Thursday, October 9, 2008

The Dim Sum of All Things

Kim Wong Kelter's novel, The Dim Sum of All Things, explores what it like to be Asian, American, female, and the struggle to find a balance between the three worlds.

The main character, Lindsey Owyang, starts off by complaining how her last name sounded so Chinese, and how the kids at school would mock the way it's pronounced. She has to go to Chinese school and American school. While she does well in American school., she does poorly in Chinese school. She does not seem to know a lot about her own Chinese ancestry, but has pride in being who she is. Her parents don't seem to support her interest in their background culture, but she still tries to connect with her "Pau Pau," which is Grandma in Chinese, through culture. The book shows her growth as her bond with her Pau Pau strengthens, and she learns more about herself and everything around her.

She is always critical when Caucasians like Asian things, especially Asian women, whom she dubs "Hoarders of All Things Asian." She is so skeptical of them that she created her own theory about these men and is always trying to see whether they fit her categorization or not. Most of the time, they do.

Lindey works with a magazine that makes sure its employees do not eat meat. She finds out that her co-worker actually likes her and realizes that she likes him back. When she gets to know him more, she notices he has all the symptoms of being a Hoarder! This is when she starts to rethink what makes a Hoarder, and what she really wants.

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