Fish Cheeks CER

In Amy Chan’s “Fish Cheeks,” the author uses communal eating to develop a character by

displaying her past self’s internal struggles in order to try to blend in to gratify her crush but later

helps her embrace her culture.

First in paragraph two it says,” When I found out that my parents had invited the minister's

family over for Christmas Eve dinner, I cried. What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese

Christmas? What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked proper American

manners? What terrible disappointment would he feel upon seeing not a roasted turkey and sweet

potatoes but Chinese food?” To recapitulate, when Amy finds out that her mother has invited the

minister and his family over for Christmas Eve dinner it makes her petrified of what Robert, the

minister's son who she crushes on, might regard her family culture as. Furthermore, in

paragraphs five and six, Amy’s family embarrasses her by eating noisily with chopsticks and

reaching across the table, which in contrast to the minister’s family, who wait patiently. The

worst part is when her father belches loudly after the meal, which considered in Chinese customs

is polite as it is valuing the meal. This makes Amy stunned into silence and she eagerly waits for

the evening to be over. In short, this showcases Amy’s vexation towards her family’s customs in

order to please Robert. In paragraph seven after everyone leaves Amy's mothers' states, “‘You

want to be the same as American girls on the outside.’ She handed me an early gift. It was a

miniskirt in beige tweed. "But inside you must always be Chinese. You must be proud you are

different. Your only shame is to have shame." To emphasize, Amy’s mother understands her

want to fit in and tells her that it is okay, but she should always hold on to her culture. Later,

Amy then starts to realize that her mother understood how she felt that night and the dishes her
mother cooked were her favorite. She appreciates the lesson she learned and learns how to be

proud of her culture.