japanese food, and I eat rice with most every meal I eat at home, but I don't think that, necessarily, it is a way to keep us connected to our "Japanese roots," whatever those are, or whatever that may mean.
Things such as Taste of UIC, wherein student organizations sell food representative of their ethnic backgrounds, strike me not necessarily as a point of unity, but as a money making endeavor. Which is fine, I have no problem with that. Whenever someone brings up food related events for AARCC to present, or to try doing for Asian American Awareness Month, I always get a little skeptical. Strikes me as more "Asian" and less "Asian American." It's great for making money, but I feel as though "I am more than the food my ancestors ate."
I know that at events, even AACC centers them around food sometimes. This weekend we're having our end of the year outing, and we're having it over a meal. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. It's not about the food, necessarily, though. Yeah, the food is great, but I think we would all go even if the outing was at a McDonald's (Maybe? I hope? I would!). Food might enhance the experience, but I don't view food as the experience. Like, for example, the Mentor Program pot-luck. Everyone brought food. The event itself, though, wasn't about the food, really. Yeah, food would be there, but so would all these other people you know, and whose company you enjoy. Like, you can go on a really great date, even if the restaurant you go to is shitty.
Ultimately, food is great. I love food, and I don't plan to stop eating any time soon. It's great to sit down with friends and eat, and to sit down with friends and eat new things. Food can be the medium through which you can get people through the door, but it shouldn't be the end of the line. There is so much more out there that defines us and who we are than just what we eat. I guess the take home cliche here would be "we aren't what we eat." I ate bowls and bowls of udon from Japanese restaurants while I was growing up, I doubt that really shapes my identity, and in the event that it does, and it shapes my identity far less than some of my other experiences. So yeah. We aren't what we eat.
I hope that made sense. Sorry if it didn't.
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