I do agree with anthropologist Ruth Benedict in that we are products of our culture; we inherit the habits, beliefs, and ways of living from the culture that we grew up in. I am Vietnamese, I was born in Vietnam and grew up in a Vietnamese household. My whole life ever since I left for college, I've been eating Vietnamese food and only learned how to cook Vietnamese food. So when I came to college and had my own kitchen, I only cooked Vietnamese food. My cooking habits was shown when I left my home and was independent from my family. I also saw other people's cultural cooking habits as I began to meet new people from around the world. I agree with Ruth Benedict that the impossibilities shaped by our culture are also attached to our lives. But I also feel that we can break through the limits of our culture simply by doing so. For an example, I brought with me to college the habit of cooking food the Vietnamese way until I met my boyfriend who is Caucasian. He taught me new ways of cooking food and ever since then, I broke through my habits and made my own style of cooking.
Ruth Benedict mentions that we also inherited our parents beliefs. One belief that I inherited from my parents is Buddhism. I grew up being a Buddhism, praying to Buddha, and participating in traditional cultural Vietnamese practices. So when I left my parents house, I was still looking at Buddha as my God and believed on the teachings of Buddhism. As I branched out, met my boyfriend, I was introduced to the teachings of Christ. I was intrigued and moved by his teachings and since then I broke my habits of believing in Buddhism. Of course, I can never truly turn against Buddhism because it was there for me when I grew up and it helped me through troubles. I will always have respect for my old cultural habits but I am not bound to it anymore.
Signing out,
Events Dreamer
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Hello Eventsdreamer,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and Benedict that we inherit our parents beliefs. It can be difficult to break from those beliefs as you age and you have to be able to keep an open mind about others and their beliefs. I think that it is great that you were able to incorporate what you have learned from your boyfriend with your cultural practices. I try to learn and take something from each person that I come into contact with, and I think that it important to do so in order to grow as an idividual.
It was really interesting to read your post because you come from a different culture so you could write about different experiences that I could in my post. I can completely relate to how cooking is an aspect of our culture and one that is easily adapted, changed, and impacted by other cultures. My situation is similar to yours, but the opposite. My boyfriend comes from a Japanese background so a lot of food he is used to is done in a Japanese style. I had never made a lot of the type of food he was used to, and may have even been a bit close minded about it. In my post on this question I mentioned how we will need to become a more open minded culture if we ever want to break down the cultural boundaries, and I think this example we both used is a perfect instance of that.
ReplyDeleteHi EventsDreamers--
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog because I can understand where you are coming from in a way. I on the other hand am half Filipino and Dutch but have grown up with Filipino customs. We are devoted Catholics and turning against my religion is something i just cannot and never will do. There are times when I miss mass on the weekends, and I feel guilty each and everyday until I do actually attend a mass to cleanse me of my sins. Eating Filipino food was never a custom of mine until I did move out of college. Alot of my friends were used to the cultural upbringings and the one thing my parents never did was force me to eat Filipino food. I only ate white food--hamburgers, salads, etc. I came to college and realized what I was missing out on and was just shocked. Also, as far as dating, I have dated outside of my religion and let me tell you how awkward that was. Having my ex boyfriend come with me to church was the weirdest thing because he didn't understand what was going on and always wanted to leave. I couldn't be in a relationship that didn't understand my religion yet alone my culture. I am now with my boyfriend of 3 years and we both are Filipino/American Catholics and I am loving every minute of it!